I have a Rev13 and VW Jetta. I have Thule cross bars that accept a variety of mounts for bikes, boats, skis, etc. When I purchased my Hobie I had never been in or on a kayak in life, in fact the first and last time I was in canoe was about 45 years ago at summer camp. So I had no experience with putting boats on cars.
I started with a set of Thule J racks that attach to my cross bars. I put my boat in the racks and did not like the way they fit so I took them off again. The were well built and nothing wrong with them, I just did not care for them. What I came up with was large pool noodles (I prefer the Walmart brand) that I slid over the cross bars. I lift the boat onto the top of the car, strap it down to the cross bars and bungee cord it in the front and back of the car. I like the way it rides and it is easy to tie down. However I recognize that I am almost 60 and I may not always be able to life my boat directly over my head to load onto my car and so at that point I will get a trailer. If I was going to use my SUV I would probably build some kind of a roller for the rack.
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