UVa_alum Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Hi, I have an occasional circumstance of wanting to mount a second kayak to my Thule rack. Aside from the obvious solution of simply spending the cash on another Thule kayak saddle, are there less expensive alternatives? For example, using foam blocks to protect the roof, and bunjee chords to secure the kayak, not to mention the rope to tie down the ends. Thanks in advance. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarlson Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Gary... many folks successfully use the commonly available foam blocks to carry a kayak on the Thule load bars. Most of the blocks have a slot on the bottom that fits onto the bar. Use camlock straps rather than bungees to secure the boat to the load bars and snug them down well. Fore and aft tie-downs provide additional security. Also, Thule carriers can sometimes be found inexpensively on eBay and other used gear lists. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedious Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 >Hi, > >I have an occasional circumstance of wanting to mount a >second kayak to my Thule rack. Aside from the obvious >solution of simply spending the cash on another Thule kayak >saddle, are there less expensive alternatives? For example, >using foam blocks to protect the roof, and bunjee chords to >secure the kayak, not to mention the rope to tie down the >ends. > >Thanks in advance. > >Gary Gary, I made a mount out of some packing foam I had hanging around - just zip-tied it to the bars, with a layer of duct tape over. Looks ugly, works well, cheap. Bungies are not enough to hold the kayak on - this is NOT a place to save money; buy yourself some good straps. And if you've got enough expensive gear on the roof to warrant it, consider a safety strap over everything and through the doors - holds when the rack itself lets go. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplethreat Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 If you run the straps thru the inside of the car, they can wick water in if it is raining. This happened to us last night. I am going to pull the webbing inside the car through an old bicycle tube (700 c or 27 inch) to keep the dripping near the doors. Might try running the tube right outside the car, then water will be trapped inside the bike tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Alternatives really depend on what you are carrying. I carry fiberglass kayaks on the roof on bars that are padded with pipe foam insulation and duct tape. I use the kayak stacker supports and tie around the rack and to the support - both of them. I prefer to tie the boats down with rope rather than the cam buckles because it is easier but I can tie a pretty good knot. If you can't tie knots, then better to use the straps w/ buckles and for that my preference is the ones with the rubber covers over the buckle. I also usually use a bow line. I probably wouldn't want to carry RM kayaks this way and leave them on the bars in the sun... Best to have cradles for that. If you are interested, I have a few Thule J bars for sale as I am no longer using them. See want ads. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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