# 1
Rhino-Rack Nautic SUP or Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
These racks were super easy to assemble! My only complaint was that the measurements were off for my body style. Instructions had specs and measurements for a 2015 fit, but I have a 2017 Fit EX. This was fixable, I just added 2cm to each side when installing the crossbars to the legs, and it fit my roof perfectly.
The rack fits my Honda Fit. Similar to other reviewers, it Is a tight fit and the weatherstripping deforms and you can feel a very small amount of tension on the doors, small enough that I'm not concerned. Ordering was a breeze, and the price of the rack was lower than I could get it from the manufacturer, the helpline also answered my question quickly. I'm looking forward to giving it a test run with my kayak.
# 2
Rhino-Rack Nautic Roof Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
This product was very easy to install. I had it installed in about 15 minutes and my kayak on the roof a few minutes later. The only issue I had was one of the tie-down straps was broken (stitching was not complete or something). Other than that, this product was great! The customer service (Carol and Neil) were great also, helping with the strap problem. Thank you again!
We are pleased with the Rhino Rack kayak rack. We are able to get 2 kayaks on our 2020 Volvo V60, and we ate using Yakima crossbars. The kayaks ride without any drama, and the orientation of the kayaks make it easy to load and unload.
# 3
Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Universal Mount
Choosing a system for transporting my new (to me, they're actually used) kayaks was TOUGH. I love my little 2017 Honda Fit, and I knew I would love my new kayaks when I got them. I don't want anything bad to happen to either! Also, my car is small and the kayaks are fairly large, comparatively. I've strapped a lot of things to a lot of vehicles, but this is going to be a long term relationship, so I wanted to get it right the first time. I've been researching and reading reviews for months, but I got confirmation that the kayaks were ready for pickup, so I needed to make a decision! I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars with the 2500 Series Legs and Custom DK Fit Kit for my naked roof car and the Rhino-Rack Nautic Stack Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs. I placed my order on 09/15/21 at 6 PM. The estimated delivery date was 09/23/21, which made me a little sad. I really wanted to pick up my boats on Sunday, 09/19/21, but I figured I'd waited THIS long, I could probably handle waiting another week. I was very pleasantly surprised to receive an email at 8 PM the same evening notifying me that my order had shipped. AND, even better, the UPS tracking was showing delivery on 09/18/21 by 7PM! I was beyond excited, but didn't get my hopes up because shipping has been pretty hit or miss since well before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, UPS delivered my package just before noon on Saturday, which was amazing! I got everything unpacked and reviewed to ensure that I had all I would need to assemble the system - check. Nothing missing, which is always an auspicious start. Then I started reading the instructions - UGH. This is (so far) the ONLY thing I have to complain about. I have put together furniture that had clearer instructions. I probably should have gone to Google to find a [online] video, but I powered through with the instructions provided. Since I've never put together or used a roof rack before, I didn't really know what the final outcome should look like, so that made interpreting the instructions very difficult - the pictures were not super clear, and the accompanying text did not improve the situation. Now that I know what it looks like assembled, I get it, but at the time it was rough. I estimated it took me about 2 hours to get the rack assembled and secured to my car, and towards the end my fiancé arrived and helped me to realize that the foot pads were not properly attached to the feet, which made a huge difference! The kayak carrier was much easier to install, taking maybe 15 additional minutes. The foot pads rest in the groove on the edge of the roof, I assume over the frame of the car. There's absolutely no flex in the roof where the feet sit. The hook part of the clamp rests against the metal of the car, under the rubber seal, so I don't foresee any potential issues with the seal as a result of the rack. The doors close as normal, and the rack has no movement whatsoever once tightened down. I've now used it as a handle to pull myself up towards the roof a few times (I'm about 190 lbs), and I feel totally confident that it's not going anywhere. I now have ideas about how to use the rack to haul around the larger stuff that won't fit INSIDE my car (which isn't much - I HIGHLY recommend this car!). So, the big question - how'd it go with the kayaks? In short - perfection! I was slightly concerned about the boats overhanging the front or back of my car, as they're 12.5 ft long and my car is just over 13 ft long. Eeeeek! I needn't have worried. They fit like a dream, and even without bow or stern tie downs were very secure during our trip home. We took local roads instead of the highway because we didn't tie down the bow and stern, so we probably didn't go over 40 ish MPH, but I saw absolutely no lift (I can see the ends of the boats out of the front windshield). I will be using those tie downs in the future, and anticipate no issues with highway speeds under those conditions. Obviously, only time will tell how everything holds up/works out, but at this stage, I am extremely pleased with my decision and am looking forward to many kayaking adventures to come! I only have one picture at this point, but may take a few more and add them so anyone else considering a similar setup knows what they'll be getting.
've previously used the Yakima Kayak Stacker (old style), which worked fine but I always worried the straps would slip off the hook at the top while I was loading boats. They also didn't fold down, so had to be removed after use unless you wanted to look odd and cause a whistle while you drove down the road. They didn't have a universal attachment option, requiring adapters depending on the style and make of your crossbars. More recently I got the Thule "The Stacker", which is a superior solution. You thread the strap through a closed loop at the top, so you don't worry about straps slipping off while you're loading boats. They fold down after use and have a universal style attachment that fits around most styles and makes of crossbars. Good stuff. I really like the straps that come with these, as there is a rubber cover that slips over the metal cam buckle to protect your car's paint while you're tossing the strap over your boats to strap everything in. In order to shuttle our boats for river trips, we needed stackers to fit on both our cars, so it was time for another set. I had never heard of Rhino Rack before, but the lower price than Thile caught my eye, so I read about them and decided to give them a try. The Rhino Rack Nautical Stack used a closed loop at the top, which I liked better than the Yakima or Malone options, and came with the hardware necessary to install them into the C-channel of my Malone aero crossbars, which I wanted to try. I remember that with the Malone stacker, you had to buy the C-channel mount hardware separately. I really like the Rhino Rack Nautical Stack. They are a single post design, unlike the loop style of the Thule "The Stacker". I don't know if this cuts down on vortex drag, but it definitely saves you a couple horizontal inches up where the boats stack. The Rhino Rack Nautical Stack has textured rubber strips on either side of the post, which I believe is intended to cut down on vortex drag, but is also quite helpful in that boats tend to slip much less when you're just leaning them up against the post as you load up before you strap them. That's smart. The Rhino Rack Nautical Stack feels really solid. The mechanism for folding them down and locking them upright is easy to use and feels solid. Installation instructions were good. I tried to install into the C-channels without removing the rubber tubing in my Malone aero crossbars, but couldn't get the little squares to slide into the slots with the rubber tubing in place, so had to cut the tubing, slide the Nautical Stacks into place, then cut down some of the tubing I had removed and replace it in the remaining unfilled crossbar slot. That's not a knock on the Nautical Stack; just a tip in case you're trying to do the same kind of install I did. The one area in which I was less impressed was the tie-down straps that come with this kit. The metal cam buckles have no covering at all, so I'll probably still use my old Yakima and Thule straps instead and use these as backups. But overall, I think these are going to work at least as well, if not better, than the Thule option, and for quite a bit less money.
# 4
Rhino-Rack Nautic 580 Side Loading Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Channel Mount
Holds Kayaks nice and secure
After putting up with foam blocks for too long I met a fellow sea kayaker who had these. They look great, not bulky and would fit in my TracRac channels. My boats are sea kayaks, 18' long, 22" wide. These saddles adapt great to the hull shapes and are very secure. There is enough slip that pushing the boats up onto them is not a problem. The locking mechanism works, I've never had to reset them (except when I goofed up once and whacked one really hard). Also, the straps are very high quality. The one issue I had was with the pegs in the channels. They were supposed to fit but not quite. A little work with the grinder and all is well. This may not be an issue for newer racks, I don't know. Oh, and no wind singing on the road. In any case I love these things.
# 5
Rhino-Rack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Just installed it. So far so good. Ran 2 bike cables side to side with 4 pad locks to secure it for the summer,
Sturdy cradle and easy to install. Difficult to keep tie down strap looped over top of "U" bar while trying to get it over the kayak, keeps slipping down. We made a channel out of foam to keep the strap in place and now it is easy.
# 6
Rhino-Rack Nautic 581 Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Channel Mount
This is a perfect fit for my needs I found this easy to load by myself. I wasn’t sure about the height of the racks but it turned out to be perfect. I had a full size pickup that was way to tall for this 79 yr old to load, but on the Maverick a with the elevated rack system and the Rhino kayak it works great.
Not the products fault. They were supposed to fit the pre-Thule TracOne rack. Directly asked etrailers support.They don’t fit it. Returned them and grumbled
What our customers are saying:
"Thanks for the great service. The order arrived at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. Thank you for making sure the order was complete. I installed the hitch and wire kit last night with no problems. The instructions were perfect. Bruce"