nbsp; If you've already got a kayak or canoe rack on your vehicle, but you wish lifting your boat up onto the roof wasn't quite so cumbersome, these load assist options from Yakima and Thule will help you get that boat on the roof without having to trade your existing rack for an expensive roller system. The Thule 847 Outrigger II Kayak / Canoe Rack Loader fits Thule square bar roof racks, and when not in use, the telescoping arm slides back inside the crossbar. Then the integrated load stop flips down and locks the Outrigger in place, so it'll never slide out unexpectedly and hit you in the head. Installing this might take all of three minutes. Pop off the end cap on your roof rack's load bar, slide the Outrigger II into the load bar flat side down, and tighten the retainer bolt with the included allen wrench. If you need to install an Outrigger on both sides of your vehicle, you may have to put one in the front crossbar and one in the rear if you have shorter crossbars.
If you have a Yakima round bar base rack, the Yakima 4018 Boatloader Canoe and Kayak Side Load Assist will work like an extra set of hands, holding up one end of your boat while you lift the other onto your roof. The round load stop at the end of the BoatLoader ensures your boat won't slide off no matter how much the BoatLoader might rotate. Installation is ridiculously simple, just remove the end cap from one of your roof rack's load bars and slide the BoatLoader in place (the retainer bolt should be placed underneath the crossbar, not on top of it). Grab the included hex wrench, tighten the retainer bolt, and you're ready to go. If you're installing one on each side of your roof rack, you might not be able to install them both in the same crossbar if your bars are short. Tighten the large wingnut on the right-hand side of the BoatLoader to keep it in place inside the load bar when not in use.
Both of these load assist options work well with kayak saddles, J style cradles, canoe carrier brackets, or kayak stackers. Just remember that these are not meant to take the place of longer load bars, so even though they will hold up your kayak or canoe while you load it, please don't use them as load bearing bars while you're on the road. That would be dangerous. We want these products to make your trips easier, so use them as recommended and they'll do just that.
Comments