Kayas Carriers for Naked Roof of 2016 Scion iM

Question:

I am looking for a rooftop system that will let me carry two kayaks on a 2016 Scion. The car does not have rails but rather the flat roof with the two rubber s running fore and aft. I think it may be called a naked roof.

asked by: David_Harrelson

Expert Reply:

Some of the kayak carriers we offer can be used without having to install a roof rack on the vehicle. This can save not only a substantial amount of money but also some of the car's roof weight-carrying capacity. Everything on the roof - kayaks, kayak carriers and a roof rack - all count against the car's roof weight capacity. If your two kayaks together happen to weigh close to the car's roof limit, then the light weight foam block carriers like # MPG152 could be your best option. I linked our page for all such foam block carriers, none of which require a roof rack.

You'll want to confirm the actual weight of your two kayaks and also to check your Scion owner's manual for the car's roof weight capacity to ensure that the total weight on the roof remains within the rated weight limit.

If you find that you are not near the car's limit, you can install a roof rack and use rack-mount kayak carriers. The lowest-cost roof rack option we currently have is the Inno square bar rack consisting of parts # INB117, # INSUT and # INK467. The linked video will show you the rack's features.

For a compatible carrier you can use the linked page to see all kayaks systems that work on square roof rack bars. A cost-effective 2-kayak carrier option is the Thule Stacker # TH830. This can carry 1 to 4 kayaks on a single carrier.

You may care to review the linked article on watersport carriers and please feel free to tell me the details about your kayaks (length, width and weight) and I will be glad to help you select the best option for your target budget.