Awesome sauce! Yakima Kayak…
Awesome sauce! Yakima Kayak Stackers are custom-made for kayak and paddles, but flexible in useage also. Strong enough to stack more than you should on top of your car!
I was pleasantly surprised…
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of these rooftop 'stackers'. I thought maybe I should buy two 'J' racks, but using these have been great! Everything stays put! It works exactly as described by the manufacturer. I would certainly buy these again.
The Kayak Stackers perform as…
The Kayak Stackers perform as promised. I carry 2 boats, one on each side. I agree with the reviews above, though. You'll want to carefully think about your available roof-space and your ability to reach. I have a Forester, and I have no problem reaching up and over to secure them. However, keep in mind that once you have the first boat up, it can be harder to reach around it to secure the other one. Definitely think about what order you mount the boats in!
Rated 8 out of 10 for price to performance ratio. Lost 2 points due to cumbersome design when not in use. You really can't leave them sticking up (well, I guess you could, but they look strange and probably don't help your mileage), and if you fold them down (round bars only, thank you), there's a chance they could work loose and start rubbing/vibrating on your roof causing damage.
The Yakima Stackers work well…
Submitted by:
paddler232245
on 8/10/2007
The Yakima Stackers work well with some modifications. First, drill a hole in the top of each tower just below the arrowhead and install a long bolt covered with plumbing tube. This will make wrapping the webbed strap at the top much easier. Next, line the U-brackets that go around the round Yakima bar with very thin neoprene to assure they don't slip and turn under the weight of the kayaks. Last, in order to accommodate the slight extra girth of the neoprene, replace the carriage bolts that hold the tower to the u-brackets with slightly longer ones. Now you've got a truly usable assembly. Email me if you need pics of these changes.
I use the kayak stackers with…
I use the kayak stackers with round Yakima bars. With 58" bars we can JUST put our Disco 158 on one side and two kayaks on the other side. With 68" bars it would be a breeze. My guess is that kayak saddles are more convenient if you are hauling one or two kayaks. But for 3-4 or a canoe and 2 kayaks, it is a GREAT system.
Yakima Stackers may be well…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 7/11/2005
Yakima Stackers may be well and in some cases the perfect answer. However, if you can't reach them then they are a total waste of money! Don't put them on top of a van unless you are very tall yourself.
Don't let someone sell you these when what you really need is an oversized bar with rollers and saddles of some type. Go to someplace where the employees will work with you and your abilities or lack thereof and get the right set up for what you can actually handle physically!
Just acquired a kayak stacker…
Submitted by:
paddler230242
on 7/8/2003
Just acquired a kayak stacker by Yakima. It holds up to 4 boats and takes approximately 5 minutes to install on the racks on my jeep Cherokee. I do not like the fact that I have to remove the stacker if I want to put the car into my garage! However, it bolts on/off the car by use of a butterfly turn screw that comes with the stacker. Very convenient and quick and easy to use!
These are very handy for…
Submitted by:
guest-paddler
on 8/12/2002
These are very handy for carrying up to 4 boats on their side. I have used it for two and will be using it for three boats. My only complaint is the lack of information in their marketing materials. I originally got the Stackers for my Jeep Cherokee, which has a roof rack already. You use their Mighty Mounts product to adapt the Stackers to the factory rack. The problem is, unlike with a Yakima rack, you cannot fold down the Stacker when not in use, because the Cherokee bar is flat, and does not allow rotation, like the round Yakima bar. They have to be removed if you dont want them sticking up. Further, to attach to the Yakima Bar you use hand-tightened handles. The mighty mount system requires an allen wrench, requiring more removal time. Those issues aside, the product performs as promised.
