Roof Rack for a '96, Thule 450s? Need (2) Kayak mount...

[Boosted]

Alright I've researched and found a few things. First off is that the factory bars are basically WORTHLESS on the early R50's. 2nd I've heard and seen a few people used Yakima bars or the Thule Footpack system with the existing rails.

 

Question: My scenario is I need to put two 9.5ft kayaks on the roof utilizing my existing roof rack with/out Yakima/Thule/Other bars and mounts.

 

Of course I would like to keep the cost affordable, but I want something good and worth it in the long run, so of course I won't rule out more expensive systems.

 

 

I haven't found a lot on the forums, a couple setups from people that started with a bare roof (well that's easy to work with), but not much using the existing rails on the R50.

 

Please shout out with any experience you have and what a good scenario may be. As for our bikes, I just throw them inside, I have a good setup for that.

 

THANKS!

[esy]

from the looks of your picture, it appears that you don't have any running bars, so it looks like you'll have to get the permanent roof racks.

 

another bet would be to get a cargo basket of sorts, attach it to your factory racks, and go from there.

 

best bang for your buck would be to go used. you'll save pretty much 50% from retail price and you'll typically be able to find them in relatively good condition.

[Zibi]

I wouldn't say the stock roofrack is worthless. I've carried, amongst other things, my canoe, windsurf board, and a large crate that was wider than the truck and weighted several hundred pounds. I would have no qualms about carrying a couple of kayaks on top of my truck.

 

Of course an aftermarket roofrack would be much better

 

On other vehicles I've used roofracks that mount between the gutter and door frame, which is the common design for most aftermarket ones. We've got I believe a Yakima rack for our Toyota Matrix which is quite nice, but they can be expensive. For the kayaks you can get some nice kayak mounts that hold the kayaks on their sides. Those should work fine regardless of whether you use the stock or an aftermarket roofrack.

 

Truth be told I'd just stop by the local rack shop, ask some questions, and go from there. There are several stores around here that deal exclusively in roofracks and accessories for vehicles. I'd stop by, ask some questions, get some quotes, and then look for competing prices online. They'll know their stuff and questions are (usually) free.

Edited July 18, 2011 by Zibi