voodoofernie

so i just purchased the yakima roof rack for my box and am wondering if there's anyone out there that has kayaks and puts them ontop of their xbs... i'm particularly wondering about how to secure the kayak to the rack, can you actually tie them down to the front and back of the vehicle? i don't want to mess up my bumpers, i know the plastic is fragile and wouldnt want to bend it up.. i am considering buying the kayak attatchment for my rack but as of right now i cant. those parts are expensive and i just dropped a huge wad on the rack itself! i pretty much just need a temporary solution till i can get the necessary attatchment, so if anyone has any sugestions about securing my kayak to my rack, all will be greatly appreciated! thanks!!

ItsmeJSB

I use my racks for carrying equipment for my small business. The literature with the racks says they will hold 165 lbs. I think that is a low estimate for liability reasons. I put weight benches and Reebok steps up there and use 5 or 6 very strong bungee cords to lash it down. does't rattle or move at all. The racks seem VERY secure. Make sure they are installed correctly and really tight, then lock'em. Drive slow with those kayaks ! Good luck ! JB

LoadedAgain

I don't tie to the front or back bumper.

Sunny

That looks great! Is it perrmanent or removable? I have been lookin to get one, but I don't want to drill into the roof.

LoadedAgain

It is a yakima setup and it clamps to the door gutters. I leave it on all the time. No drilling needed. It installs pretty easy.

The setup looks better now. I added a front fairing.

vintage42

Does Yakima have special attachments for holding the kayak to the bars? Is the fairing for looks, or does it have a function like stopping noise? When I used an LL Bean Easy-Off bar rack on a car years ago, it howled at high speed. A friend had bars on their Element, and they made a noise, too.

LoadedAgain

I could not hear the noise with or without the fairing. I just like the look of the fairing better. I turned the "yakima" logo around so it would not face the front of the xB and look like a billboard.

Mounted to the bars I have.

A Basket Case:
http://www.rei.com/product/494298

Kayak Holders:
http://www.rei.com/product/670319

MTB Holders:
http://www.rei.com/product/738322

tuvanhillbilly

If you did wish to tie down front and back (which I would recommend, but to each his own), you can use the tow hooks. There are little pop-outs on the front and rear bumpers (off to the side, not dead center unfortunately), and the bolt which screws in to hold down your spare tire will thread into a nut inside of the popout to give you an instant tie-down point (it is actually a tow hook but works very well as a tie-down). Go to a junkyard or dealer to get another one and you can have one both front and rear.