Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Return to Index Gallery Index Read Responses

Re: Other: Rack Strap Pressure

By:JohnAbercrombie
Date: 8/7/2016, 5:05 pm

In Response To: Re: Other: Rack Strap Pressure (Paul D)

I don't understand people who buy cradles that don't work as well as they could are stuck on the bars full time because they're a pain to get off and cost an absolute fortune!

Are you seriously saying that homemade 'driftwood' wooden cradles that 'slip on and off' work better than Yakima or Thule kayak cradles that are bolted to the rack?
When I first started kayaking I built a pair of wooden 'J' holders, but only used them for one trip.
I found the last set of Yakima cradles I've had here on the 'Free' listings at the side of the road. (I gave those to a friend who was sick of messing with foam blocks and end ties.)
The ones on my car were also bought used - I got the 8 units (4/boat) all for under $100.
I drive fast and I don't need end ties on boats that are 16'-17' long.
I paddle often, so there's no need to take the racks and cradles off the car.

Home-made and improvised solutions cost money as well (even if you don't put a dollar value on your hobby time, which I don't).

A few hundred $$ for commercial rack cradles and straps seems reasonable to me when I have 2-3-4-5-6-7-8 thousand dollars worth of boats up there!
I'm not embarrassed when I use a commercial rack. I don't make my cars, either.
;-)
I 'feel bad' when I see and hear stories about boats being damaged by bad rack and carrying systems.