Roof carrier on Ford Explorer

The position of the factory roof cross-bars on my Explorer puts the bow just forward of the windshield and the stern about four feet aft of the vehicle. I can strap it to the cross-bars for short hops but there's no easy way to rig a bow tie-down. Anybody got a good system to better center the yak (i.e., additional cross-bar add-ons)?

get thule racks. stronger than factory racks.

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John

I'd get a set of racks, Thule or Yakima with cross bars and towers.


My wife drives an Envoy and I don't trust the factory racks alone. Being made of plastic they aren't very rigid. Her car has a thule system with J s. Bow and stern are both tied down for any outing.

It would be a terrible thing to look in the mirror and see your kayak bouncing down the street. Especially if there were other vehicles on the road.

Thule Towers and crossbars 65" long are wide enough to transport (2) Revolutions side by side.





1" pipe insulation held on with velcro strap ties saves you a bundle on carriers. You can slide yaks up onto the pads upright or upside down. I transport mine upright due to RAM rodholder balls on my gunnels. I place a quilt on roof behind rack and lift bow up onto the roof then slide the kayak up onto the rack quite easily and just as easy to slide off. Bow lines attached to tow hooks under front bumper and rear tie down to trailer hitch at rear bumper

Revo

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I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Thanks for the feedback. I found a Rage rack at Discount Ramps which I think will serve nicely. One-inch crossbars on pedestals which strap down with coated hooks to fit the door fairings and allows me to move the boat about 18 inches forward of where the factory rack puts it. My problem now is how/where to attach a bow tie-down. My Explorer has an oil cooler just forward of the radiator and, with the plastic front trim pieces, I don't find a convenient place to bring the tie-down out/up from the front frame members. Any ideas/suggestions?

Hey, Sammy925....... How are you guys doing with the oil? I fish a couple of times a year in the Everglades and hate to think of what the oil will undoubtedly do......! What a travesty!