Has anyone tried the Malone soft racks at highway speeds? I have a new Honda Civic and wanted to try and avoid a $300.00 rack. Any help will be appreciated.
http://maloneautoracks.com/details.html?page=SoftRackKayakAndCanoeCarriers&product=MPG152
handirack
I’ve heard second hand stories of them doing fine on highways. One forum I read a fellow was speaking of a guy he met carrying two kayaks on them from Washington to Baja.
Check craigslist and other used options. Honda civics are pretty common (and so are the fit kits) and you may be able to get a decent Thule or Yakima for a fraction of the cost new.
You get what you pay for
And maybe less than what you pay for. $50 for a couple of pieces of cheap foam, and thin straps with what look like plastic cams seems steep. I owned the equivalent “rack” without the Malone name on it, picked up for $20 or maybe $30 bucks. It’ll work, but it will take you longer to secure your boats than a standard Yakima or Thule rack, and they’ll be less secure.
yes,
they work fine- I just drove from Kansas City to the buffalo river in AR- about 5 hrs- and they worked great with my 95 toyota camry. 2 ratchet “belly” straps (with the right amount of pressure), 2 bow lines and 1 stern and you’re good to go.
However, I wouldn’t pay $50 for a kit. Check out the same thing here and get 4 foam blocks for $14 and get some straps from wal-mart.
http://www.prolineracks.com/riverside-413-canoe-blocks.html
I’m contemplating getting a rack for this same car, but only for the reason mentioned above, easier loading and unloading. The site above also has reasonably priced thule and yakima racks.
Steven
raacks
I used something similar for years, and it worked fine, but it sure was a pain. I finally got yakima racks, and they’re a lot less hassle. Thule seem less fussy than Yakima systems, but that may not be true (parts are always falling off the Yakima rack).