Kayak on Protege5

[sylvanlights]

I thought that there may be a few fellow paddles that would appreciate this picture. I have since sold this boat, but will be replacing it in the spring. For those interested, this is a Perception Eclipse 17.0 in Airalite. Beautiful boat - I was sad to see it go ...

-=D

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Cool, I been known to sport around with my hullaports & 12' Wilderness Tarpons on occasion when not surfing or biking, racks upon racks upon racks.

 

[P-Funk!]

Fishing Kayaks for me! - the car is great (low/easy reach/removable roof rack) for my system.
I launch into the Chesapeake Bay and fish for 'Rock! I also paddle around town following hurricanes...

 

[socommatthews]

man i was going to buy one but everyone said my "little" car couldnt handle it.it would probly tear the roof rack off or something.good thing i saw this,now i can buy the one i liked.

 

[Protege52003]

i used to put 2 touring kayaks on my p5's roof with no trouble......tried to find pics with both on but no luck......

i do 80+ MPH on the highway with no trouble. don't know who told you you can't put them op top of the P5, but they are wrong.

-R

 

[sylvanlights]

man i was going to buy one but everyone said my "little" car couldnt handle it.it would probly tear the roof rack off or something.good thing i saw this,now i can buy the one i liked.

The 'little' car will be just fine! But do take some time to pick the best rack for the job. I am a rack-salesman's dream customer - I bike, canoe, kayak, ski, climb, and haul plywood ... all with my Protege5! Because of the amount of utility that I demand from my rack, I chose to custom install a full Yakima rack system. As you can see in the above picture, there are Yakima 'tracks' that run from the windshield to the spoiler and the rack 'towers' attach to that. This allows me ultimate freedom to where the bars are on the car (close together for skis, and as far apart as possible for canoes) and also allowed me to increase the weight that I can carry. The Yakima Q-tower on this car only allows a 100lb load, and the factory Mazda rack is limited to 165lb (I think?). The tracks that I installed are bolted through to solid steel supports inside the roof so I am not afraid of anything I put up there! I have brought a full load of concrete blocks for a home project, and they sat up there just fine.

In summary, make sure the rack will carry the load - especially long loads like kayaks - safely. Get the cross bars as far apart as possible and use the best rack for the boat. Feel free to ask me any more questions that you may have.

-=D

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

My kayak racks, bike racks, cargo box, surfboard pads/tiedowns all use the factory racks as the base. Also use a Saris bones rack that clings to the hatch & bumper if multi-toy hauling, mix & match style.

 

[sylvanlights]

I didn't mean to imply that the factory rack would not work ... my life just demands a higher weight rating, hence my install.

-=D

 

[Protege52003]

I have put over 300 lbs of lumber on my factory load bars without any trouble.......wish i had pics of that!

-R

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

My only implication was that there are options to utilize what's already there. I understand folks may have demands that exceed what's already there or have to start from scratch if car didn't come with factory racks. Just be ready to bust open the wallet or fork over a left nut in that case because all these aftermarket rack makers are prouder than s*** of their product & names. Whatever meets your needs and/or budget is the ticket.