horrocks007

I called surco, and they said they haven't tested their crossbars with kayaks so they can't reccomend using them for that purpose. Anyone transport kayaks using the surco crossbars?

mrlobaloba

I have the thule gutter mount system. Works really good with my tandem ocean kayak.

mml

i use a removable safari light bar for the front (no lights) and since this pic was taken i've added a thule goalpost hitch mount which works well with the soft top and the hardtop, i like it for its quick assembly and disassemble. the only drawback is opening the tailgate with the goalpost installed.

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horrocks007

Apparently there are 12 screws to undo on the surco rack. I really liked that rack, but if I can't transport the yaks, then it's a no-go.

I am thinking about the Garvin Wilderness rack now, anyone have that one? Or the Warrior products rack, anyone?

I am not going with a gutter mount rack, because transporting a 16 foot tandem and a 14 foot single seems like too much.

DougM

I just wrestled with this issue. I have a Nucanoe Frontier on order. My hitch is tied up with a Jeep camper.

I needed it to work with a soft top and hardtop. I also wanted to be able to quickly open or drop the soft top.

Long story made short... I ended up ordering a Gobi Stealth. The lead time is 5-6 weeks as they are made to order.

The vendor let me pay have down and the other half when it's ready to ship. That gives me 2-3 more checks before the other half is due.

It's been a month. Can't wait to get it!

FYI I also ordered the lockable shovel/axe mount. I hope to use them for the kayak paddles.

bbeyers

I just bought and installed the Thule crossroad 450 rack system with 58" bars, along with Thule's Outrigger II. Only works with the hard top off (or soft top down). You'll have to remove the factory foam from inside of the roll bar covers, but you can put it back in after you remove the racks. The Outrigger II is pretty cool. Allows a vertically challenged person (like me) to load a 13 footer by myself. You can't see it in the pics, but the rack doesn't interfere with my Spiderwebshade. Here's a few pics. . .

cowboyjeeper

Stupid question... why waist the money on a rack? Now I have to admit I don't have experience with the JK and kayaks just yet... my JK has not arrived (still on order) but if I was going to go kayaking my top was ALWAYS off... so I just strapped them strait to the roll bar on my TJ.

Now don't get me wrong, I see the value in a expedition Jeep (with rack) but if all you're ever going to do is put a kayak up there I don't see the need for a bar.

lewisXJK

Trivorak!

ezav8tr

I picked up this used Thule system on Craigslist, cut it to size, rattle canned it, and mounted it to my hard top. $140 plus $50 for the unused wind deflector. The basket is actually a hitch carrier I picked up for another $50. I'll mount the kayak next to it. Its a versatile and in-expensive way to go. Hope this helps. I have more pics if you need them.

AT Man

To mml or others, when you use the Thule Goalpost or equivalent, how did you get it to work with the spare tire? I ordered the goal post, but it won't fit into the trailer hitch with the spare tire. Would an extension make it more unstable (slop and sway)?

Also, any problems with removal and re-attachment? Is it holding up? (I would need to remove it when not in use, because it prevents the gate from opening).