Malone Stax Vertical Kayak Rack - Closeouts

I bought two sets of racks to haul 2 kayaks. My '05 4Runner has lots of room for this. Installation is a snap. Its the tying down that gets cumbersome. Once tied down, the kayaks ride secure and stable.

Not as easy to install as other Malone carriers I currently own. Took too long to install, and I was not happy with the stability and safety of my kayak after installation.

First use was successfull! Carried two Old Town kayaks throughout the ozark mountains. Encounters some severe weather along route without any problem. Drove two vehicles for shuttling and was able to observe performance while following. The dual kayak mount arrangement although not recommended by manufacturer supported both very well. Floated two rivers and loaded/unloaded boats multiple times with the help of my son. After carrier is installed the loading process took about ten minutes. The carrier does not install as easily as advertised unless your a contortionist. The carrier is not as universal as advertised either, it works on our Pontiac Montana but not on our Explorer Sportrac.

Great product. The instruction could use some work.

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I bought this kayak carrier to take a kayak down to the beach - about a five hour drive, including stretches of interstate. First problem was the stax attachment to the roofrack on a Hyundai Santa Fe. I had to go to a hardware store to get longer bolts. On the drive, the straps kept slipping and kayak slipped. I had to stop several times to adjust kayak and tighten straps. The solution was to purchase bungees to pull the two straps toward the center and maintain tension. Also, despite claims to the contrary, it is definitely better to have lines secured to front and back of vehicle.

Awkward to attach to the car (I have a Highlander) and awkward to attach the kayak to the carrier. The "bolt from the bottom" approach, even though a wrench is included, is also awakard and slow and does not promote "easy on/easy off" of the racks. Wing nuts would have been much easier. The design does not allow for the kayak to be affixed with confidence.

First, I thought it was a stacker that would allow 2 kayaks to be attached. Then, I saw it was not metal and the weight limit was 70#. My mistake. Second, the bolts were definitely not long enough for an oval roof mount (HONDA CRV), but the manufacturer offers a kit for $5 with longer bolts. The bolts required a wrench to tighten, and I prefer to have a nice finger tightening grip already present (for ease of throwing it on). Hard to describe, but other manufacturers have finger tightening bolts that do not require tools. I have to load up 3 kayaks readily (each weekend) and need ease of use, plus a stacker type of system which Malone makes, but I'd rather not deal with because of the wrench/bolt set up and the need to buy a kit or longer bolts at the hardware store. Please, this was just a mis-fit for me! You might find the price inviting and not have the oval factory mount roof rack. And if you don't have to mount it to the rack much, the bolt/wrench set up would be fine.

i'm able to haul two kayaks on the vertical stackers, its quick and easy to load my playboat and creekrunner on one stacker, and the kayak doesn't seem to shift at all during transport, and i usuallly have to driver sereval hours each way.

I am 6' and in good shape and I struggle to get my kayak in to this thing, even when it is in there, it isn't held tightly. I think the only person that would have a use for this is someone with a very light, very narrow kayak, that already has a ton of other stuff on their roof and no place for a decent set of J-Bars. Do yourself a favor, spend the extra money on something else, or buy a trailer.