Yakima FatCat 6 Ski/Snowboard Mounts
The wide Yakima FatCat 6 takes ski and snowboard mounts to a whole new level! It holds 6 pairs of your fattest skis or 4 snowboards. See details
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The wide Yakima FatCat 6 takes ski and snowboard mounts to a whole new level! It holds 6 pairs of your fattest skis or 4 snowboards.
The wide Yakima FatCat 6 takes ski and snowboard mounts to a whole new level! It holds 6 pairs of your fattest skis or 4 snowboards.
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The wide Yakima FatCat 6 takes ski and snowboard mounts to a whole new level! It holds 6 pairs of your fattest skis or 4 snowboards.
- Big push-button opening makes it simple to operate even with gloves on
- Integrated binding lift gives you optimal clearance between car roof and bindings
- Low-profile design with aerodynamic nesting arms slices through the wind to help cut down on gas usage
- Internal hinge system allows FatCat 6 to remain low and compact while carrying fat skis and boards
- Easy, tool-free installation means you're on your way to the slopes in no time
- Universal attachment system fits Whispbar, round, square and most factory racks right out of the box
- Lockable with included SKS lock cores and keys
- Yakima FatCat 6 mounts cannot be removed from crossbars when closed and locked
Please note: Yakima products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
Imported.
Item 849953
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Yakima FatCat 6 Ski/Snowboard Mounts
Loading Ratings & Reviews...
Yakima FatCat 6 Ski/Snowboard Mounts is rated
out of
5 by
15.
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Tom in SF from
Aerodynamic, a little tricky to install
I bought this to replace a set of similar Thule snowboard racks for the top of my BMW 328i. These are much more aerodynamic and create little or no wind noise. Compared to the Thule, they were a little more tricky to install on my manufacturer crossbars, but after the initial fitting they're not materially more difficult to remove and re-install.
The design looks better on your car than the very boxy and vertical options from other rack manufacturers. The mechanism for unlocking and locking the holders seems to be robust and well-designed. I'm very happy with these.
Date published: 2014-03-26
Rated 2 out of
5 by
JustMatt from
High Expectations, low results
I purchased this roof rack system to replace an equally sized Thule system.
The reason I was replacing the Thule system was because it did not give me enough clearance when I carried snowboards bindings-down (impacted roof).
While these do give me the ability to carry ONE snowboard in an elevated state, the overall ease of use of this system, as compared to the Thule, was extremely difficult.
I mounted the roof rack to the factory crossbars on my 2013 Outback. This process took quite a bit of time and was a bit of a challenge as you had to get the rubber straps tightened appropriately (with a small scroll wheel) and then align the latching system _just_ right so that a little gray notch wasn't blocking your way (I guess you really have to see it to understand).
Once installed, it was extremely difficult (compared to the Thule system) to close the roof rack with 4 snowboards (2 x 2). The system would frequently unlatch itself, and did not feel very secure when fully latched.
Locking the system is another challenge. I thought I was going to break the key off in the lock cylinder the first few times I was turning the key. As it turns out, one must give a significant push in while turning to free up the lock cylinder. This was quite unlike the Thule system, which was an effortless twist.
Finally, when in the "open" state, one does not have nearly enough clearance to adequately insert snowboards/skis as you have about an inch of opening to work with. Compare that to the Thule system which opens quite high. This may be due to the fact I have my system setup for additional binding clearance for the roof, but still, this is yet another frustrating component of this system's design.
Given the opportunity, I would have purchased the OEM system, which offers the option of additional roof clearance. Conspicuously, the Yakima-supplied Subaru OEM mounts were out of stock nationally.
On the plus side, these mounts look very nice, and are less noisy when unloaded compared to the Thule system.
Date published: 2014-03-26
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Bryan Heart Bikes from
Does the trick, but a couple of critique
My wife had an ailing Yakima ski rack from her snowbunny days in California, and this is a most excellent upgrade: rubber is nice and pliable, actuation is pretty fluid, holds the skis pretty well on the roof. Instead of two strips of rubber running the width of the top and bottom bars, this puppy has three strips, alternating bottom-top-bottom, which I felt offered a more "customized" fit on the skis (less wiggling). Haven't used it on a snowboard yet.
There are a couple of critiques I had that perhaps someone will find useful in making a decision:
** Let'$ $tart with dollar$, because this thing is expensive! Best features of all the racks I was looking at, but certainly among the top-dollar options.
** The attach points (rack to factory/oval cross bars like mine) are no longer bolts and threads - that sounds like a good thing, right? - but rather a sort of "comealong" mechanism (turn the dial to advance a belt and buckle, either looser or tighter). Where the belt and buckle "meet" to tighten down, I felt like it was really tough to dial in the right amount of tautness, where "as tight as I think it needs to be for sturdiness" was really, really hard to fasten, and "the limit at which I think I can humanly fasten this" wasn't as tight as I'd hoped it would be. BUT, I drove 6.5 hours each way with three sets of skis on the roof, and nothing moved. So maybe it's my paranoia.
** Because of the new attachment method, be aware: When the rack is empty, if you don't have the jaws closed and locked, it COULD BE POSSIBLE for someone to prop open the top bar, unhook the fastening points without the use of tools, and remove your expensive Yakima rack from your roof. And then you'd be mad. So avoid that and keep it locked up.
** With skis in the rack, you can practically clamp these jaws closed all the way - very secure! - BUT the SKS cam locks will NOT function as prescribed. We had to loosen the "teeth" a few clicks before the locks would work. I don't know why that is! The locks should work at all levels as long as the teeth/jaws are properly engaged. We had two engineers on the case at the time, so we were sure it wasn't user error.
All in all, quite pleased, and would recommend to anyone. I'd just advise that, what I like may not be what you like... so be aware that, if you want to spend less, there's likely to be something else available to you! Cheers.
Date published: 2014-03-26
Rated 1 out of
5 by
Matemk from
Great ski rack but poor new model design
I own older model Yakima FatCat 6 and was trying to upgrade to this model. The old model is using screws and bottom hard plastic part that you can tight and it won't move from the cross bars...the new model has a plastic head screw that you tight with your hands (can't use tools)and a tiny rubber covered metal strip that wraps arround the cross bars.
I instaled this rack and tight it so it won't move on the cross bars but 2 days later it was getting loose so I tight it again and same story after 2-3 days. When it still got loose after the third time I just took it back and I am glad I kept the older model. Too bad that this part of design was not that good.
I also think that this rack can be stolen very easy (together with your ski's), just by cuting the tiny ruber covered metal straps.
Date published: 2014-03-26
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Brad Conner from
The Perfect Rack!
Perfect Rack for multiple Fat Skis!
Date published: 2014-03-26
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Tom in SF from
Nicely designed and aerodynamic
I originally purchased the Thule wide ski rack, but as soon as I put it on my sedan it was obvious that it would generate a ton of wind noise and kill my fuel mileage because it was a 6" tall flat structure on my car's roof. It would have been annoying to keep attached to my vehicle all winter, so I would have been constantly taking it on and off.
The Yakima design is much lower profile, holds the same number of skis and was only slightly harder to install than the Thule. (The Thule comes a bit more assembled, and it's mounting is a little more intuitive. Expect to have to read the manual for the Yakima and play around a bit the first time you mount it.) Unlike the Thule mounts, because of the way the Yakima mounts buckle on you don't have to re-adjust them every time you install it - they will remember your tension setting from last time.
Since the Yakima is much lower profile (half as high?), I am more likely to leave it attached to my car's roof for the entire winter. That means less messing around with installs / uninstalls, less chance that some part will get lost in the process, and just more convenience overall. Well worth the price difference for the better design.
Date published: 2014-03-21
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chris in Boise from
challenging install
I mounted these racks to my 2009 Subaru Forester on the factory racks. I started with the front and after a little bit of play with the red tension wheel I got one side on. After I got one side done I just followed with the final three rack mounts. It is easy with two people would have been a challenge with one. Now that they are on they look great and there is not noise at all. I would recommend having them locked at all times.
Date published: 2014-03-21
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bvetorino from
FATCAT6
This rack is great, it can hold 4 snowboards and a set of skis. To my knowledge there is no other roof rack that can hold that much equipment.
Date published: 2014-03-21
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