Getting two Outbacks on a single roof rack

Hi,

I'm thinking of getting into kayaking, could you fit two Hobie Outbacks on a single car?
Weight wise should be ok, but I wasn't sure about fitting them on.
FYI the car is a Subaru liberty, so a medium sized wagon.

Thanks in advance.

I for one would not do it. The length of the cross bars needed to accommodate the kayaks side by side width, will extend past the roof and create a hazard just walking around the car.
I believe the total weight of the Outbacks exceeds the safe roof load Subaru lists....at least it does for a USA Subaru Outback which is 150 pounds / 68kg.
Each Hobie Outback weighs more than 81 pounds / 37 kg.

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Thanks DrCatcher, looks like I made a bad assumption about the weight...

If I went with two Rev11's or one Rev11 and one Rev13 the weight would be ok, and they're also a bit narrower.

I've seen photos of kayaks being secured 'side-on' on roof racks, has anyone tried this? I guess it would work with the Rev?

Cheers

Ok, thanks Dr Catcher, I hadn't realised that the roof limit was so low...

How about sticking to the lighter Rev13/11 or Sport? Two of them would fit in the weight limit.

As far as getting two on a single roof rack, could you turn them sideways? I've seen a few pictures on the internet - has anyone tried it?

Cheers

I've carried a Revo11 & Sport, Revo11 & Outback, and now I own and sometimes carry a Revo11 & Revo13. This is on a Mazda CX5 which is basically the size of a Toyota Rav4.

The configuration which worked best for me was to put a set of J-racks on the crossbars so that one kayak can be carried on its side; then the other can be carried directly on the crossbars upside down (ie: hull-side up). Two straps per kayak was enough to secure them in the short term, but adding straps for bow and stern would have improved my safety on the highway (I'll do this next time I drive to FL keys). I suggest the heavier or wider of the two be carried directly on the crossbars.

Hope this helps.

As Dr.SteelheadCatcher pointed out, a couple of Hobies would exceed the manufacturer's rated capacity of the factory roof racks on your Subaru Outback. However, I think that Subaru and other manufacturers rate the capacity of their roof racks very conservatively. I know of many vehicles, including specifically Subaru Outbacks, which have carried large numbers of kayaks on their roof racks for years without any sign of denting or other damage. So I say, go ahead and put two Hobies on your Subaru's roof rack. It'll work fine.

I agree with Dr.SteelheadCatcher's warning about putting bars on your vehicle which stick out too much beyond the side of your vehicle. It's way too easy for you and un-warned passengers to whack your heads on the bars when climbing out of the vehicle.

I would hazard a guess that if you used aftermarket bars on the rails of the Subaru vs. The factory crossbars, you'd get more strength (Thule, Yakima, Rhino, etc.).

What's a Subaru Liberty? Is that a hybrid between Jeep and Subaru

We have yukon Denali's and the roof racks rated capacity is 250 lbs. we used to have an Oasis and a Revo 13 that we kept on the roof on malone V wings for many years as we travelled around the country with our trailer in tow (a couple hundred k miles worth) we never had any issues, however when on the highways if we didn't have both the bow and stern tied down with V shaped straps, the boats would wave back and forth and shift badly on the roof. Just strapping the boats down to the roof racks alone is not sufficient. Now we have a TI which takes up most of the roof space by itself with the AMA's. For a couple yrs we hauled both the TI and one of our revo's up on the roof by strapping the AMA's on top of the TI. The TI hull by itself is slightly longer and heavier than our Oasis was. We eventually sold the Revo because we weren't using it enough to justify. I then went to a T-bar hitch mount that supports most of the weight of the TI (the T-bar is rated at 500 lbs), To me it's much easier to load now, and I feel more secure traveling.
What I'm suggesting is you add a T-bar reciever post. If the subaru didn't come with a hitch reciever, an aftermarket reciever can be inexpensively added (the aftermarket Reese reciever I put on my Pontiac Solstice was about a hundred bucks, and only too an hour to install myself).
I bought my T-bar on Amazon for $79 bucks. I removed all the roof racks from the car, and just lay the kayaks on the factory cross bars, I then just stuff pool noodles under the boat to even out the load. V straps at the front of the car are pretty important on the highway (speaking from experience here). Actually someone sells little clips that you trap at the edges of the car hood for kayak strapping or you can make up your own. In my case (i'm pretty cheap) I just attached the straps to a handy body bolt under the hood, and just stuff the straps under the hood when not using them.
A word of caution, if you go in salt water a lot, you will rust out your roof (I did and had to have the roof replaced).
Hope this helps
FE
Edit: I suspect I have the only full blown car toppable scooner on the planet (note all the 260 sq ft of sail in the sail bag on the roof (lol)). The twin 2.3 hp outboards are stored in the back of the SUV.

Thanks all for the good advice.

I'll be getting some aftermarket racks and the weight on those is around 75kg.

@fusioneng: do the T-racks get attached to the tow-ball fitting? I'd have to get all that fitted on too - any other suggestions? Or is the hitch fitting easy & cheap to mount even if my cars not decked out for towing?

@staktup - subaru liberty is whats known as a sub legacy in the US

I have two 2012 Revolution 13 boats and am waiting for a Subie Outback to arrive from factory. I recall the Revo's were 60 lb. boats and wonder what racks people are using to load 2 boats.

If you google ( Subaru legacy trailer hitches ) there are many hits on aftermarket recievers from companies like Curt and Reese ( I have a Reese reciever on my Pontiac Solstice roadster), and tow my TI on a trailer with it (the trailer is a $140 dollar Harbor freight trailer)

The aftermarket recievers for the Legacy over here look to cost between $50 and $100 bucks, It took about an hr to put mine on myself in the garage on my Solstice.

Obviously Pontiac doesn't recommend towing anything with the Solstice (just like the Legacy), but people do anyway.
I don't have a roof to attach any racks to (thus the trailer)



If you end up with just roof racks your might end up looking something like this pic I found


Here is a pick of my reciever T-bar, However I have a way bigger boat, and a whole lot more roof area to work with so take my suggestions like a grain of salt.


just trying to help
FE