I have the Malone Stax Pro2 to haul 2 kayaks and I'm happy with it. It's a little awkward sometimes getting the kayaks tied down with all the straps they want you to use, but once you get the hang of it it's easy. I should mention too that I used the rack with some cheapo generic square cross bars last year and this year I have Mopar bars. I haven't taken the kayaks out yet because the lake is still pretty cold, but the Malone rack still fits the Mopar bars even though they're a different shape than my old ones.

 

I have malone jrack sitting on roof basket
I would switch to flat kayak rack with rollers on the rear
My sit on top kayak weighs 76 lbs
Can be a challenge getting it up into position especially if theres any wind
For tie downs i use the 2 straps that come with the rack and 1 ratchet style tie down with additional tie downs front and rear attached to tow hooks and hitch

 

I have both Yakima and Sportsrack (?) J hooks and Yakima cross bars.

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have mainly been looking at the J-bars to use. Amazon has pairs of them so I can hold two kayaks, which would help my dad out when we go together (or my brother in law who now wants one!). However, the idea of a flat carrier with the rear rollers sounds like it would overall be a better idea for loading, especially on those days where its just me going out.

I got some more research I'll have to do this week. Tomorrow or Tuesday, I will have to sit down and price out the cross rails and get them ordered so I'm ready for whatever rack I decide to get!

 

Hey TJ,

I have the same kayak, also bought from sports authority. FYI its a great kayak, and while it may seem a little sluggish, it's great in choppy waters compared to sit-on-top kayaks which tend to have a mind of their own when it comes to steering.

I personally use a malone J rack from amazon. The kit I bought comes with tie downs and cam buckles. All I really use though are the cam buckles. Probably not a good idea in high wind situations, but as long as youre going no more than 65 mph, the cam buckles keep the kayak secure enough.

 

Just looked up the kayak
10' sit in should be pretty easy to load
And they are a good size for most lakes
I still have my 10' which i prefer over my 14' simply for the ease of loading and such

 

Glad to hear the kayak is a good one! So it seems that Malone and Yakima are the two I keep seeing most, especially the J-Bars. Is there anything that makes them special? Because I found a more "generic brand" (Tengchang?) This comes with 4 racks, so the ability to hold two kayaks for $68.

I might give them a shot and see how they turn out.

 

Your best bet is to just read the reviews on amazon and go from there. Sometimes going the slightly cheap route isnt the best because the material that the j-bars/crossbars are made of can bend due to the loading of the kayak. Mine has a slight bend to it because I ended up tying the kayak to the bars way too tight, causing a slight bend. Nothing serious, but once again, best to skim through the reviews.

 

I am a believer of the "you get what you pay for mentality" since I have had to learn the hard way a couple times when I was young and stupid. But the "problem" is its not my money I'm spending. My parents feel they owe me after I bought them a new computer that they so desperately needed and have offered to buy the roof rack (maybe "insisted" is the better word, since I tried to decline the offer). The problem is I don't want them spending a lot of money on me (I'm just as stubborn as my dad). Personally, I would have gotten a flat rack with rollers in the rear for a single kayak, but I may need to help transport my dad's kayak every once in a while, so I decided to go with the j racks. I placed the order last night and I have the OEM Mopar Cross Rails coming along with 4 J-Racks (for two kayaks), and two watertight lock boxes for my dad and I to store our stuff in when we go out. I'm prepared that these J-Racks I ordered may not be the best quality, but I figure they're worth a shot. Who knows... maybe they'll turn out to work just fine. For right now, I will most likely be kayaking locally so hopefully they can handle short distances, but if I find that the rack does not work as well as they should, I'll have to invest in something better.

Yea... first world problems. Haha.

 

My cross rails and j-racks came in over the past couple days. For a kayak rack, I got J-racks to carry two kayaks. I found them for $68 on Amazon. They are a generic brand (Tengchang?).

I wish I took some pictures as I was putting them together. They were a slight pain to put together, but after a couple hours of work, my dad and I got them on the Patriot. I forgot to take a picture of the Patriot with just the J-racks, but here it is with the kayak loaded... I am planning to take it to the lake in town after work tomorrow.

Not sure what the quality of the racks are, but they should last me the summer... and hopefully much longer than that!

 

love the bar in the front.....where'd you get that?

 

TJ, I have a 12 foot perception Pescador sit on top that weighs about 65 lbs. I have those same no name j hooks from amazon. Mine have held up for the last two years. They may fall apart this year, but for the last two they have worked great. However, I did have my CVT overheat on me returning froma kayak fishing excursion. I had been on the road for about 3 hours and was about 40 miles from home. I had a 10 foot sit in and my 12 foot sit on top in j hooks on the roof. I am sure that the extra wind resistance from the kayaks was a factor in my trans getting hot.
Anyway, I think you will be happy with the j hooks. Mine were also very tight going together, but have worked well. And remember you have the kayak up there and drive appropriately.

 

Also, down the road you can leave one set of J racks on the Patriot and put the roller/cradle set up on the other side.

That is the beauty of J racks, they leave quite a bit of roof cross rail open for other stuff.

That is my plan, for now we use two pairs of J racks but as my age and hip/shoulder continue to cause grief I plan on converting my 11.5' Perception to the rear roller style leaving my wife's 8' boat on a J rack.

BTW, those J racks look exactly like the ones I have...exactly. Mine are branded with a Canadian company name but I expect it is a single overseas factory that runs multiple brand names on a single production run. Mine are very well made, all the quality of Yakima or Thule, just not the name.

 

Oldbaybeauty... do you mean my grille inserts? I got them on Amazon. If you check out my build thread I think i have a link.

And i have to say, I love these j racks. So far they are holding up real nice, though the padding is already tearing. But that's an easy fix when it falls off.

 

See my post about side rail failures. http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1438009. You might want to avoid the expense of having replace your boats.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I checked out your thread and I can't believe your rails came off from a surfboard! Its definitely made me check mine out before each trip. Unfortunately, this is my only vehicle right now, so if I want to go kayaking, I have to put the kayaks on the Patriot. I have toyed around with the idea of getting a project XJ or WJ to use for the purpose of a little off-roading and transporting the kayaks and such, but for now, my set up will have to do.

 

why not get some type of trailer.

 

At this time, a trailer won't work for me, since I live in a condo complex. I have a designated parking spot to park my Jeep and the rest of the spots are "public spots". I guess I could technically use one of those spots for a trailer or a project vehicle, but I would probably have to check with my association first. And that might be more effort than its worth.

I also don't have a trailer hitch yet. That also marks a problem. Haha. But I am good with the roof rack at the moment. I'll just monitor it and make sure there are no issues with the rails.

 

I think harbor freight has some type of fold up trailer but you would have modify it probably.

 

I think you'll be fine if the kayak is like you picture sitting up would probably cut through the wind better. And your probably not gonna go on super windy days either.

 

Yeah, I'm not too worried. Many times, I've had two kayaks up there to carry either my friend's, dad's, or brother in law's. The racks work quite nicely for the price I got them for.

 

Side Rail failure thread.
http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=285825