I see that Yakima has a couple different Kayak carriers for the roof mount solutions.
Does anyone have opinions on which one is the best?
This will be going on top of my 2004 Ext. Cab Silverado, the bed will have camping gear, and the hitch is carrying my SportWorks Mtn. bike carrier, so the Wave Sport Ace 4.7 is going on the roof. 
I see the Hullraiser, Kayak Stacker, and several saddle options.
Like I said, I have a WaveSport Ace 4.7 right now, I might get a canoe down the road, but right now just a small playboat. I would like to be able to carry at least two boats, so I can load a friends up too. It’s a 58" bar, I believe.
Thanks for the input!
I would go with the stacker for WW
boats. You can stack up to five WW kayaks, and a single kayak goes on and off easily.
For sea kayaks the choice is less obvious. If you have a plastic sea kayak, you may find the cradle and roller arrangements tend to push the hull in, but this is not a problem with many composite boats because the hull does not take a “set” when dented. But when sea kayaks are put on a stacker, it may take a little planning to get them nested right. YMMV.
Bow and Stern straps necessary?
Are they necessary with the Yak Stacker or is the rack good enough for WW kayaks.
This is a Wave Sport Ave 4.7.
bow and stern straps
Look, they aren’t a bad idea. Can you go without, sure. I’ve always used them and never had anything fail. I will say this: if you carry more than one boat I would definitely use bow & stern straps. The added weight increases risk of movement and failure of the system. A great thing about the bow line is how it serves as a ‘tell-tale’ in the event the load is shifting.
Once driving on 95 at 70 mph a tractor-trailer moved in front of me. My bow line began to move violently until I slowed and got out of his slip-stream. The forces acting on my 17’ boat were probably 3x what they had been.
Last point: I wear seatbelts as much for me as I do for those that depend on me. I use bow & stern lines as much for those on the highway with me as I do for myself.
Stacker
If you buy the stacker you will be able to carry up to 4 boats. or you will be able to load your kayak on its side and make room for more gear, equipment or significant other on the roof rack. I have a stacker and I’ve carried 3 kayaks (2 blackwater 11.5, 1 dagger catalyst 12.8)without any extra straps to my bumpers w/o any problem. I’ve gone well above 70 MPH at times and I it works great!
Jason S.
www.spanky526.com
I have an extended F-150…
and the Yakima J-cradles allow me to carry two WW boats and two touring boats. The only rub is the challenge of getting them loaded and secured. Knowing what I know now, for the sake of ease, I might consider a different setup. However, this is a very secure system at highway speeds. (I also utilize bow and stern lines as a precaution.)