Yakima Foam Blocks Kayak Carrier

I am really happy with the purchase of these Yakima Foam Kayak blocks! They are an easy fit on my Yakima 78" crossbars, --for my Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 fishing kayak.Why purchase these and not a set of kayak saddles? Well, I already had a set of Yakima adjustable kayak saddles that did not really conform to the hull of my kayak the way I would have liked. There was not much contact with the boat, to many gaps even after the tie-down straps were cinched down and lots of time spent adjusting them.The foam blocks were the way to go, exactly what I was looking for. A great fit to the kayak hull, and a secure tie-down to the crossbars on my kayak trailer.Pros:--There is a channel cut for your cross bars. The universal foam blocks from the local big box stored did not.--They are easy to remove from the bars to lock away in the car while on the water.Cons:--The fit is a bit loose. In hindsight, I should have looked for the manufacturer’s instructions. The straps that are provided with this product are for securing the foam blocks to the kayak. There is a longer strap for securing the kayak to the vehicle And two straps for securing each end of the hull to the bumper or other tie down point. Kind of hard to see all of this in the picture.Shipping and other:When I ordered these Saturday evening, October 4th, 2014. The Amazon automated email said I should receive them somewhere between October 10 and October 16. Much to my surprise, I received them on Wednesday, October 8th, under Amazon Prime, awesome! They were well packed, not a thing wrong with them.

I bought these because I have a small economy car without a roof rack. I am a new kayaker & wasn't sure how long I'd be using it. I have used these back & forth to the bay near my home about 5-6 times. They are dirty & starting to deteriorate a little bit, but for now, they still work well for the occasional kayak journey. I am now selling my kayak after one year. I just don't have the time or money to continue the sport, so instead I will try photography. I'm glad I didn't spend hundreds on a roof rack/J-style carrier.

Overall ...You can't beat the value of this carrier. The straps are of great quality, and the metal buckles are very well made, very efficient and sturdy! But I do have to tell you.... there is no such thing as a " laminated super griping base on the blocks ". They are just plain old foam blocks. However, they do a good job. I would still highly recommend this carrier! I just have a little gripe about the advertised wording...seems a little deceptive.

Great product - followed all the advice; highly recommend.Just FYI -Yes twist the straps so they don't vibrate and create a loud buzzing sound. The two straps with the plastic buckles are for securing the foam pads and to your kayak. The 3 with the metal buckles are for front, middle and back securing. Note though the two straps with no buckles are for the front and back secure points, which will leave you with one strap ( the middle strap ) to secure the kayak to the roof through the doors of you vehicle <----do this with your doors open...so you don't strap your doors closed....easy. Oh and yes wipe off the bottom of the foam pads before strapping it to your car, the debris from the ground will strath your cars roof.

Simple but effective. Watch which one you get because I got the foam made for round cross bars but they make one for wide crossbars like what most of the factory crossbars are like, like mine are. I didn't know they came in different shapes. So I had to do some cutting to make them work. I don't take my kayak for a ride to often so the carrier works for me.

This carrier is the cheapest way to carry your yak on the roof of your car. The front/back straps are solid. The two foam blockshowever will only work with round or square cross bars. Many SUVs today come with oblong cross bars which will not fit intothe foam blocks. This carrier also works with no cross bars, the foam blocks sitting directly on the roof of your car, However, if youtighten the straps you will find the roof of your car bending in under the foam blocks. For all these reasons could not tighten my yakenough to feel comfortable enough to travel highways at high speed. Ended up replacing with a model that mounts on the cross bars.

It works for now but the foam blocks rotate on the bars. This causes the kayak hull to ground out on the bars. I am using a Yakima Bedrock so this issue is huge. Thankfully the kayak is lite so its not hard to re adjust.

After using these for a long while... they WILL scratch your roof, pretty good too.