The rack is easy to put together, using an Allen wrench and a single wrench. I later opted to upgrade mine by buying an additional j-bar kayak holder and foam blocks, making it a 5-boat rack. For PLASTIC boats, the j-bars on the rack are OK, The rubber covering on the j-bars is thin and rather soft. This covering wears down if you slide the boats on and off the rack when loading or unloading boats single handed. The lower, foam-covered support isn't really designed to specifically hold a kayak. It's just a support bar with a foam block covering it. Kayaks placed on the lower bar tend to slide down if not balanced just right.
The major issue for me was the lack of protection for my one fiberglass boat, a Necky Chatham 17. The screw heads and the nuts on the rack's j-bars are not covered, and I inadvertently put a nice gouge in my gel coat while turning the kayak upright in the holder. Kayaks rest against vertical bars that are not padded. One has to be VERY careful while loading or unloading a fiberglass boat.
I solved my issue by getting some pipe insulation from Home Depot. Using some zip ties, I covered the vertical support bars and the exposed Allen screw heads and nuts. I also got some black duct tape to protect the rubber covering on the j-bars from abrasions while sliding my boats onto and off the rack by myself. It's not pretty to look at, but now there's a little protection on the rack for my fiberglass boat.
Bottom line: If you have plastic boats and don't mind the possibility of an occasional scratch or scuff to your hull, this rack is generally OK. It's lightweight, sturdy, easily adjustable, and can be expanded with additional j-bars, as necessary. The exposed hardware makes this rack less suitable if you have fiberglass boats unless you're willing to add additional padding here and there.
