Compatibility of Yakima Bowdown and Thule Hull-a-Port Kayak Carriers on Roof Rack of 2013 Veloster

Question:

Hi - I have a set of Yakima Bowdowns and a set of Thule Hull-a-ports that I wish to use on a roof rack on my Veloster to carry two 16-17ft kayaks. Both Thule and Yakima now offer roof racks for the Hyundai Veloster. Their online fit guides allow me to choose water sports and a roof rack, but then, with no explanation, cannot find a kayak carrier that will work with the rack. Unfortunately, neither Yakima nor Thule gives ANY info regarding the use of these carriers on the Hyundai Veloster. Your website actually does provide some info, but still doesnt provide a definitive answer. Im pretty sure that the Yakima system is out, because the cross bars are only 21 inches apart. But the Thules are very close to 24 inches, which is the cutoff for using those kayak carriers. Or is the problem in the curvature of the roof? Do you have an opinion as to whether the Thule roof rack can be used to carry kayaks on a Veloster? And if not, are there any alternatives? Thanks for your help!

asked by: Sherry M

Helpful Expert Reply:

You are correct that the short curved roof line on your 2013 Hyundai Veloster poses a challenge to fitting both roof racks and some roof-mount accessories such as your Yakima Bowdown and Thule Hull-a-Port kayak carriers, as well as other items such as cargo boxes. Also, operation of the rear hatch and optional glass sun roof may be interfered with by either a roof rack itself or by certain accessory items installed on it.

I suggest that your first step be a confirmation with your local Hyundai dealership or via review of your owners manual of what the roof weight carrying capacity is for the 2013 Veloster. I reviewed the online specifications but these do not provide a weight-carrying rating.

Two 16-foot kayaks plus the modest weight of the Yakima and Thule carriers themselves, plus the weight of a roof rack system, could quite easily exceed the roof weight limit. For example, a 16-foot kayak can easily weigh in the vicinity of 80 lbs. The Yakima and Thule carriers together weight about 22 lbs. Add the weight of a roof rack, typically 20 lbs or more, and you are at a total load of over 200 lbs. It is quite likely that this load is in excess of the vehicle capacity.

Note also, that the maximum load rating for the available racks for your Veloster (see link provided) is no more than 130 lbs. Your two 16-foot kayaks may exceed the capacity for all of the available roof racks.

It appears that Hyundai does not rate this vehicle for towing (again, based on my online research), which would eliminate the possibility of using a trailer hitch receiver to tow a kayak trailer. If your Veloster manual does indicate a towing capacity you may be able to use a hitch receiver such as Curt # C11254 to tow a sports trailer such as the Yakima Rack and Roll # Y08106. You would also need a trailer wiring harness, part # C56153, to connect the trailer lights to the tow vehicle.