Recommended Roof Rack and Kayak Carrier for Flush Mounted Rails on 2014 Lexus GX 460

Question:

Is there a kayak carrier with a load assist that might work, as well?

asked by: Phillip R

Helpful Expert Reply:

We can help you find the parts you're looking for, and really, if you're using a set of crossbars with T-slot mounting paired with accessories that mount in those channels the clearance from the roof won't be a factor. With that said, the Inno kit you mentioned would potentially work, but I do have something that has a bit taller towers to give you some extra clearance from the roof.

I recommend using the Yakima Roof Rack for 2014 Lexus GX460 using parts # Y00425, # Y00145 and # Y28FR. The RidgeLine Towers for Yakima Crossbars - Flush Side Rails # Y00145 are about 1-1/2" taller than the Inno towers # INXS350, so in addition to providing more space for clamp on accessories, it also reduces the chances that something scratches up the roof. This rack has a capacity of up to 165-lbs, but if the capacity of your roof is lower, you will be limited to the lower of the two; you will want to consult with your owner's manual to determine how much weight your roof can handle.

When it comes to the kayak carriers, with saddle style carriers, you're likely going to be hard pressed to fit 2 boats on your roof since the boats would need to be laid flat (bottoms down) on those saddles. For this reason I recommend using the Thule Compass Kayak and SUP Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style, Post Style, or Saddle - 2 Kayaks or SUPs # TH890000, which is designed to carry 2 boats. The Compass has a 130-lbs capacity, so it will work with your boats, and will fit onto the Yakima Jetstream bars that come in the roof rack kit above.

If you wanted to go with the saddle style carriers, the Malone Saddle Up # MPG110MD would be my recommendation for that. These do take up considerably more room because of the way the boats must be positioned, so you'd want to take some measurements of how wide your boats are determine if you've got enough space on the 50" wide crossbars.

I've linked some review videos of the roof rack and kayak carrier that I recommend having a look at.

expert reply by: Erik B

Phillip

9/24/2020

Is there a kayak carrier with a load assist that might work, as well?

Erik B.

9/24/2020

There absolutely is! If you wanted to go that route, you'd want to also use J-style carriers. You could use some of the etrailer J-style carriers # e98878 with the Rhino-Rack Universal Load Assist Bar # RR-RUSL to give you a bit of an extra hand when loading your boats. These J-style carriers fold up when not in use and comes with tie down straps included to keep the boats secured. The Rhino Rack Load Assist Bar mounts to the crossbars that were mentioned above and can be used with any J-style carrier you choose. The other option, which is definitely the best available in terms of assisting you loading your boats up is going to be the Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier and TelosXL Load Assist w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Side Loading # MPG114MD-351XL, which comes with 1 set of J style carriers and the load assist system. This is the easiest to use in terms of effort required and the system comes with a set of carriers included, so you'd only need to purchase an addition set of J-style carriers with part # MPG114MD. I've linked some more review videos of these parts for you to have a look at and see how they work.