Two Pungos, a Pathfinder and Thule?

I am new to kayaking, so sorry if this might seem like a newbie question. I recently bought two WS Pungo 140s and just found out today that there is no way they will both fit on the factory roof of my Nissan Pathfinder (tried to lay one flat, tilt the other - the Pungos are just too wide).



I will most likely be kayaking a lot more than wife, and want to use the Thule 883 Glide and Set set since I will be loading the Pungo myself. Now, I figure there is no way I can put two Slide and Glides on. So would a combination of a Slide and Set on one side with the 835xt Hull-a-Port work in my situation? Any other possibilites (using the factory rack)… Not a big fan of using the 830 Stacker.



I’ve never really ever anything on the roof of my Nissan, so any help would be appreciated.



XC

Thule bars on your factory rack
Get a set of thule bars wider than the factory rack.

Well
I thought about that, but some garage issues probably won’t allow me. Plus, I’d like to keep the factory rack.

“J” craddles…
Malone, Thule, and Yakima make J cradles that will require less horizontal space on your crossbars.

I have no personal experience to share with you on these.

T

J-Cradles
We carry 2 OT Loons on a Toyota Corolla with Thule J-cradles. (We’ve even fit a 3rd one in a “pyramid” configuration when needed!)

J cradle or…
the Malone SeaWing. The Sea Wing has a single mounting point and allows them to be placed closer to the end of the cross bars. I carry two Pungo’s on my Jeep Liberty with no problems at all.

I have used the J cradles also but the Pungo’s are easier to load on the SeaWings. Just slide them on from the back.

Thanks for the replies
I have no Malone dealers anywhere near me. The seawings look like a viable option though. (How much do the seawings run?) All I have locally is Yakima or Thule, both a bit expensive.



I would really like to have a rolling loader so I can get the kayak on and off easily solo… and a J cradle for the rare occasion that my wife decides to join me. Would the Glide-and-set and Hullaport (J cradle) fit and work with two wide Pungos?



XC

Another Suggestion
If you are determined to use the roller setup for solo use then consider getting a pair of Thule stackers. The stacker bars will mount beside your saddles and can be turned up for use when you want to carry two yaks.



I have a set mounted between my two sets of saddles and can quickly pop them up when I need to carry all three of my yaks.



Also, Thule should have a mounting kit for bars that will mount to your side rails on your factory rack. You can check out their website for a fit guide. Better yet, find a Thule certified independent dealer in your area and let them get you fixed up!

Longer Thule bars
You should be able to put longer Thule bars on your roof rack that aren’t too wide for your garage. You can mount the Thules to your roof rack with the Thule 450 cross roads. Tis photo highlights the glide and sets, but also shows the mounts attaching the bars to a factory rack roof rails.

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/images/products/883.jpg

While the Thule Bars come in standard widths, they can all be cut to length. A Sawz All makes short work of it, but if you don’t have one, a hack saw will do just fine. Just remove the plastic end cap, cut to desired length, reinstall cap over new end. Now if you can get the bars wide enough for your two kayaks, but narrow enough for you garage is another question. I would guess you could, as the stock roof rack is about the narrowest part of the car. Much narrower than you side view mirrors.

I have the glide and sets, and love them.

Don

Malone
The SeaWings are available at



http://www.prolineracks.com/kayak-saddles-rollers-racks.html