Looking for a rack for my 2 kayaks. I looked at Thule and Yakima and want to know which fits better on the prius and less noise... any help would be greatful. Pics would be a bonus...
Do you want a permanent (drilled into the roof) rack, or the ones that snap onto the door frame and are removable? Also, search the forums before you post. There are many threads on this topic. Click here, has photos! And here, has photos! 426 miles with 2 kayaks on top, with photos! And that's just a start.
LOL... yes I saw those threads and can not get that rack here in New England .. it seems they stopped making them. Oh yes, the push method on number two will not work.. wife would not like that but if thats what works..LOL. We have to go 4 hours with luggage... I am more interested in the two racks I posted and if anyone has them - Pros Cons..! Thanks.
Since you are in the New England area, I might suggest you shop at EMS. I got a new Thule setup (not kayak) at Eastern Mountain Sport. They are having a 20/15/15 sale. I got myself a Thule roof rack and box setup for ~ $500.
There isn't a whole lot of difference. I'm partial to Yakima. I like round bars (especially for the curved roof of the Prius (because the flats will not be in line with the Thule). Here is my page on the Saris and Yakima. I never tookd pictures of the thule. Prius Racks
Yes, I have looked at your page and have it booked marked... I can not find the Saris racks anywhere including ebay.. and I understand they do not make them anymore... too bad.
I look at Saris rack before I purchased Thule setup. I found Saris roof rack setup in several online vendors. You just need to search a bit harder since there are only a few vendors carry Saris 59" loadbar and #20 clips. Here is a online vendor have Saris in stock. BikepartsUSA.com - Your Online Bicycle Parts Superstore At the end, I decide on Thule setup since I can get it locally. I ordered online and pickup locally. In 1 day, I have my roof rack setup + cargo box.
I'm very happy with the Thule rack we recently purchased for about $800. We could have gotten a Yakima, but we're were already loyal to Thule from previous car racks. Our LLBean Manatee kayaks are rather wide, so whereas I would have preferred to flat racks, the salesman recommended one of each which fits well. To do two flat racks would have necessitated a horizontal rod that would have been wider than the car and might interfere with getting in and out of the car. There is a bit of noise, but after one day I didn't notice it again. I probably only noticed it at all because the Prius is so quiet. At Bill Jackson's in Pinellas Park, FL they even installed it for us.
