I have a 17 foot 50 lb Current Designs Solstice kayak and i recently purchased a new car (toyota corolla). i’ve seen the new soft top type roof racks that don’t use metal bars. ARE THESE OK for transporting my 17 ft kayak? Does any one of you use these? thanks (note - i had a nice honda cr-v that i used with thule racks but had to see my car 
) - Yakima makes the Easy Top
The only thing similar I’ve used is pool noodles that I used for quick, temporary rack. That was carrying a 10 foot kayak. It worked but the roof tended to deflect and oil can under the pads, especially when the kayak pitched (i.e., a "hobby horse’ motion). There was no permanent denting of the roof, but cars nowadays are using thinner sheet metal in the roofs to save weight. Plus a 17 foot kayak will want to pitch a lot more. So that would be my biggest concern. I personally wouldn’t feel good hauling something that long with a soft rack.
thanks - yea i’m concerned about that also
I would not recommend these except as a temporary measure. Most car roofs are not made for carrying a load directly, especially one this heavy and large concentrated on only two areas. The roof finish can be damaged not only from flexing, but with anything at all trapped under the pads like dirt or sand, any slight shifting of the pads will eventually abrade the paint away. Wind can exert quite a bit of force on a 17’ kayak.