Cartopping

Posted by Karl on Jul 30, 2006

Hey folks, haven't been around for a while. My many and varied interests have sent me on tangents for a bit.

I recently gave up the battle of the gas pump and got rid of my pick up truck. At 12 miles to the gallon, I just couldn't do it anymore. I have two vehicle snow, a Corolla and a Nissan Versa. Corolla rack spacing with a Thule set up comes in at around 24". The Versa is currently an unknown, but Monday I'm paying a visit to Thule and hoping to get the rack prototyped onto my car. Realistically however, I don't expect a crossbar spacing better than 30".

Do people regularly transport their sea kayaks on small cars, and what type of gear do you use? How comfortable are you with highways? Obviously bow and stern lines are a must, but with 18' of Chessie on top, I'm looking for the most secure system available. Would the J-cradles be sturdier or the saddles?

Any help at all would be appreciated.

Replies:

• Re: Cartopping by Eric on Jul 30, 2006
  • Re: Cartopping by Karl on Jul 31, 2006
• Re: Cartopping by David Warren on Jul 30, 2006
  • Re: Cartopping by gober on Jul 31, 2006
    • Re: Cartopping by M Davis on Jul 31, 2006
      • Re: Cartopping by gober on Aug 1, 2006
• Hey CLC guys by Karl on Jul 31, 2006
  • Rack Options by Ed CLC on Jul 31, 2006
    • Re: Rack Options by craig on Jul 31, 2006
      • Re: I love my Autoloaders by Matthew Keller on Jul 31, 2006
        • Re: I love my Autoloaders by Robert Hancock on Aug 1, 2006
          • Re: I love my Autoloaders by Karl on Aug 1, 2006