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Hi, long time lurker on this site. I'm looking to get into kayak fishing. I already have an idea as to what kayak I want to get, but I am stumped when it comes to transporting the kayak with my car. I have a Nissan Altima coupe and I was looking roof racks to put on my car but don't know what to get. Any advice is appreciated.

As far as bars go, I'm a big Thule fan. (the square ones) I have the long surfboard pads around the bars and just lash my kayak straight to that. I've never had a problem with transporting my OK Trident. You'll have to figure out what kind you want and get channels installed. Or you can do that yourself if you're comfortable with it.

Coupes can be tricky. Don't forget you have a bunch of gear to bring as well. I want to say there's a few guys who transport with a Prius here, similar in size.

What kayak are you looking at?

I transported my Outback on a 2door civic for about a year using Yakima racks, I carried the kayak upside down and never had any issues. The biggest drawback is the gear, We carry so much of it so What little space you have gets filled up quick. One thing thats great is that you can't beat the mileage on the smaller compacts, a typical LJ trip would cost me less than $30 in fuel.

i've just recently gotten some thule racks (xsporter 500) for my tacoma. these are great racks, but a real pain in installing them with tacomas. i've also put on the slide-n-glide accessory on those racks and it makes loading and unloading a breeze! highly recommend, but set aside enough time to install as it'll test your patience...

Use Yakima rack with the extender kit possibly. That is what I used on a 95 Accord coup

I drive a lot for work. A few years ago I ditched my truck for a more economical car. I have a Toyota Camry (try to contain your jealousy).

Prior to the Camry i had a Corolla with the yakima round bars. They worked fine, but they were very loud. On the freeway it sounded like there was a hurricane happening outside. I had the wind fairing, but it didn't help much.

I went with the Thule Aeroblade. A little more expensive, but worth the extra expense in my opinion. The biggest advantage is that they are quiet. No increase in noise when I added them. Even on the freeway at 80 mph, I can't hear them. Plus they look a little better, were easy to install, and are rock solid. I also like the flat design a little better than the round bars because my kayak doesn't slide around. I got my racks from Andy at OEX Sunset Beach.

Here are some pics

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On the car. My kayak is 16' long, which is 4" longer than the overall length of my car. Looks funny, but it is rock solid on there.

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It's definitely a little more work to get all the gear into a smaller car, but the gas mileage makes up for any extra hassle.

hey steveoo, what type of tie downs do you use? The ratchet style, or the other ones? i've been using the stock ones that came with the racks, but i always feel uneasy that it may become loose (because theres no true locking mechanism like the ratchet style).

Not to jump in and answer for someone else, but I use the ratchet style. They lock and you're able to adjust the tension in small increments but you have to absolutely be careful not to over tighten them. Tension on them might not be too bad if it's cooler but if it's too warm out you run the risk of warping the yak. Maybe not an issue where you live but where I'm at temps are routinely between 105 and 110 in the summer months so I loosely ratchet it down until I get closer and slowly tighten a little more for security. The other concern and probably the bigger one is to be careful where you put the straps. It's nice to be able to run them through scupper holes but too much tension in this area is a big risk for a crack as there is less flex in the plastic.

Other than that hauling my yak is the only thing that kept me from getting a car for the most part. I have an F-150 that I primarily use because it's the easiest way to fit all the gear, or I'd use the wife's Odyssey which was also nice because then all the gear was safely locked inside if I wanted to stop anywhere after a day of fishing without having to worry about something getting swiped out of the truck bed. I too am interested in racks but for a Ford Taurus? How do you guys stow your gear after a day of fishing when things are wet or perhaps smell of bait? Somewhere I saw someone built a rack attachment for their roof rack that stowed their yak and then all their rods next to it, but I can't seem to find a picture of it.

I just use the normal pull straps. Pretty sure they might be yakima brand? Never had an issue with them slipping, so I haven't really had a reason to try the ratchet style. I cut the 15' straps down to only about 1' longer than I need, so I don't have a lot of extra strap to deal with. Cut the strap at an angle and melt the end a little so it doesn't start to fray. For a little extra peace of mind, I use 2 straps in the front and 1 on the rear, but that is only because I had 1 extra strap laying around.

Thanks for the response. I was looking at the Malibu Xfactor or the OK trident.

Ok thanks for the Thule rack you have, did OEX install it for you or did you do that yourself? I'll be honest I need help for an install.

I carry my trident 15 and 13 on Yakima racks on top of a Mazda 3 with no issues. I use a Malone saddle to hold the yak and it works great.

For inside the car, I just carry a couple of those Rubbermaid totes for all my wet gear and use a big insulated fish bag instead of a cooler to save space.

I know places like sport chalet and REI will install the racks, but I give OEX the business if you can.

I installed mine. Takes about 20-30 minutes, probably less if you read the instructions once through before starting. I'm sure that Andy would help you out with an install if you buy the racks from him. His number at the shop is 562-592-0800.

If you do decide to do it yourself, it's pretty easy.

First step is to set the width between the feet on the bars. In the instructions it will tell you the required distance for your exact make/model/year of car. It has numbers stamped on the bottom of the rack which make sure you are in the correct position. Just slide the feet to the number it tells you.

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Next step is to make sure the racks are put on the proper spot on the roof of the car. Again, they tell you this number in the instructions, and they give you a measuring tape.

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Once the racks are in the correct position, you tighten them down using the allen key they provide.

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They actually give you 4 of those allen keys. You just leave them in the feet, close the feet up, and you are ready to go.

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I'm not a fan of the Sport Chalets in my area service and product knowledge is usually lacking. So OEX is the route I'm going.

Thanks so much, this helps a lot should I have to do the install solo.

I think Iceman was the one that recommended that you DO NOT use rachet type straps for kayak. I know one click of the rachet doesn't seem like much but it could be the difference between just a little extra pressure or snapping something like a scupper on the inside of the kayak.

didn't mean to hijack, but thanks for everyones input!

itsabox - post where you are and you might get responses local to you with additional insight/offers to assist.

I'm located in West Covina, but it seems a trip to oex is due.

Is this a good deal? http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/spo/4281989209.html
Might be shooting myself in the foot posting it, but its what I've been looking at.

I have a Toyota camry. I have a pro angler 14. I bought some 29.99 racks at walmart that I transport it with from Oceanside to la jolla. I-5 south 33 minutes around 67mph