I've searched these threads and have seen so many conflicting posts about roof racks. After talking to Yakima and Thule customer service it is clear that the gutter mount towers are out for my '11 JK 4 door. What roof rack setup is durable and cost effective for carrying a 13.5' kayak? Trailer is out, since I want to take my kayak when we go camping with our tent trailer. Any suggestions? Looking at the Lange Originals Kayak Rack, but it is quite comparable price wise to other racks with more features and versatility. Thanks.

 

Lol I thought I had one w it on top but I have Yakima rack and I have a 12 ft kayak

 

On top of the car

 

I mean jeep ... Caught my self

 

I have the Yakima. Cross-bars remove easy. Good thing because the wind noise can be pretty bad.

 

I have a Kargo Master rack with Yakima Kayak racks.

 

I use the kargo master rack ontop of my jku. I use yakama saddles and rollers on yakama bars. Mthe only trick was getting thule towers to connect the crossbars with the meatty kongo cage. I forget the part I used but the were made for exterra's. I really like my set up, works well and it tilts so I can drop the top in the summer. The only pitfall was the noise. I bought the widest thule fairing I could find and used that in the front made a huge difference Ill try to take a few photos next week.

 

I carry canoes often and wrestled with all kinds of options before deciding to make my own rack that would work with hard top, soft top, or no top.

Canoes on Jeeps Album

The front is based on the Lange rack, but modified to fit standard 1" Yakima bar accessories:



The back part is a vertical post welded to a Mopar bike carrier and then fitted with a 1" pipe to accommodate the Yakima stuff too:



The 2nd generation version was just completed this week, replacing the stock tire carrier 3rd brake light post with a receiver post, to which will be attached the same idea. This location places the rear T-bar closer to the Jeep, to better fit shorter boats to the longer wheelbase of the 4-door.





You can also search for "canoe on soft top" and find a similar thread. Good luck!

 

I just ordered Thule gutter mount rack with Malone seawing kayak carrier.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I looked at Thule and Yakima gutter mounts. Spoke to customer service at both and they advised that the gutter mounts were only recommended to carry lightweight items such as skis and advised against using kayak attachments with them. That's why I'm still looking. They told me since the Jeep gutters are non structural that they can't be used for much.