Kayak roof rack fittings

[BeanBus17]

Hi, We are looking for advice on carrying our sit-on-top kayaks on the roof of our beach.

Probably going to order the Thule 135cm wingbars and are now looking at the folding J clamps - does anyone have any experience of these on a cali roof as they are quite a pricey bit of kit...
(I have also read the threads about elevating roof and max weight - and whether the roof can take the 60Kg (2x30kg) payload when down is a clear as mud!)
Thanks,

 

[Annik]

Try the club shop, they bought them in for me and done a deal on a package including the roof bars, plus the VIP discount

 

[BeanBus17]

Thanks - I will check this out - do you use the J shaped kayak supports - and if so how eay is it to get the boats into them at that height? I am looking at these as the two boats are too wide to sit side by side on the 135mm bars...

 

[ArunAlec]

I think the maximum load on the roof is 50kg.

 

[John Caunce]

Hi,

Not sure if you've committed yet but I have the Vw standard roofbars that fit in the slots on the roof. I bought a sliding extension kayak loader - can't remember the make but I got it from Manchester Canoes and Kayaks in Warrington. This wasn't expensive and is a simple but useful bit of kit. I can easily get my 30kg Ocean sit on top loaded / unloaded on my own.

The beauty of the vw bars in that I clamp them down to match the scupper holes through my yak. I can then secure the yak to the bars through the scuppers with ratchet straps - rock solid.

The weight limit is 50kg but I'm not sure if that includes the bars. I've had two yaks on mine but the second was much lighter than mine.

Hope that helps.
JC

 

[ArunAlec]

Reading my T5 manual for the umpteenth time i understood that the total maximum load is 50kg. The line in the manual, "The roof load limit refers to the combined weight of the roof carrier and the load carried on the roof" would imply that it is the "pop up roof 50kg" stated in the previous sentence of the manual as the "maximum permissible roof load". So ........

I thought I'd go down the Customer Service route... Just to make sure and I stand corrected!! The man says 150kg. With 50kg max if raising the roof. Although I don't fancy putting 150kg on the roof!

 

[JeffC]

Hi, please can you let me know who in Customer Services you talked to and their phone number, I'm in the same position as I want to carry two sea kayaks and I want to make sure I'm not going to damage my new Ocean. The March 2017 Brochure give the roof load limit as 100Kg with 2 carriers and 150Kg with more carriers; but the latest brochure only refers to 50Kg. I bought it based on the Brochure data and will be very annoyed if I need to go out and buy ultra light weight kayaks. Thanks.

 

[ArunAlec]

Hi, please can you let me know who in Customer Services you talked to and their phone number, I'm in the same position as I want to carry two sea kayaks and I want to make sure I'm not going to damage my new Ocean. The March 2017 Brochure give the roof load limit as 100Kg with 2 carriers and 150Kg with more carriers; but the latest brochure only refers to 50Kg. I bought it based on the Brochure data and will be very annoyed if I need to go out and buy ultra light weight kayaks. Thanks.

I just rang the VW Commercial customer service number. As I say I'm very dubious of the 150kg figure. Even my 27kg canoe plus 18kg Karitek roof loader seems a lot to ask of the roof!