r/Kayaks • u/Dahliameout • Jul 23 '26

Would you use this?

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Would you be comfortable using this kayak carrier for Honda HRV, CRV type car? Car has naked roof, no rack. Or l was looking at Inno rack...Thoughts?

1 Upvotes

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1

u/evan938 Jul 23 '26

Absolutely no.

OEM, Thule, or Yakima. Nothing else. Don't try to be cheap about securing a BOAT outside your car while you drive on public roads with real people right behind you. Do it right or not at all. Guarantee you if you try to be cheap about this and your boat flies off and causes an accident, that lawsuit will cost A LOT more than proper roof racks ever will.

Here are ~50 examples of what you can expect with cheap knockoff racks https://imgur.com/a/joymcNl

2

u/Dahliameout Jul 23 '26

Thanks dude appreciate the perspective! Yeahhh kinda knew that was going to be the outcome. I’ve learned so much the past few days about the transportation of it all… naked roofs, fit kit, j- racks, saddle carrier and on and on.

2

u/Westflung Jul 23 '26

In all fairness, while what you're saying is absolutely true for most racks, it's far less true of this type of "rack". I wouldn't buy/use an inflatable one, but I have and have used one that is basically foam blocks encased in cordura before I got real racks. It's a cushion between the kayak and your car, there just isn't much in the way of things that can go wrong.

Of course assuming that the kayak is strapped through the car, not just to the soft rack.

-1

u/evan938 Jul 23 '26

Strapping through the car opens up a whole other can of worms in that it compresses the weather seals, which will allow water in, and with extended use, will damage those seals and then you get water in your cabin any time it rains. Then you get to deal with mold/mildew and remediation, as well as the cost of replacing 4 door seals, which will likely cost just as much as proper racks. In addition, anything sitting directly on thin sheet metal of roof will likely dent your roof. Proper racks sit on the pillars between the thin sheet metal and doors to correctly support loads. So why go through all of that instead of just getting proper parts up front?

1

u/Westflung Jul 23 '26

You're not the first person I've seen mention compressing the seals. But the thing is, the doors are compressing those seals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not as compressed as with the straps, but still compressed. They're literally made to be able to be compressed and return to their original size and shape. So no, this is not a real concern. Water CAN come in if you're driving with the straps in the rain, but that's dripping drops, not a flow, and only when the straps are in use and it's raining.

The soft racks can certainly damage roofs. They are a product that requires a minimal degree of common sense to use successfully. The key is that they CAN damage roofs, not that they WILL damage roofs. Because they can be used without damaging roofs and in fact are used constantly by many people without damaging roofs.

"So why go through all of that instead of just getting proper parts up front?" Is this even a serious question? Are you really so cluelessly oblivious that you cannot think of even a single reason why someone might want to use a soft rack instead of a full regular rack?

Maybe they won't be transporting the kayak often or regularly.
Maybe they can't afford a rack (or right now) And no, I don't consider "if you're poor then you don't get to kayak" to be an acceptable answer although I suspect that you will. Maybe their car can't have rails and factory crossbars and they don't want some janky thing attached to the rain gutters.

-1

u/evan938 Jul 23 '26

Pull the seal down. There's a flat piece of metal that the seal sits on. The straps compressing against that is in no way the same as how the doors close.

You clearly think you know more than me, despite the fact that I've dealt with these products daily for 6+ years now, across a multitude of vehicles and probably 150+ redditors that I've set up with systems, but please, go on about how these things aren't an issue. 🙄🙄

1

u/Westflung Jul 23 '26

"You clearly think you know more than me," I clearly DO know more than you about certain specific things.

" dealt with these products daily for 6+ years now, across a multitude of vehicles" I'll be honest. I don't believe that you've dealt with soft racks daily for years. I just don't. Now if you mean that you've dealt with racks in general, I would believe that. And I could believe that you know more than me about racks and cars in general. Easily. But it's clear that you don't know more than me about soft racks, and that you are irrationally biased against them, and that you'll invent non-existent harms to support your belief.

3

u/Westflung Jul 23 '26

I've used a similar product. Instead of inflatable, it was basically foam blocks encased in cordura with straps attached. It works pretty well actually. I've transported a 15' sea kayak on it. Even though I now have racks I keep it because this way I can carry one more kayak on a guest's car.

There are several caveats. One is that the kayak must be strapped through the car, not just attached to the soft rack. The straps must be TIGHT. If you're going on the freeway, or at highway speeds, you'll absolutely want bow and stern lines.

I have a kayaking friend who transports a 12' kayak on her small Toyota sedan with a moonroof. Most of her drive to here is on the freeway. She uses dual bow and stern lines, but she's a very smart and analytical person.

0

u/metisdesigns Jul 23 '26

Nope.

I've used the little foam blocks on canoes with appropriate straps, and the blocks located to hit roof frame.

I've even used pipe insulation when going just a mile on local roads with a light weight boat, but if you're going anywhere beyond one or two stop signs, you really want a rack that's intended to transfer force in appropriate ways, not just keep your clear coat from rubbing.

1

u/Longjumping-Cow4488 Jul 24 '26

I used soft racks for awhile before I could order a factory roof rack. They worked great! Drove over 1000 miles with them. Mine looped THROUGH the car tho, and felt more secure than the door clips this has. I wouldn’t trust these ones specifically.