Roof Rack for Installing Two Thule Hullavator Kayak Carriers on Roof of 2020 Toyota RAV4

Question:

I currently have 4 thule hulivator attached to a 2013 Ford focus on thule square bars. I want to install on a 2020 Toyota RAV4 with low rails using a thule aero blade that will allow me use the same set up as the square bars for ease of taking the hulavators off and on.

asked by: Alan

Expert Reply:

By '4 Hullavators', I'm assuming you're meaning two sets which would allow you to carry two kayaks.

Installing 2 Hullavators for carrying two kayaks will be a tight squeeze on the roof of a RAV4. You'll also need to keep in mind that each set of Hullavators weighs about 40 lbs, and most roof rack setups have a capacity of 165 lbs. This leaves you 80-85 lbs of capacity for the 2 kayaks in order to not overload the roof rack.

If the combined weight of your Kayaks is less than 85 lbs, you should be okay, weight-wise as long as you go with crossbars that are long enough to accommodate the 28-1/2 inches (57 inches total) bar space each Hullavator will occupy.

I'd recommend going with a Yakima JetStream roof rack, because the Thule aero-style crossbars would limit you to how long of a crossbar you could use. The rack I'd recommend would consist of the following parts:

• Yakima 60 Inch long JetStream crossbars, # Y00426
• Yakims SkyLine roof rack towers, part # Y53TR
• Vehicle Specific Fit Kit, part # Y98FR

Yakima also offers lock cores for the roof rack feet as an option, as part # Y07204

This setup would fit the flush rails with the fixed mounting points on your 2020 Toyota RAV4 and would accommodate both your Thule Hullavators.