J Cradles or Saddles?

[joezee1986]

I have saddles but would like to carry additional kayak on my roof rack for baja....would a j cradle work for an outback ?

[T-Rex]

I use J cradles with my 2 Malibu xFactors and they work okay. Made 4 trips to Central Oregon with no problems. That being said, on two occassions I have broken 2 of the plastic cradle bases while driving in high winds (40-50 mph), but Thule has replaced them free of charge. Always make sure to securely tie down the bows of both kayaks to two locations to minimize torque on the cradles. I think an xfactor is bigger than an outback so you shouldn't have any issues as long as everything is tied down securely.

Also, I bought my cradles in 2000. I think the new designs are stronger.

[Chuck D]

yep, used j cradles on my outback for 5ys and running

[Wintersun]

Officially both Thule and Yakima state a maximum load for their roof racks of 165 lbs. and that is fine if your three kayaks are light ones but with 3 Outbacks you have 225 lbs. that exceeds the load rating by 36%.

Greatest load capacity with these two companies is with their racks that mount on the side rails of pickup trucks.

[easyday]

I use j cradles for my tarpon 160. and it works great. I use bow and stern lines and I use my saddles for buddies kayaks when we carpool.