Can Malone AirFlow2 Roof Rack With 58 Inch Crossbars Hold A Roof Box And J-Style Kayak Carrier?  

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Expert Reply:

The Malone AirFlow2 Roof Rack 58" Long # MPG216 will be able to accommodate the Yakima Sky Box NX 16 Carbonite Roof Cargo Box - 16 Cubic Feet # Y95AV along with a J-style kayak carrier. The sky box measures 35" wide, so you are left with about 23" of crossbar space for a kayak carrier.

For a J-style kayak carrier, I would look into the Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier # MPG114MD which measures 17" long in the upright position. You will want to also use Malone -Slot Kit # MPG915 to mount the kayak carrier onto the crossbar T-slot channel. This would allow you to utilize the full length of the crossbars, whereas a clamp-on kayak carrier may have issues when trying to mount at the edge of the crossbars due to the crossbar towers.

The kayak carrier only weighs 12.2lbs, so with a kayak installed it may weigh closer to 50-75lbs depending on the weight of your kayak. The sky box weighs 47lbs empty, and the Malone crossbars weigh 13lbs. This leaves you with a rough estimate of 20-50lbs that can be added to the cargo box since the roof weight capacity is 165lbs; this amount really comes down to the weigh of your kayak. If your kayak weighs about 35lbs then you can safely add about 58lbs to the cargo box and still be under the 165lb weight capacity.

Another option is to go with a smaller and lighter cargo box such as the Thule Pulse Alpine Rooftop Cargo Box - 11 Cu Ft # TH613. This only weighs 30lbs (17lbs lighter than the sky box) and is only 25-1/2" wide. This will free up the crossbar space along with reducing the overall weight. I attached several demonstration videos for you.

expert reply by: Andrew N

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