Car Topping PA 14 (Adding additional Cross Bars)

Hello Everyone,

I usually trailer my 2015 PA 14, however there are times when I want to launch from a beach/cove with limited parking. I have had success car topping my PA 14 alone, but now have the of need to bring a spare Kayak along for my wife as well.

The combined weight of my PA 14 and my wife's kayak is under the 200 lb limit of my rack system, but not by much. To play it safe (if that is possible while car topping a PA + another) I am thinking of adding 1 or 2 additional cross bars.
* Cost is not a factor here as I picked up some extra mounts/bars super cheep used.

Would adding 1 or 2 additional Thule cross bars make this more secure?

Thanks!
Jack

Jack I'm not familiar with the load ratings on cross bars or even car topping for the matter. Depends on what kind of trailer you have but could you trailer your kayaks to the parking lot, pull over behind a row of cars and unload the kayaks in the parking lot then unhook the trailer, move it in the empty parking spot by hand and stand the trailer on its end (with the trailer tongue pointed in the air) then back your car in the spot against the trailer?

I don't think cross bars will be bad and should help assuming they don't add a lot of extra weight themselves, however I would try to evaluate what the 'weakest point" is on your vehicle and beef that up. Load ratings are often conservative, so if you are under it you should be ok.

Also, I would put emphasize on making sure everything is snug and doesn't shift/move any. Any wiggle or slide in any of the kayaks will have the greatest force/stain put onto the roof support system during say a sudden stop. Force=Mass x acceleration, so little to no acceleration relative to the vehicle (aka no wiggle/sliding) will result in the least amount of force transferred to the roof rack.

Hi Jack

Interested to hear how you got on? How do you go about putting 2 kayaks on the roof? Given the width of the PA, I would have thought you would struggle to put another kayak next to it? Do you have a j-bar type arrangement or something else that allows you to carry them on their side? My research suggested that the j-bar does not have the weight or width capacity for a PA?

Interested as thinking of getting a PA but will also need to transport my son's kayak on the roof at the same time.

Thanks
Mark