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This easy-to-load, J-style carrier lets you haul your kayak on your roof rack crossbars. The space-saving cradles are padded to protect the hull, and the universal mounting hardware attaches to most crossbars. Includes tie-downs and bow/stern ropes.
Features:
Specs:
Note: Designed for sea kayaks and whitewater kayaks. Not intended for use with aluminum boats.
The Contour holds your kayak in the J-Style position. You can install it on the driver's- or passenger's-side of your roof rack. It leaves plenty of room on your roof for a bike rack, cargo basket, or other accessory.
Foam padding on the arms and a soft rubber base help cushion your watercraft during transport and keep the hull protected from scratches and scuffs. The base also has square-shaped tread that helps grip your boat.
Two nylon tie-downs are included to secure your kayak to the crossbars. Loop the straps around your crossbars and the hull of your boat, then through the arms. The straps have cam buckles that let you tighten them to secure your boat. The cam buckles have rubber coatings to keep them from scratching your boat.
The carrier also comes with 2 bow/stern tie-down straps with stainless steel hooks that let you anchor your boat to the front and rear of your vehicle. This helps prevent the boat from shifting forward or backward during transport.
The Contour mounts to most roof rack crossbars without the need for tools. To install the rack, place it on top of your crossbars, place the mounting bracket underneath your crossbars, and use the hand knobs to tighten down.
California residents: click here
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (49 Customer Reviews)
This easy-to-load, J-style carrier lets you haul your kayak on your roof rack crossbars. The space-saving cradles are padded to protect the hull, and the universal mounting hardware attaches to most crossbars. Includes tie-downs and bow/stern ropes.
The product is of good construction but probably due to how it fits on my crossbars it needs additional support. The crossbars for my Honda Pilot are wide blade type and these racks seem more appropriate for narrower square type crossbars. Even with the rack fastened very tightly, the rack can twist back and forth. Last year on a trip across Montana the wind was pretty gusty and it caused the front one to pivot quite a bit and we had to pull off and apply a ratcheting strap over the kayak and under the factory rails to ensure it was held tight and wouldn't move again. This year on the same trip we had bad winds but had a roof rack mounted behind these racks giving it support on the tall side. We had to strap it real good to make sure it didn't move.
If we hadn't had that additional support behind it and add'l straps we probably would have had more problems. I think if the top metal bracket had a wider channel to fit our crossbars it would be much more stable. The way it is now it just sandwiches 2 metal plates between my crossbar which allows it to pivot under stress.
Loved the racks, seem very durable. Only downside was that the groove made for the crossbeam was quite a bit smaller than my crossbeams, but they still secured down great. You'd have to have a pretty funky set-up for these racks to not work on your vehicle. Having all the straps/tie-downs included was awesome too. Reccomend!
Works great I bought 4 and the set up was fast. Everything comes in boxed will packed. Had some issues with shipping date but customer service handled it amazingly. Got my order a week early. Great fit for square bars.
I have never had an expensive set of kayak racks but i assume they work just as well as these. These are very affordable. They are easy to use and install. I am throughly pleased with my purchase
Easy to unpack. Literally took less than 5 mins to get them setup. Love them. Comes with extra bolts and the straps that come with them will do just fine. I won't be going farther than 3 miles to the lake.
Good for basic use, but failed me on a highway drive with high-winds. The rail mounting plate bent and caused the J carrier to loosen at 65mph! Very dangerous and when I stopped to tighten, feared the mounting plat would snap. Really need a heavier gauge mounting plate that fits the contour of the roof rack rails better.
We bought this for our son as a graduation present for his kayak. He was able to put the SportRack Semi-Custom Roof Rack for Naked Roofs - Square Crossbars - Steel - 50" Long - SR1010on his 2014 Honda with no problem. The roof rails were very sturdy and went on easily. The Swagman J hooks are strong and well padded. He was very pleased with how secure the kayak was on top of his car.
As for the delivery - we were astonished at the speed! We ordered on a Thursday and were told delivery would the following Tuesday at the latest. Imagine our surprise when it was delivered the next day at 8pm!
The customer service rep was extremely helpful on the phone and patiently answered all my questions. Would definitely order from eTrailer again.
The carriers are nicely equipped with everything you need to secure your kayak to your roof rack. The only downside is the clamps don't seat well on the Subaru Outback (2017) crossbars. The clamps are shaped to favor a square bar. As a result the actual bar surface area this holder contacts is very little and even when screwed down nice and tight, the boat was able to move side to side and scratch the coating off of the OEM cross bars. I did order these in a pinch as I was pressed for time & my original pick was out of stock so it is what it is. Very nice carrier for the price, but I'd recommend only if you've got square bars.
I had the carriers installed on the top of my pop-up to carry my kayak. Previously I had to have help using ratcheting straps to secure my kayak, now I can put the kayak up on the pop-up myself. It's been a lot easier, and I wish I had known about these years ago. They are well made and easy for me to use.
Only used one time after having these racks for a couple weeks. Carried a tandem kayak securely with no trouble. These racks do have a tendency to roll over/around on round cross bars (like I have). I'm only giving 4 stars instead of 5 because I kept having to tighten the nuts that secure these to my cross bars--I'm not sure if this is because the racks are "settling" during transport or because the steel plate that "pinches" the cross bars when you tighten the nuts is actually bending out of shape during transport.
The whole kit fits great on my Honda HR-V. Assembly was simple and mounting took about 15 minutes. My Kayaks fit well and securely. I would recommend this product to a friend.
Stephen
6/24/2021
Works GREAT! Works as well on the highway with two 55LB kayaks loaded for a 100 mi trip to a nearby state park as it does for the 10 min trip to my local ponds.
I am 100% satisfied with both the customer service as well as the products received. I was a 1st time customer and my experience could not have been more pleasant! Thanks for all the follow up re: package status...again another example of great customer service!!!
Gary M.
4/21/2016
Thank you for asking about the product I purchased through your company. Everything is still perfect on this end...no complaints. I do want to commend your company for the great customer service. I was impressed and continue to be with your company and your dedication to customer satisfaction! Thanks again for the follow-up and have a great day!
This product came completely assembled and took 5 minutes to attach to my roof rack. The straps are easy to assemble. The only thing I would have liked would be to have double hooks on the white rope for the front and back Currently there is only one on one end
They are J hooks. They bolt to the rack and hold the kayak. They work as advertised. I use them for my one person kayak. You have to do quite a lift to get the kayak up onto them, so my heavier 2 person kayak I use a different version with a roller to get the kayak up onto the car.
I've been using them about a year and they are holding up well.
Can only give 4 stars because I haven't tried them out yet, they fit nice and snug on my cross bars (square cross bars made by sports rack) and they were extremely easy to put on they came pretty much assembled already quality seems good no different then the more expensive ones.
This product it great! The only issue I have had was with the brackets sliding slightly when driving on the highway, but it was nothing that an additional ratchet strap couldn't fix. Would recommend to anyone!
You will not be disappointed with these kayak racks! They are great quality, very sturdy and easy to install. I wouldn’t buy any other brand after having purchased these.
Rack doesn’t fit the car, even though it was offered up as the recommended choice. Support never responded to my help requests
David B.
9/14/2022
Hey Greg, customer service has reached out to you to get information so we can rectify this situation.
etrailer continues to amaze me with the speed of shipment , delivery and selection of products. This will be installed tonight and cayak gets picked up tomorrow !
Just insralled the racks and J-Bars. Easy install, worked exactly as wanted. To out on freeway witth racks only, just some wind noise at 70. This is my second order thru etrailer. Both orders were great referrals, worked good, delivered witnin a few days. Thank you etrailer.
This set is an addition to others bought for self and family. Great quality, fast in-time shipping from this vendor.
Fits great with the Thule square bar
This is my second order with etrailer and again I am totally satisfied and impressed with the customer service and quality. Thanks!!!
Very easy to install and worked perfectly. Shipped in sturdy boxes and arrived within a few days of online purchase. Highly recommended.
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Rachael H.
8/1/2019
I did reach out to Swagman and they have had some customers with similar issues, and they have advised to use a thin gripping material, like an old bike inner tube and shim the clamps that attach the kayak carriers to the crossbars. My representative said his neighbor had the similar issue you are having with the front carrier shifting, and when he added the inner tube material for a tighter grip to the crossbars it did not shift.