Replacement Kayak Carrier for First Generation Thule Hull-A-Port with Damaged Base

Question:

In 2014, I purchased a Thule Hull-A-Port 826 kayak carrier from a now-defunct retailer. A few weeks ago, the forward plastic base clamp failed catastrophically in transit luckily the kayak was redundantly secured, and made getting home with kayak in tow a real protracted nightmare. I used the carrier sparingly in the interim years, so the fracture of the plastic base was a real shock and disappointment. I see that your site and several others offer replacement parts for essentially every other component of the Hull-A-Port except the plastic base NOT the base pad, but the rigid plastic base it s into. Is the base itself available? If not, why? Also, since I lack a receipt from 2014 after several moves, Thule refuses to acknowledge my warranty other than 50 off their site. I Have had excellent experiences with etrailer in the past, and would prefer to purchase a more reliable option that you recommend. What product would you recommend to avoid this recurrence in the future? Details are factory bars on a Subaru 2015 Outback Limited, and a Dagger 11foot single person kayak. Thank you much.

asked by: Chris M

Expert Reply:

I checked with Thule and like you said they have all of the replacement parts essentially for the first generation Hullaport that you have except what you mentioned. This is most likely due to age at this point as after a number of years they start cutting back on the replacement parts they offer for the rack and their typical philosophy for base replacement parts on their bike racks is that if the base/main shank of the rack has been damaged the rest of the rack/carrier is compromised and in need or replacement.

The current version of the Hull-a-port part # TH849000 is a really solid carrier that I would recommend. If you wanted to get away from the Thule brand Yakima has a similar option with the JayLow part # Y04073 which I would recommend as well. It's a little easier to load and can fold down when not in use as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C