Recommended Kayak Carrier for Two Kayaks On 2000 Ford Excursion With Factory Low Profile Crossbars

Question:

I recently purchased two 10 kayaks. My 2000 Excursion, which came with factory roof rack having 7 side rails, appears to not have the needed clearance between the bottom of the cross rails to mount any kind of kayak carriers, as most of the carriers that Ive previewed have bolts that extend downward toward the roof. In fact, there is practically NO clearance from the bottom of the cross rails to the roof. The cross members of the roof rack, which there are four, have the ability to slide into different positions on the side rails. 1 Do you offer a multiple two kayak carrier which has the bolt heads pointing downward on the roof extending upward for mounting, eliminating the need for me to change the roof rack system, specifically the cross arms, and to use the factory roof rack? Or a kayak carrier which can be mounted on the current factory cross-arms with little-to-no clearance? 2 If not, do you have roof rack cross arms and feet which can easily be mounted into the factory set of 7 rails that are on the roof already, eliminating the need to remove, drill and mount another roof rack system? Id like to be able to use the vehicles already mounted factory rails. Additional info: the kayaks are, again, 10 feet long, 30 wide, 14 tall, and weigh approx. 30 lbs. each. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

asked by: Clint P

Expert Reply:

The factory crossbars on a 2000 Ford Excursion have channels which are simply the slots in the top of the crossbars that run left to right. These channels can be used to secure accessories such as kayaks so long as you use a carrier which attaches to them, the Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Carrier part # RRS520 is what I recommend and it will be perfect for two kayaks.

expert reply by: Conner L