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Nothing super snazzy, just Rhino Rack and then the kayak rack to carry the kayaks around
I like these pulley systems, easy to lift and gets them out of the way. https://www.amazon.ca/RAD-Cycle-Products-Bike-Hoist/dp/B003TFOPJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546012773&sr=8-1&keywords=bike+pulley+storage
I’ll probably get downvoted by the gear snobs but I honestly feel like you are just paying for the name with Thule and Yakima. I’ve been using this kayak rack and rails from omac for three years now including multiple 5 hour drives to and from the Adirondacks with zero problems at all.
I use wall-mounted J-brackets (similar to the ones linked below), but there are a ton of options out there. Just depends on where you have room. If you don't have wall space, then the ceiling might be your only option. Do an Amazon search for "kayak wall mount" and you'll find tons of options/ideas.
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I'm sure you can. If you don't have a convenient Harbor Freight, you can pay much more for this identical system on Amazon:
RAD Cycle Products Bike Lift Hoist Garage Mountain Bicycle Hoist 100LB Capacity (2-Pack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TFOPJA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_snE6xbSYSJ7S9
Although honestly, if we did it again, we'd probably just pick our parts from scratch. We replaced quite a few of the stock items: the rope was constantly cited as the weakest link, so we bought quarter inch rope from Lowes instead; we felt the hooks were flimsy, so we removed them and threaded a knock off Park Tools hook straight onto the pulley instead, and we also bought 2x6s to mount them on and used decking screws we already had instead of the included hardware. But the pulley with the system is self-locking , which I really like. Not sure if you can buy them like that from the hardware store?
Anyway, the hardest bit imo was watching him balance precariously on a ladder whole installing it. Made me nauseous, but I'm terribly afraid of heights.
I've had these kayak racks for about 4 years, so no, they are not manufacturer (which I think is Thule). I had them on a '14 Outback until last month.
I looked up the big-name brands at the time and was blown away by the price for a basic rack - not any of those with an elevator system or anything - $100+ was insane, I thought. The way I looked at it was a kayak rack is actually very simple construction. Bent steel with some foam and a mounting bracket system. So I looked on Amazon and found a pair for something like $25 shipped.
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The shape that the camps are molded to doesn't fit the exact shape of the crossbar, but this does not hinder them from being safely tightened. When cranked tight, it has no slippage whatsoever. And I test with a few tugs every time I use them. Great price, great purchase, would recommend 100%.
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This is the exact same product I purchased. Note the price was about $25 at the time, and has gone up. You might be able to find cheaper, or even a double set for around this same price. All the top Amazon products in the category all look to be the exact same thing.
https://www.amazon.com/TMS-J-Bar-Carrier-Mounted-Crossbar/dp/B003V57NUQ
Picked them up on Amazon . Pretty pricey but I wanted some that didn’t require the straps to the hood & bed, and these were very high quality and held well, even felt secure going down the interstate
I have a standard rack with one of these installed on top: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087C1H1N4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
I do keep it folded down when in the garage obviously.
If you get a set of crossbars you could pretty easily mount one kayak and one bicycle with the right mounts. Nothing truly universal, but the beauty of the crossbars is you can change out the mounts for something else.
I don't carry a bicycle on mine, but these are the kayak mounts I bought.
Lifetime makes good stuff. I have their Tamarack, and the Teton is pretty similar. I have two of these roof racks and they work great, they even come with cam straps to tie down. Bringing a dog onboard might be a bit of a stretch though, I’ve never tried that but I don’t think I’d have room in my tamarack
I have used the universal kayak racks for 30 bucks on Amazon and I have also just laid it across the bar. Both work fine. The OB has flat bars though and the bought racks have a round bracket but just tightening them down really made it secure. I have not used them since they got replaced (a tree ripped them off during the hurricanes) but even when they were used, they held up to some pretty rigorous kayak hauling.
Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6UcKAb1JFHDBC
We haven't bought one yet, but these are pretty wide, so foam blocks probably won't work since they'd have to be side by side. I'm thinking a J rack. Something like this
http://www.amazon.com/TMS-KAYAK-RK-J-1BOX-Universal-Carrier/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=sr_1_1
- If you have high enough ceilings, you might be able to use a set of bicycle hoists. I've used something like this to hoist up a recumbent trike.
- If you have a free wall and a good anchor point, they make hooks you put on the wall to store bicycles upright.
- They also make hooks for ceiling joists to hang a bike upside-down on the ceiling.
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Idea #3 might be a bit much without some help each time. #2 isn't bad, but not "off the garage floor" and still could be a bit much with a heavy bike. Idea #1 might be a bit fiddly but would do the trick.
I have this set to carry two 12’ kayaks that seems decently stable. Just took it on a trip an hour and a half away on Friday.
One thing I would warn about with this type of mount is that since the kayaks are held relatively upright, you may want to make sure you strap the first kayak down (or bungee it like I do) to prevent it from falling off from the bump when you load the other one. I broke a side-view mirror off that way.
I bought this from amazon and it has been great for the past two seasons. Easy to get on and off, secure, does not damage my yaks. It has no problem with two kayaks (driven over 500 miles with kayaks on the car). My only qualm is that the bolts it comes with are a bit long and take a while to screw on but you can always cut them down. A bit more money that what you're posting but still less than a Thule
My family uses these J-style roof racks. It will hold up to 4 kayaks if you decide to expand your collection later. We have them on both our cars so we can do river trips and have a vehicle waiting for us when we are done.
Yeah I actually just set it up today and used it to the lake and back with no problems. I don’t know exactly what crossbar I have but it’s a pretty generic Amazon one and then I bought these J racks TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_M3WREZ100SW3KREN9DCX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I didn’t see a point in buying expensive j racks as they do the exact same thing.
These are what I have.
YAKIMA - JayLow, J-Style Fold Down Rooftop Kayak Carrier, 2 Boat Capacity https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00FUHDYZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_DR94JPVNM7JPQEWP6AC1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I’m not sure what type of SUV or racks you’re using, but something doesn’t seem quite right. I generally haul mine with my truck, however my wife has this set of j-cradles for her Grand Cherokee: Lifetime Warranty TMS J-Bar Rack... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share we’ve been on several long trips with both our kayaks on this cradle. Long for us = a couple that were 13+ hours and a couple that were 8+ hours at speeds exceeding 70mph. We use just two straps around the body of the kayak and j-cradles. We’ve had no issue at all. On the longer trips, we would use a strap for each bow and stern that just came back to the j-cradle itself to help stabilize the bow of the kayaks and keep the body straps tight. This isn’t how bow and stern straps should go — they should go to the front and rear of the vehicle, however her Jeep doesn’t have a good anchoring system for this from the factory. That’s no issue because like I said, this has worked great for us. It takes about 15 mins at the most to get both kayaks loaded and strapped like this.
We have a tiny apartment with 8ft ceilings. A ceiling mount hoist each for two bikes was the way to go. Bikes are up out of the way to claim valuable floor and some wall space below.
I have a pulley system from the roof. No issues holding the bike up because those suckers are screwed in 2x6 beams. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TFOPJA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_5B654QFYYF2FR1NXNPSJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Nah it's some no name amazon j rack. Holds one, but you can easily mount two sets to the crossbars for two kayaks. The only thing I did was swap out the bolts and ratchet straps that came with it for some better quality ones.
Definitely don't lie flat unless you're going to use a good layer of foam and front/back ties.
EDIT: Here's the link for mine https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_9g8eEbFH932HR
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TFOPJA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3ta4FbN6B6HFK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This one's nice and easy and you just let the rope down. Hook the wheels. And than use the pull to lift them on up over head!
Nice and easy.
I bought a Point 65 Martini by the way, although it’s still pretty big it fits in my SUV. This was the one from Amazon I had gotten that was better than the Thule: Kayak Roof Rack for Car - Kayaks... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075Z8XFN4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
The Mopar roof rack. I have a cheap kayak rack I screw onto it from my pathfinder. And then I plan on putting 2nd yak on the Mopar rack itself. If it isn't sturdy I'll buy another cheapo kayak attachment on Amazon.
Said cheapo attachments.... Lifetime Warranty TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_b7nbBb1JE5QD4
I just picked up these for my '13 JSW. A bit pricier than some of the other universal models offered on Amazon but at ~$150 they're still half the price of the OEM or comprable Thule/Yakima bars. I like the fact that they use a metal strap to wrap around the raised roof rails rather than just a clamp mechanism like some of the other universal brands. I've had them on the car for a week now and so far so good. There is a pretty audible whistle above 40 mph but I can't tell if that's from the crossbars themselves or the bike racks I have mounted.
Update--purchased and installed this set for my RadRunner. Easy to install and has worked great so far!
if you happen to have high ceilings, maybe a pulley system could work? like one of these https://www.amazon.com/2004-Cycle-Products-Bike-Hoist/dp/B003TFOPJA/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1596029550&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A7800849011&s=hi&sr=1-1
Kayak mount for car roof racks. Never used. Didn't fit my car. Link here if anyone wants to see them.
PM me.