Need Roof Rack and Water Sports Carriers for Paddle Board and Kayak on 2012 Honda Ridgeline  

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Expert Reply:

A first step in finding a roof rack and appropriate watercraft carriers for your 2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport is a check of your owners manual (or inquiry to your local dealership) to confirm how much weight the roof can safely handle. I did check an online version of the manual for the 2012 Ridgeline but I was not able to find a roof weight capacity rating.

The vehicle roof needs to be able to handle the total combined weight of a roof rack, the water sport carriers you choose, plus the weight of the paddle board and kayak. It is quite possible that this total load could exceed the roof weight capacity. Once you know the weight of your two water craft you can estimate if their weight plus that of a roof rack and two carriers will remain with the vehicle capacity.

The roof racks suitable for your 2012 Ridgeline have varying weight capacities (125-lbs to 165-lbs) and the paddle board and kayak load must also remain within the rating for the roof rack of your choice. For reference I have provided a link to our page for all roof racks for your truck.

If your Ridgeline has a 2-inch trailer hitch receiver you might instead prefer to use a hitch-mounted load bar, such as the Rhino-Rack T-Load # RTL002, in conjunction with a single roof-mounted crossbar. This would spread the weight load between the vehicle roof and hitch. You could use Yakima Jetstream 60-inch load bar # 8880649, Fit kit # Y06184 and BaseLine Feet # 8880618 (x2) to make up one half of a rack. This used in conjunction with the Thule Goalpost would provide a structure to carry your water craft that spreads the load out between your roof and hitch.

Bow and stern tie downs are required for transporting water craft. I have provided a link to our main page where all such items are shown. These are offered in a variety of types, sizes and weight capacities.

expert reply by: Adam R

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