Looking to buy a car top rack for my kayak. I have the Yakima system but can’t decide on which kayak attachment would be best. They have quite a few choices. I am thinking the Boatloader would be helpful since I am a smallish size woman and will be doing quite a bit solo. Anyone want to share their opinions and experiences?
rack
I know you said you have Yakima but for a car the best I’ve seen is the Thule Hullavator. They’ve worked out the locking in place problem in the first model and for one person especially a smaller person, it is so neat to be able to just place the boat from the side of the car and then use the hullavator to lift it up onto the roof.
thule glide and set
I like the thule glide-and-set, paired with a rubber backed bath mat on the rear of the car. It will also work on a Yakima rack. I’m short and also have several petite friends who use the same set up.
what kind of vehicle u use ?
the reason i ask this… is they make something called a SUV roller that mounts in the top of a rear door on most SUV’s and works best with saddles. i haven’t tried it with J-racks yet. you just slide it into the door seam as needed, remove it after you get kayak loaded. i can roll a 60# kayak up onto roof with little effort.
Kayak loading
Take a look at Yakima’s Showboat system. Saw it at Canoecopia, slick system.