I'm a super noobie to kayaking and kayak fishing. I am installing a Thule roof rack base system on the naked roof of my car. Thule says that with the fit kit for my car I shouldn't drive over 50mph. Is that a hard and fast rule? Does that change once I put a yak up there? I've talked to people who have the same sort of naked roof rack systems I do who say they have no problem driving 70mph with a yak on top. I definitely don't want to damage the yak or roof rack, but the faster I can safely drive the sooner I can get on the water. Thanks in advance for any help!

Im not fimiliar with that particular rack. I have however drove all over the country with both kayaks and canoes on top of cars without any issues at all. Provided the item is securley strapped i wouldnt worry.

I've hauled my kayaks on my roof rack at 70 mph, but I not only strap them on, I use a tie down on the front and back.
I noticed most people don't use the front and aft tie downs I guess they figure it doesn't look cool or something?
Tie it down properly and you won't have any issues.

Exactly as mentioned above. I'm a newbie who just uses the foam block roof mount system. I tie fore and aft as well and I cruise at highway speeds no problem. I have a 2000 Honda accord with a FS12T strapped to the top. Rides fine. Its just a beast to load by myself!

Some of it boils down to using un-common sense....crawl, walk, and then run. Try it out at city speeds, see if everything feels ok and stays secure. Try it out with a short stint on the freeway and check and make sure everything stayed in place. The kayak is like a sail on top of the car, take it easy in strong cross winds and around 18 wheelers. The turbulent air off the back of big trailers takes some getting used to and is very good at jarring things loose.

Side note at 70 with a kayak on top, my fuel economy plummets like a meteor.

I brought my kayaks across the country at over 70MPH with no problem. I always check my straps before I leave though. As for fuel economy mine actually goes up since they are like airfoils on top and push the air smoother across the vehicle.

I too use foam blocks and 70 mph is no problem, strap across and tie down the front with two ropes one on each side of front fender. You don't want the wind to force your kayak off to one side.
With the cross straps the front one I also feed thru the carry handles as a precaution making double sure the kayak stays on .

Thanks for the replies. All of them were helpful. Look forward to seeing some of you on the water!

I try to stay at 65 but sometimes go 70 with no problems. I've made lots of rookie mistakes though, stuff came untied, stern line jumped off after a bump, etc. So definitely make time to check your straps your first few times out. I have a Yakima set up, works really well.



I like how you don't even mention your car! You got your priorities straight!!

It's a liability issue. Thank some hungry attorneys. The faster you go the more lift those yaks get from the air passing around them, and the bigger the mess if they do come off. The folks at Thule know how fast we drive, but they don't want to defend themselves in court every time somebody loses a boat off a rack. There are an awful lot of absurd lawsuits filed every day in this country, and an awful lot of idiotic claims made every day in criminal cases in this country. Manufacturers are forced to "idiot-proof" their warranties and policies. And some manufacturers will use those restrictive requirements to deny legitimate claims against their products, although I have no reason to believe that Thule has done so.

strap front and back. easily done 85 to 90 when i was rushing home. only problem is the kayak on the roof is like a dragging an anchor. my gas mileage goes from 28 hwy to 18 hwy. it sucks.

I car top and never use front and back tie downs. But my rack does have a good amount of space between bars. Easily do 75mph with a Slayer 13 on top. I do flip my yaks upside down. Just how I roll hope this helps

This was some really good info!

I haul my yak on my Yakima rack above my IS250. I strap the yak to the rack, and tiedown the bow. Haven't had a single issue at normal highway speeds (other than a little MPG drop).