# Thule Slipstream or Soft Roof Racks



## Agent009 (Jan 3, 2012)

Ok, I'm debating whether to get "soft roof racks" OR "Thule roof facks + slipstream".

I can get soft roof racks for around $50 and Thule roof racks + slipstream for around $800.

Obviously there's a big price difference but I think the slipstream looks great for loading your kayak. If the slipstream makes it easier and can get me out fishing more, I'm happy to pay the price.

What do people think?


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## Cresta57 (Oct 30, 2011)

I borrowed some soft racks when I first bought my Yak, they were the type that fasten by opening the doors & passing the straps through the door opening. Bloody nightmare trip is one way to describe the journey home. The noise & vibration was horrendous, there & then I rang & ordered a set of roof bars. I've subsequently found that a few twists in the straps stops a lot of the noise but not all of it. I now have the genuine Nissan X-trail bars, they look identical to the Thule aerodynamic ones. Fantastic bit of kit, I sometimes forget the Yak is up there & have caught myself at 120+ on the highway.

P.S If anyone is interested in a set of genuine 2011 X-trail roof bars my lease car is going back at the end of the month so they will be for sale, four months old used about a dozen times. $200


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## waterlaze (May 16, 2011)

Many years ago I tried a soft rack system to transport a windsurfer and as a long term rack, its a piece of s**t.
I've never tried a yak on one, but I think a yak would be worse.Its fine for an emergency or if you're not going far,
but for a long term solution, get a good set of racks.
I have the thule hullavator and I think its just great. Without this, I wouldn't be able to get out yakking, so its money well spent.
I've got a buggered shoulder so can't lift over my head so I went for the hullavator which allows me to load at waist height.
I've seen the slipsteream in action and it looks great as well (as long as your shoulder is OK  )


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## azza001 (Feb 6, 2012)

Hi i brough the soft racks when i first got my yak, once you work out how to secure them properly they hold down fairly good, but they are slightly noisy.

I just brought a set of Proracks (www.whispbar.com.au) i brought the P-Bar set up i have not noted a difference in noise since fitted. They are the cheaper version that they make but in my opinion they are more universal. including the mounting kit they were only $185. The Whispbar HD is alot more streamline and supposedly quiter they are around the $400 mark.

I know this doesn't answer you're question but might be worth a look

Cheers

azza001


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## whydrift (Dec 3, 2008)

My P-bar Proracks howl like a wounded dog after i get over 80kph, I am looking at buying a set of Rhinos.

Jim


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

I use soft racks because they dont make hard racks for my car. Proper racks are clearly better.

But soft racks are fine if you think things through. Initially I carried a Swing but for a couple of years now mostly an 18' long SIK. I have traveled Brisbane to Gladstone and back. Bris to Sydney. Sydney to Gladstone and back. Let alone many many weekend trips between 30mins and 3 hours. On the highway I generally set at 110km/h.

Never had any problems once I worked out how to use them properly.


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## damned67 (Jan 29, 2011)

Dru,
Can you elaborate on how to use the soft racks properly?
I just convinced one of my best mates to buy a fishing yak, and helped him procure a Perception Swing (wouldn't mind it for myself, actually!).
Anyway, he now clearly needs some roof racks to carry it, and as he's based literally 1km from his nearest launching spot on the Gold Coast, and would rarely carry it much further anyway, I think the soft racks might be to best option. They're also the cheapest, allowing some extra $$ for the all important pimping 'o the yak.
Thoughts?

Cheers!


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Have used both and definitely prefer the sturdier hard racks. Don't forget to check out eBay mate. There are heaps of racks on auction and you might be pleasantly surprised at how much you save.

Marty


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

When carrying the swing I simply make use of the scupper holes. Process isnt that much different to on hard racks.

The forward tie down strap runs flat across the yak and returns through the soft rack buckle back over the top of the yak till you hit the first scupper. Go through the scupper run across the underside to the next scupper back over the top of the yak and down to the tie down point.

The rear tie down basically does the opposite. The strap runs over the yak to the soft rack buckle then returns UNDER the yak to the first scupper, through to the outside, over the outside to the the next scupper and completes through to the tie down point. Not that this configuration gives a better tension pulling down onto the roof.

Play with the above concept. If I am just going short disctances I may only thread through one scupper, but I always do one. And to make the tie down point work you may perefer to run the strap over the yak on the return with threading the scuppers on the run out. If that makes sense.

The swing will be upside down on the racks. The scuppers wont be perfectly aligned, so on the rear I choose a scupper that is a little towards the rear of the car, the front will be a scupper a little toward the front of the car. That way you are pulling everything in.

On longer distances or Highway speeds, the Swing is very wide with exposure to buffeting on the nose from trucks and the like. So I may add a tie down or bungy from the nose to a point on the front of the car somewhere. Handy if you have a bull bar. With bungies I tend to use two at slightly different lengths or tie a couple of knots in one to make it shorter. This is becouse a continued bounciness can get the bungies workng together,lf is loose in the bounce so is the other. At different lengths there should always be one that is tight.

If this is confusing I'll post some pics on the weekend to give a better idea.

Technique is quite different for an 18' long narrow kayak where the key problem is wind twisting the yak to an angle across the roof. No way near as much buffeting. Different problem, different solution.


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## wetbeaver (Nov 26, 2011)

sorry but i have a ute, i tie down with elastic rope (rock climbing) it gets nice and tight with the memory in the rope getting tight enough to hold and does not break my ride

you could use the prorack with a memory rope. no sounds or vibrations, sweeeeeeeeet


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

wetbeaver said:


> sorry but i have a ute, i tie down with elastic rope (rock climbing) it gets nice and tight with the memory in the rope getting tight enough to hold and does not break my ride
> 
> you could use the prorack with a memory rope. no sounds or vibrations, sweeeeeeeeet


Yep, I reckon this would just about be the best yak hauler. Hard racks are better than soft. All I'm saying is that soft racks work if you have to use them.


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Soft racks work, but one thing that gave me the sh*ts with them was that I felt I had to remove them when I was out on the water then put them back onto the car when I got back. Mine were the annaconda ones, and the buckles that fastened the through-the-door straps were outside the car. That meant that any lowlife passing by could undo the buckle and pull the straps out, scoring themselfs a free pair of racks and leaving me no way to transport my 'yak home. If the buckles were inside the car this would not be a problem.
I suppose that really only added a couple of minutes to unloading and loading - but thats still 2 x a couple of minutes less fishing.
I soon bought some Prorack Whispbars ($300) from SCA and the appropriate fitting kit ($60) and I am very pleased with them. When I change cars, just need a new fitting kit and away I go!

In hindsight, I should have used the roofrack finder at local auto accessories store, written down the part #'s and bought from eBay for cheap, even if I had to order the correct fitting kit new. Would probably be able to get decent hard racks for < $200 doing that.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

My racks are Kwikrack Loadmaster. I have no idea if they are better, worse, or same same compared to others. They were just the first set I came across. These racks do place teh buckles inside the car interior, I dont bother taking them off when I'm on the water.

Thought I'd follow up with some pics - Part 1 - Racks onto the car

This is the way most of us thread the buckle. It works, it's tight. But it can also be bloody difficult to unlock after they have been locked down hard in position for a day.









So I pull through a bow. To undo simply pull on the end of the strap. Logic says this is not as secure, but I've never had problems.









A tip learned the hard way - it's easy to forget the sun visor when you are packing up in the dark heading out for a dawn fish. But coming home into the sun having strapped the sun visor in the up position isnt fun.


















As mentioned, the system works, but it's not perfect. With consistent use, and these get used a lot, they are gradually damaging the car. For me, I'm particular about the car I drive but I expect it to be a work horse, so the damage is simply tough bickies. Note also that in rain damp definitely spreads down the straps and leaks into the car. Never had problems with colour leaching though. That would be a pisser.


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

Part 2 - tie down a Swing.

Perception recommend transporting and storing upside down.









I try to locate the tie down straps with the cleat at the yak chines. This gives the the edge of the yak for tightening down the straps without the cleat bighting into the plastic.









Thread the scuppers. Contrary to my earlier description (which works when the yak in on the car nose at the back), the rear strap is pulled slightly forward to the scuppers, the front is pulled slightly to the rear. What is important is that they are opposite to each other. Otherwise the yak will move either forward and backward on the roof on a long drive.








On a long trip this is exactly how I do it. But if it's just a 30min run at residential speeds to the launch point, I wont bother with ALL the threading, but I always thread through at least one scupper.

Finished job (didnt bother with the nose tie down for these pics)









AS an additional advantage, on my car, I can reach and adjust every strap bar the rear rack strap, from the driver seat. On a long drive each time there is a bufffet I'm quickly running my hand over the straps making sure it's all still there!


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## theGT58 (Nov 1, 2011)

Very helpful reply Dru, is that kayak transporter of yours a Porsche 944?!

I have Prorack P bars to transport my yak and as suggested by others they are noisy over 80kmh. Im used to it now but others may find it annoying. For the money I spent I should have just spent a bit more and gone thule or rhino but I was on a budget when I bought them.


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## Agent009 (Jan 3, 2012)

As always, thanks gents for all the replies.

It looks like I'll be buying a Barracuda SOT (around 20kg in weight). I'll probably go Thule roof racks but not sure if the Slipstream would be overkill for this yak?

What do people think?


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

mingle said:


> theGT58 said:
> 
> 
> > Very helpful reply Dru, is that kayak transporter of yours a Porsche 944?!
> ...


Someone knows their cars. Very nearly - this is the 928 S4, not as recent or quite as rare as the GT. btw the 944 takes half the V8 from the 928, but is probably better balanced.

Thought I'd add in the harder technique of soft racks with a long slim kayak. The Zegul is 18' long and a little slimmer than a Stealth 550. So slim there is next to no nose buffet like there is with the Swing. But so long the wind push from the side is huge, and it's never equal. So very quickly, even at residential speeds it ends up like this. And it seriously doesnt take more than a few minutes on the road. 
















Doesnt matter what you do with chocks, strapping harder, further apart you can't stop it with a long yak. A different strategy is needed.

Start with much the same set up as with the Swing, but threading through deck lines not scuppers.









Then what I do is add a second set of tie down straps. NOT to tie down, but to hold to the side.

























Add a red flag









Finished product - Yak and Porsche look pretty cool together I reckon, not that I'm biased at all. 8)









One minor trick, keep the yak over the driver side, I can reach all straps by hand in the driver's seat excluding the rear soft rack. Also means that the road toll tag can be read from it's position under the rear view mirror (have to take it off and hang it out the window with the Swing).


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## wetbeaver (Nov 26, 2011)

i used soft roof racks when i use to go surfing lots with my 7.2 long and my 9.6 longboard. i actually tied them strait to the roof with a towel underneath you'sing those straps. 
but with the soft roof racks i would still you's them but tie down with memory rope and not nylon, as they dont buz with high speeds and they secure the load nice n tight without braking anything. also better with wind breaker at high speeds and dont cause drag as they do on racks.


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## wetbeaver (Nov 26, 2011)

dru you are a better man then me to tie down to that. 
if i rightfully remember i would twist the straps either side of my boards, and that would also stop the buzzing


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## dru (Dec 13, 2008)

wetbeaver said:


> dru you are a better man then me to tie down to that.
> if i rightfully remember i would twist the straps either side of my boards, and that would also stop the buzzing


Your boards are flat and short, about half the length of this SIK even though long by board standards. The solution will be different. I'd be surprised if my straps aren't under much higher tension. I won't twist as I want max strength. Different applications different solutions.

This solution for this application has been tested over many long trips including two over 1000k at highway speeds. And I don't own a Porsche to drive slowly. It can get buzzy, but mostly at slower speeds. On the highway it settles to nix if it's clamped own tight.

The real tip: soft racks can be made to work if other choices are slim... And you are prepared to experiment.

Hard racks are better for a host of reasons, but soft will do at a push.


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