Yes but I THINK it’s (mostly) referring to kayaks held sideways (j hooks) which would cause them to twist something fierce (the aerodynamics are wildly different when secured upright). The majority of people I know use J hooks so it makes sense that they would use it as a blanket for “not suitable for carrying kayaks. Canoe’s have a MASSIVE opening to catch the wind. Also bad. A kayak that lays flat is still risky, but much less so. I could be wildly wrong, but this makes sense to me.
Umm? Yeah. We have a Skybox 18 and a PH ski/SB rack - going 60+ mph constant. No probs. The fibreglass rails are rock solid. Even under additional snow live loads. Manual says you are good for 100 lbs. With rack etc we are probs pretty close to that.
Do you ties down the bow as well? I also see you have gone right to the back and front of the hardtop for your racks - that's different to many I have seen on this thread - what are your thoughts with that? Last questions - how heavy is you kayak? How fast do you go over what distance?I went with a set of old school Yakima A1 towers.
I always carry hull up/cockpit down. It is more aerodynamic, and keeps out water from sudden Florida down pours. I have never seen the logic in carrying them sideways, j-style.
Such great info and pic - thanks. How far from the back and front of the hard top do you mount your racks?Umm? Yeah. We have a Skybox 18 and a PH ski/SB rack - going 60+ mph constant. No probs. The fibreglass rails are rock solid. Even under additional snow live loads. Manual says you are good for 100 lbs. With rack etc we are probs pretty close to that.
Get something like the Yakima gutter mount and you should be fine. We only use the rear portion and have avoided loading the freedom panels. Have used the same Yakima bars etc for over 30+ years - and they are still rock solid. Using a canoe etc just use a front tie down with trucker hitch. Anyways load your JL like this and you will have a ton of fun adventures.
The JL is a super fun 4x4. No doubt the remote start with heated wheel and seats etc is the most appreciated option for icy cold snow conditions. Smart functional design we use almost every time up in the snowy mtns.
Following.
Have you got a follow up report on what you loaded the JL with? Weight? Length? Speed? Distance?Yakima's Raingutter towers fit solidly. I've seen between 100 and 150 lbs thrown around for weight rating. Haven't tested it yet and will probably go light at first. The JL will only see boats occasionally and then only one or two. It's the hard top I'd be worried about as I've been abusing Yakima stuff for years with no issues. Usually grossly exceeding their weight ratings. Won't load the JL like I do my XJ though!
Following
Have you had a chance to test? How did it go? What weight, length, speed and distance?
How have the past 18 months gone with your setup? I'm not sure I'm going to use the freedom panels, but am planning a very similar setup.It's been almost a year and a half since I started this thread but I'm happy to report that I finally strapped my canoe onto my JLUR.
I ended up getting a set of Rhino Vortex bars and paired them with a Thule Portage canoe mount.
The instructions for the Vortex indicated that I should place the front bar onto the Freedom panels - although I'm not sure how safe that is.
I also found it a little difficult to find a place to mount my front tie down but that's just another excuse for me to upgrade my bumper in the future.
