Roof Rack Roof Racks

Jay & Valerie

Jay & Valerie

Ranger
Donating Member
Hey All,

Can someone snap a few pics close up of your roof racks? Valerie and I are seriously contemplating Kayaks and would likely need to install roof racks in order to carry them.

I want to get an understanding of what is involved.

Thanks,
Jay
 
I would be happy to post some pictures, I'll try to get to it tomorrow. However, you should check with Cary about the structure involved. ISTR that they put some additional structural elements in the trailer if you order the roof racks.
 
Jay do you already have rails on the vehicle? We have both a Cherokee and grand Cherokee and use a Thule system on both. It does depend on how wide your kayaks are when you are carrying more than one. We have Jackson fishing kayaks. Both are quite wide causing us to get the longer cross bars to carry both. Also you need to consider how heavy they are. One of ours is almost 100 lbs and the other is more around 70 lbs. you do have to lift them up on the racks!
I can post a picture if this is what you are looking for.
Gina
We did not get the rack on the 560 and sometimes we wsh we would have. I think there is a support structure built in when you order the rack with the trailer.
 
I posted some pictures of the roof rack mounting brackets in the Photo Gallery. The rack bars simply snap into these brackets. If you need more pictures, or dimensions, shoot me a PM.
 
Hmm, so installing after a build may not be a good idea? If CI adds additional support at time of build, this could make in inadvisable to install racks.

I will talk with Cary to get his thoughts. I was hoping to have the Yaks on the trailer.

My main TV right now is my truck so I can put them in the truck if I have to but I would prefer to leave the bed open for other stuff.
 
Hi Jay. We just had Yakima Control Tracks and Control Towers installed on the roof of our Tacoma pickup. We carry the kayaks there vs the trailer so we can put in anywhere. If the boats are carried on the trailer, you're kind of limited as to where you can launch. FWIW.

Just an FYI - These are NOT the same towers that show in our avatar. Those towers (Q Towers) actually 'oil-canned' the roof of the truck. The control towers mount to a Yakima track that is permanently mounted to the truck roof. We went with this system since we didn't have a factory roof rack.
 
The avatar includes a Yakima Dry Dock , which mounts in a Dual Hitch Receiver . This allows you full use of the truck bed.

I've been told by Yakima that our 12' kayaks can be carried using just the set of roof bars, so I'm going to load them up that way and see how stable they feel. If that works OK, it will simplify our setup quite a bit.
 
Another thought on this. If you keep your kayaks on your vehicle it can shuttle while leaving your 560 safely in camp.
We are paddlers as well and our kayaks and canoe ride atop our trailblazer or flex.
It is when we haul both our kayaks and bicycles that we have to get creative. The receiver mount tends to drag for us. We need to invest in a different bicycle receiver mount soon.
 
We've got 2 Wilderness System's Pungo's. They're probably 12 years old, at least. Wide recreational boats, with large cockpits. Great tracking, as they have a nice keel. The 3 way adjustable seats are great. The model has changed somewhat since then, but for the better - improved dry storage, etc.
We bought ours used. A local shop tried doing rentals one year and decided to stop, so they were like new. Weight is about 44 pounds each.
 
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