You can lead a boat to water, but not easily. Thule does a great job of making the pain go away as much as possible with the Slipstream XT roof rack, after two years still the rackatollah.
Like most rack systems assembly takes a little time, but just follow the manual and you'll be fine. The only decision you have to make is which side to mount it on, and the adjustment for that just takes a minute. The Slipstream is typical Thule, built extra tough so you can throw up to 75 pounds of kayak on top. It has the proven Thule roller in back, slick felt saddles in the rear and grippy rubber saddles in the front. Just sit the bow on the rollers, push forward and drop her in. Bonus: Thule does it right and includes four sets of straps, including ratcheting bow/stern tie-downs.
The Slipstream excels in adjustability. The saddles adjust side to side with finger-adjustable screws. Quick release toggles to slide the whole load forward and back for easy loading, unloading and centering, as well as allowing your rear hatch or trunk ample room to lift. The extended design is a boon for short roof lines. It sucks having to secure a kayak with only a couple feet between crossbars, but the Slipstream extends that distance to provide a stable platform on any vehicle, as well as ensuring ample stand-off distance betwixt keel and roof. The Slipstream sets the standard for roof-top kayak racks in every way.
is this available in the UK, i have one of these type of racks now but the quick release fixtures are coming loose and i what to replace it incase it comes off on the motorway.
Posted by: james White | June 10, 2011 at 06:01 AM
I really like this. We have a number of roof racks but maybe we should add some from Thule.
Posted by: Pickup Truck Racks | May 09, 2011 at 09:44 AM