Kayak Saddle Spacing with Hobie Outback

Hello, prospective first-time Kayak customer here.

I am in the process of rigging my 2015 Subaru Crosstrek for a Hobie outback. So far I have set it up with Yakima corebars and timberline towers, in addition to the yakima showboat 66. Will also be putting in some kayak saddles.

Problem: I just installed the showboat 66, but now I am only left with about 28" of space on my crossbars. I am worried that this will not be enough width to accommodate saddles for the Outback (I am using the Yakima Big Catch). Am wondering how far folks spread out their saddles for the outback; I understand that the Outback is 34" wide- but am unsure how far apart the saddles need to be, given that the hull tapers down a little bit.

Thanks

What do you mean by "saddles"?
The Outback having a tri-hull shape, works best resting on bunks that are spaced about 11 inches apart.
See the picture below. I made a set of bunks out of some plywood and 2x4 (circled in red). The 2x4 on end with the thickness of the plywood holds the kayak just high enough off the center hull. I've use this method for about 7 years with no issues.

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Hi mrpj1972, thanks for your reply

By saddles I mean something like this: https://yakima.com/products/bigcatch, I think the idea is to hold the kayak in place with some pads that provide a good grip on the kayak so it doesn't slide much. Was wondering how far to space them out on the crossbars on the roof of my car to accommodate the width of the hobie. I will be car-topping my hobie, so am attempting to rig up my car to hold it well.

It's good to know though that the bunks you are using are spaced 11 inches. Maybe, similarly, I'll try spacing my saddles at 11 inches as a starting point and see if that works.

I think the simplest thing to do is loosely attach your big catch saddles so they can be adjusted.
Place your Outback on the crossbars and then slide the saddles under the hull and tighten the hardware. Spread the crossbars and saddles apart, fore and aft as far as you can place them.
I know the Crosstrek is smaller and the roof slope is different than my Subaru Outback below, but you can make everything work.

You will need both a bow safety line and a stern safety line attached to your Hobie Outback........suggest using a pool noodle to protect your hood. The lines do not need to be super tight.....just take the slack out of them and call it good.


This is an old photo of my 2010 Hobie Outback on top of my 2007 Subaru Outback. I had the Yakima crossbars, Mako saddles + showboat. You can see the safety line on the stern.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR