What roof racks to carry a kayak on a 2003 BMW X3?
April 12, 2018 9:54 AM Subscribe
What roof racks would one need to carry a kayak on a 2003 BMW X3?
Asking for my brother-in-law: what roof racks does he need in order to carry his newly-purchased kayak on top of his 2003 BMW X3? The car already has rails running the length of the body, but no crossbars.
Does he just need crossbars, and could then pad them with cut up pool noodles and strap the boat to that, or does he definitely need a dedicated kayak rack bolted to the crossbars? The kayak is a big two-person sit-on-top, and, at least at this point, it's unlikely that he'd be transporting more than a few miles at a time (almost definitely not on a highway).
Specific recommendations appreciated. Cheaper is definitely better here, and bonus points if whatever you recommend could also be easily used on another car in the future, as I can't imagine he'll be driving this car for too much longer.
Asking for my brother-in-law: what roof racks does he need in order to carry his newly-purchased kayak on top of his 2003 BMW X3? The car already has rails running the length of the body, but no crossbars.
Does he just need crossbars, and could then pad them with cut up pool noodles and strap the boat to that, or does he definitely need a dedicated kayak rack bolted to the crossbars? The kayak is a big two-person sit-on-top, and, at least at this point, it's unlikely that he'd be transporting more than a few miles at a time (almost definitely not on a highway).
Specific recommendations appreciated. Cheaper is definitely better here, and bonus points if whatever you recommend could also be easily used on another car in the future, as I can't imagine he'll be driving this car for too much longer.
I think he needs crossbars (these will be easily used on another vehicle in the future) and the "feet" that go with the crossbars (these attach the crossbars to the existing rails and will probably not be able to be used on a different style of vehicle).
I think it is fine to go the pool noodle route so long as the boat is properly strapped down side to side and from front to back. I feel like a proper rack is better for the boat though as properly strapping it down will deform it a bit.
posted by onebyone at 10:33 AM on April 12, 2018
I think it is fine to go the pool noodle route so long as the boat is properly strapped down side to side and from front to back. I feel like a proper rack is better for the boat though as properly strapping it down will deform it a bit.
posted by onebyone at 10:33 AM on April 12, 2018
Thule has been our family's go-to for vehicle racks, and some of their kayak options are relatively cheap. My cousin uses this, but he'll need to get the locking straps separately.
Seconding rhizome's caution when carrying a heavier object as I've actually witnessed a friend's poorly-secured bike go flying off his car and onto the car behind him. Fortunately, it wasn't a highway and the cars weren't going fast, so nothing more serious than a huge dent on the other car.
posted by Everydayville at 10:37 AM on April 12, 2018
Seconding rhizome's caution when carrying a heavier object as I've actually witnessed a friend's poorly-secured bike go flying off his car and onto the car behind him. Fortunately, it wasn't a highway and the cars weren't going fast, so nothing more serious than a huge dent on the other car.
posted by Everydayville at 10:37 AM on April 12, 2018
Best answer: Hardly anyone needs a dedicated kayak rack bolted to the crossbars. I've carried 4+ whitewater kayaks at a time on standard Yakima crossbars. Get enough cam straps to hold things down.
Craigslist can be a good source for roof rack pieces, though you may need to buy the "Feet" separately to fit the vehicle.
posted by craven_morhead at 10:41 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Craigslist can be a good source for roof rack pieces, though you may need to buy the "Feet" separately to fit the vehicle.
posted by craven_morhead at 10:41 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: You don't even need crossbars necessarily, you could just lay the kayak directly on some pool noodles, rolled-up towels, or specifically-made-for-kayaks chunks of foam. And even that is mostly just to protect your roof.
Heck, you don't need a rack at all; you can just run tie-down straps all the way around the roof, passing them through the cabin and out the other side. My mother uses this system along with the aforementioned foam chunks to secure her kayak to her Prius.
It is not difficult to make a kayak secure. The key is just to strap it down tightly and check that it's solidly attached before you drive away. I prefer ratcheting tie-downs because they make it dead simple to get the straps very tight indeed.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 11:56 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Heck, you don't need a rack at all; you can just run tie-down straps all the way around the roof, passing them through the cabin and out the other side. My mother uses this system along with the aforementioned foam chunks to secure her kayak to her Prius.
It is not difficult to make a kayak secure. The key is just to strap it down tightly and check that it's solidly attached before you drive away. I prefer ratcheting tie-downs because they make it dead simple to get the straps very tight indeed.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 11:56 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
And for what it's worth, my plastic kayak bends a lot when I strap it down but it hasn't hurt it any. Sometimes I even come back late from kayaking and then end up just leaving it on the car for days at a time because I'm busy and/or lazy, but it cares not a whit.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:55 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:55 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
We have the kayak kit for our Thule rack and it’s very secure and stable.
posted by padraigin at 6:06 PM on April 12, 2018
posted by padraigin at 6:06 PM on April 12, 2018
Oh, and we’ve used it on both our Mini Countryman and our BMW 3 series wagon if that helps.
posted by padraigin at 6:08 PM on April 12, 2018
posted by padraigin at 6:08 PM on April 12, 2018
Best answer: Ugh, shopping for roof rack equipment is a huge pain. Your cheapest option is to get "round bars" or "square bars", and the required Footpack / Tower for your existing factory rails. There are tons of these on eBay and craigslist. Then you'll have access to a lot of ugly but effective accessories for carrying kayaks, bikes, etc.
If you want sleek equipment that you can leave in place and blend in with a BMW, you're looking for "Aero" style bars. The Thule AeroBlade Edge line sits close to the roof and does not require footpacks / towers. Whispbar had similar style cross bars, but discontinued them after they were purchased by Yakima. You can find some used, and many on clearance prices now. However, you'll then have access to a more limited set of nicer-looking accessories that fit "aero bars" or "T-bars".
posted by reeddavid at 6:57 PM on April 12, 2018
If you want sleek equipment that you can leave in place and blend in with a BMW, you're looking for "Aero" style bars. The Thule AeroBlade Edge line sits close to the roof and does not require footpacks / towers. Whispbar had similar style cross bars, but discontinued them after they were purchased by Yakima. You can find some used, and many on clearance prices now. However, you'll then have access to a more limited set of nicer-looking accessories that fit "aero bars" or "T-bars".
posted by reeddavid at 6:57 PM on April 12, 2018
Best answer: What craven_morhead said. I'm a kayaker and regularly see 4 boats strapped to just the cross bars.
(I have seen 6 before, strapped together on the floor and lifted onto the roof, but that's class 4 move)
I personally use two up uprights like these Palm ones when carrying 4 boats, but for one sit-on-top, just use some decent straps.
The J support linked to above by Everydayville is overkill unless you're transporting a couple of grands worth of carbon fiber sea kayak
posted by fatfrank at 6:24 AM on April 13, 2018
(I have seen 6 before, strapped together on the floor and lifted onto the roof, but that's class 4 move)
I personally use two up uprights like these Palm ones when carrying 4 boats, but for one sit-on-top, just use some decent straps.
The J support linked to above by Everydayville is overkill unless you're transporting a couple of grands worth of carbon fiber sea kayak
posted by fatfrank at 6:24 AM on April 13, 2018
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posted by rhizome at 10:21 AM on April 12, 2018