Outfitter - Saddles more secure than J-Cradles?

Hello All,

I want to Transport my Hobie Outfitter tandem on top my vehicle. Are saddle type carriers more secure than the J-Cradle type? Thanks.

H have never used J-style cradles in anger but I really love the U-style cradles that I have - a vast improvement over loading the yaks upside down on flat bars.

Before buying U-style I tried J-style but I didn't like the way that the upper ends of the J-style cradles "twanged" - they did not feel strong/secure at all & I took them back to the shop. I wanted to load 2 boats side by side by tilting them in J-style but reverted to a solution consisting of 2 sets of U style cradles on longer bars (I still have the short bars for transporting just one boat).

Here are some of the things I like about the U-cradles (some of which are benefits of U style over J style):

1. kayaks travel right ways up so you can load things in them as you would with a roof box. I transport larger heavier items (daggerboards, carts) in the parcel tray under the bungies - they don't fly off even at motorway speed. Also I don't remove the seats - I just load the yaks so they travel backwards & fold the seats flat using the seat adjustment straps. I don't even remove my fishfinder - just load the boats so that the FF is near the centre of the car roof & fold it flat so it isn't easily visible (but I do keep an eye on it if I stop en route)
2. tie down straps are less important with u cradles - on flat bars I really used to crank them up tight & would stop to check them every so often. With U-cradles comparatively little strap tension is required to hold the kayak securely which is a great aid to relaxation on a long journey.
3. load one end at a time - with flat bars I used to have to pick the boats up bodily to load them onto the roof, turning them over in the process (not easy given the weight of the Adventure and AI hulls; even less easy if the kayaks are full of even light weight gear). With the U cradles I cover the back of my car (a station wagon) and the rear u cradle with a thick blanket to protect the paintwork and lift the stern of the boat up so that the stern is resting on the car with the bow on the floor. Then I lift the bow of the boat off the floor and push/slide the kayak stern first into the blanket covered cradle. The kayak will not be gripped by the rear cradle because of the blanket so it is a simple job to slide it to the right position on the car before removing the blanket & strapping down. No olympic standard weightlifting and (in my case) no back injury.
4. While I have Adventure and AI hulls my kayaking buddy does exactly the same with his Oasis and Adventure - and he loads them onto his VW Golf wagon or Kombi camper pretty much exactly as I do - so I conclude that the system works with Oases and taller vehicles too.

Hope this helps.

I have both styles on a trailer I just built and have tried the Malone Wings, J-hooks and Saddles. The J-style works well for smaller lighter kayaks but the Hobie Oasis I have would not work well on anything I tried except for the Malone Saddle up pro. The Oasis is very wide for a kayak, actually it’s more of a boat then a kayak and if the Outback is anywhere near as heavy I would double check what you car manufactures specifications are for roof top carrying.
Saddle-up Pro
http://www.amazon.com/Malone-Saddle-Universal-Kayak-Carrier/dp/B002616H6W

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2011 Oasis with Sail and AMA's
2011 Necky Looksha 14

The J Cradles worked fine on out Revolution. But I always preferred using Yakima's Mako Saddles whenever possible. It's personal taste. I never felt like I was at any risk of losing a boat with either, but I did feel like the Mako Saddles were the most secure.

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I think horizontal loading with saddles is easier, less subject to crosswind and more secure. 'J' cradles are a good option if you have two boats and not enough mounting width to load flat.