jason Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 I was wondering if anybody has had any experience with the Thule Hullavator? I have replaced my car with a bigger vehicle thus I am thinking of getting a hullavator instead of a little ladder. Before I purchase one I was hoping to know now if other people liked or didn't like it? I was also wondering if it is possible to lower the Hullavator while holding the kayak with the other hand. I found that the thule racks I puchased doesn't support the Hullavator (It will in the future), thus I will have to find another way to get the boat on the car atleast for now. Thanks -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin B (RPS Coach) Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Jason,I've seen in operation and it is a pretty neat device if not a little pricey. Heidi (hopefloats) uses one on her Jeep so you might want to pop off an email to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiyak Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 My wife and I bought two last summer, in spite of a few quirks that some people have been whinning about. We both LOVE THEM! The mechanisms do become friendlier with use. The ease of getting the kayaks on and off our Chrysler Minivan gives us no excuse not to kayak. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopefloats Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Ok, here's what I know...The first model that came out for the hullavator did have some issues, but it was re-modeled this year. Hullavators created in 2006 should operate fine. My husband has a back injury and I am not very strong (yet! ) and, as Kevin mentioned, I have a Jeep Liberty that is a higher car, AND we both have very heavy very large plastic kayaks....all reasons why the hullavator has minimized back problems, and make it possible for me to go kayaking while my husband heals without a ton of assistance.As far as the cost is concerned, I can see down the road when my husband and I have learned a lot and are ready to upgrade to lighter boats like kevlar, the hullavator may not be as necessary. We may hang on to one of the heavier plastic ones for less experienced friends so we may always benefit from the hullavator, but if you are already into fiberglass & kevlar or see yourself upgrading soon, depending on the height of your car, you might save your money and use it towards the boat of your dreams rather than a hullavator. If you have a heavy plastic boat, and are content with it for the long term, a hullavator may be just the thing to help you minimize the boat "packing & unpacking" and maximize the time on the water.Regarding the mechanics.. when the boat is being lifted or lowered from the roof of the car, it should be strapped in...so it is not necessary at that point to worry about holding onto the boat. To "unlatch" it so that it will move from car-side position to roof position, or vise-versa..both hands need to be squeezing the handles. Without squeezing the handles, its not designed to move much, so the kayak should balance in the rests until you've strapped it in or unstrapped it.Hope all this helps you make a decision... Let me know if this raises any questions... or if you want to go kayaking sometime (I'm still a beginner) at Lake Chebacco thursdays, for example...I'd be happy to let you try it out! Only issue there is I've been rear-ended recently and my car could be in the shop soon....so we'd have to work around that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommmyc Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 i have a ford escape. i was using a step stool with 2 steps to load my tempest 170 on my J bar. one day a strong wind gust knocked me and the kayak to the ground. i went out and bought one that day and love it. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pintail Posted August 28, 2006 Share Posted August 28, 2006 Jason, See the classified page: E-ZLoad is very similar in concept... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopefloats Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 We were able to use the same thule crossbars we had previously (Square bars) but the "feet" that attach to the car had to be different. Our J hooks can still be used on the non-hullavator side, like they did before.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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