YAKIMA, DeckHand Roof Mounted Boat Rack for Vehicles, One Size Set of Mounts

Easy installation on truck roof. great compliment to the rollers for loading kayaks

Does not fit Thule Xsporter Pro bars, at least not well. They will attach, the mount length is plenty wide enough for the 4 inch bars, it’s the 1.5 inch bar height or thickness that is the problem. The mount fits the rounded end nicely but the squared end is just a little too loose. It’s close but just not quite there. Tried with and without the removable rubber piece and cranked as tight as I dared. Either way I was able to lift up on the end of the mount and slide the mount off of the bar. If you choose to use them like that be careful!!!I ordered these to replace an old Yakima Hulley Roller and Yakima Mako Saddle combination. I’ve been using that combo for over 10 years, with the last several years mounted on the Xsporter bars using Yakima Mighty Mounts so I *really* wanted these to work along with the Handrolls (basically the same combo) as they are super easy to load. Can’t use the Makos or Hulleys anymore as the gray material has degraded (known issue with those) to the point (spongy mush!) where they are no longer usable.

I have had kayaks for better than 30 years and have used all kinds of methods to hold them on the car top. I bought these Yakima Mounts with some concern since I read in a review that they get crushed. This first time I used them I saw what the writer was describing and was disappointed. Then I realized that the crushing characteristic allowed me to tighten down on my cinch straps pretty seriously snug. I found that this compression mechanism actually improved the tension on the kayak and allowed it to travel better since the compression pushed back against the straps. I was very happy with the resulting improved security of the kayak.A second reviewer complaint was of a design flaw regarding induced torque on the cross bar because these being positioned off center over the cross bar. When I put them on I observed just that. Then I realized that I could position the mounts so that the off center overhang worked in my favor. That is, I swapped left to right and right to left. Now the off center overhang was on the side of the bar over the car roof, rather than toward the back of the car. In paying attention to which direction the overhang was positioned. I actually reduced the torque in my favor. Again I was happy with the improved positioning of the kayak.Bottom line … I really like these things. The kayak slides onto the rack easily. The mounts grip well. They offer good wide support, and I can cinch the kayak down real tight so that it rides completely securely. I definitely would buy these Yakima kayak mounts again. In fact I just did for an additional kayak on my car roof top. Of course buying kayak mounts is like buying shoes. Not all shoes fit all feet.