My kayak rack system (Yakima) has J bars. I am small woman. J bars move when I try to lift boat. Any ideas?

Question

I try to tighten the bars but everytime the kayak bumps into the bar it flattens it. Should I get a different type of roof rack that is easier to handle? I am transporting 2 single kayaks that each weigh about 35 lbs. thanks

Answer 1

I'm pretty short too so I have a hard time with my kayak on my truck.  I find that the easiest way is to not use any kind of attachments on your racks.  Pad the cross bars and place both kayaks upside down, side by side.  You might need to buy the longer cross bars because most kayaks are at least 30 inches wide.

Answer 2

Get the stackers and put the boats on their sides.  You only need the straps that go through or around the stackers. No bow or stern tie downs are necessary.  I've got Yakima racks, but I've got Thule stackers (left over from my last roof rack system).  All of my paddling buddies covet my stackers and I like the design better than Yakima's. Just know that the Thule stackers won't fit the Yakima bars perfectly so you'll want to take that into consideration if you go that route (Yakima are round bars and Thule stackers are made for rectangular bars).  Either way, stackers are better than the J bars.  I've successfully transported four big creekboats full of gear on top of mine and all worked well and usually have one of my boats on top on a daily basis without any problems. Hope this helps!  Good luck!