I am considering getting a thule Outrigger II to help load my boat on my suv by myself. anyone else use it? Is it sturdy enough to throw a 14 ft plastic sea kayak up on it.
Any reviews would be great.
thanks!
I use the Outrigger II to load and
unload my fiberglass Aquaterra Sea Lion (about 55 lbs) and it works pretty well. I cover it with foam pipe insulation before setting the boat on it to reduce chances for scratching. I couldn’t load this boat without the Outrigger II or something similar.
I would say that it is NOT sturdy enough to “throw” your boat up on it. It is sturdy enough to set one end on it and slide it over it a ways until you can set the other end of the boat on the other load bar.
For me, it was a very good investment.
thule vs yakima
yeah i’m down to deciding on thule or yakima…
Anyone have any probems with the yakima round bars rotating? i read some posts that people chose thule for the square bars.
I think the round bars actyually look better. I have thule j-cradles for my sea kayak that i dont want them to come loose. any other advantages / disadvantages for both brands?
Also any good place to buy online. Id llike to get a good deal on them. I think EMS sometimes has a sale on them.
Wait for the SlipStream
It’ll be worth it.
Could go whole hog and get a Hull-a-Vator.
See you on the water,
Marshall
www.the-river-connection.com
Hyde Park, NY
Economical and Functional!
It has saved my back and vehicle finish.
Outrigger
I just bought an Outrigger and it seems pretty stout. My boats weigh 83 and 60(ish) pounds respectively and it handles them with no problem.
Something I’ve used in the past which helps load boats quite well is Thule’s Roller Coaster, which goes on the rear kayak rack and allows you to roll the boat up onto the roof from the rear. I can’t use one anymore because I have a truck, so I went to the Outrigger (that Hullavator is tempting, but pricey).