I have a different opinion about the saddles and j-cradle. I have a
plastic Current Design Storm. I use a Yakima rack with J-cradle. The
cross bars are spread to the dimension of the kayak bulkheads. When
traveling, the kayak rests in the J-Cradle and the bulkheads support the
kayak. I never have any oil canning or dents in my hull...and that's
the way I like to care for my kayak. As for impressing others, if
there are impressed by a five year old plastic kayak without any dents
well so be it. John

John Kuthe wrote:
salmoneous wrote:
[snip]

I can see where these might be useful with a nice fiberglass sea kayak
or if it's necessary to carry the boat on its side. But do the
attachments add anything with an inexpensive plastic kayak? I fail to
see how strapping the kayak to bars clamped on the crossbars would be
any more stable than strapping them to the crossbars themselves.


Yeah, the saddled are primarily useful for protecting the relatively
fragile hull of fiberglass boats, like some sea/touring/racing kayaks.
For anything else, they are just candy.

Stackers are very useful to maintain the verticalness of one or more
kayaks stacked up on edge vertically, such as running shuttle, or any
other such application where you'd like to carry several boats.

Most all the other toys are just that: toys. J-bars, etc. They may be
more conveient for some weaker/disabled people, but I fear most who use
them just like then as cool toys, or get them to impress someone, the
stupidest reason to do anything!