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Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles

$79.19
$99.00^*

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Item # 799914

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The versatile Yakima EvenKeel kayak saddles wrap your kayak like a glove and carry a whole slew of hull shapes with ease and affordability.

Featuring innovative HullFlex technology, saddles will flex and conform to the shape of your boat's hull when you tighten straps
Universal fit™saddles fit directly to round, square and most factory bars
Yakima EvenKeel includes a set of 4 saddles, heavy duty straps, hooks and bow/stern tie-downs to carry 1 boat
Quick and easy installation with the included wrench; no other tools needed

Please note: Yakima products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Imported.

Item 799914

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Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles

3.4

(based on 15 reviews)

64%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (9)
Easy to use (7)
Versatile (6)
Durable (4)
Compact (3)

Cons

Not functional (4)

Best Uses

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (4), Intermediate (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (8)

Reviewed by 15 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Oct

2012

5.0

Works as advertised

By DDD

from Oviedo, FL

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Tough to Install

Best Uses

Kayak

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

Takes a few minutes to get the horizontal and vertical spacing correctly, but once you set it once, its pretty easy to figure everything out from that point forward. It fit my stock cross bars on my Xterra like a champ.

Comment on this review

Sep

2012

4.0

Works as advertised

By DDD

from Oviedo, FL

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Tough to adjust

Best Uses

Kayak Canoe Rafting

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

The EvenKeel installed perfecting on my Nissan Xterra factory crossbars. It molds very nicely to the bottom of any Kayak as advertised. I've used this on my 10' Necky and a 14' Hobie with no issues.

The initial install was a bit tricky to get the width of the blocks setup, but after the first time, you'll be able to nail the measurements by sight.

For the price, it definitely beats foam blocks, and the tie down straps are nice and easy to use, and good quality.

Comment on this review

Jul

2012

5.0

Perfect on Outback oval bars

By anvil

from Houston, Texas

See all my reviews

Pros

Cost
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Low profile
Sleek
Versatile
Very secure

Cons

None yet with 500 miles

Best Uses

21 ft surfski

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

Use on 2013 Subaru Outback oval bars. Against several reviews these grip the bars and dont budge an inch. I worry more about the bars failing than the saddles. Have 500 highway miles carrying 21ft surfski. Exceeded all expectations. Make sure you put the rubber pads on the clamps before installing. Perhaps these contribute greatly to the fit on the bars.

Comment on this review

Nov

2011

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Good fit but...

By WindnPaddle

from San Francisco Bay area

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Lightweight
Low profile
Versatile

Cons

Poor design
Poor Quality

Best Uses

Kayaks

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

Simple to install on rectangular Thule bars, but must really tighten the screws (and periodically re-tighten them) to keep the mounts from rotating on the bar. Can't imagine being able to keep them from rotating on a round bar. Low profile mounts make it easy to lift a kayak over them from the side of my car. But they have a design flaw--small rubber squares are located on the center of each of the mounts, designed to protect kayaks from the harder plastic, and perhaps to keep them from sliding around. But the rubber pieces are not securely attached to the mounts, and with repeated use tend to pull out and disappear, leaving the kayak exposed to the harder, more slippery plastic. I contacted Yakima, and they wanted to charge me for replacement rubber pads; after I suggested that this should be covered by the warranty, they agreed to send them at no charge. I indicated that I would try gluing the rubber pads to the mounts (which I did with contact cement, but they are still pulling free); Yakima said the pads were not designed to be glued (although they didn't have a better suggestion as to how to keep them attached). As I'm not really interested in an ongoing maintenance project, if the pads keep pulling off I will return the rack to REI and buy a different model.

Comment on this review

Jul

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Terrific on Factory Aero Crossbars

By Big Jilm

from Henderson, NV

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Inexpensive
Secure

Cons

Grips

Best Uses

Kayaks

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

I have a 2010 Impreza with factory crossbars. It's almost as if this product was made specifically for my crossbars! I've transported my 14' yak on these twice (approximately 40 miles roundtrip), and the yak barely budged even with Las Vegas Valley crosswinds. I used to own a 10' yak that I'd transport with Hull-A-Ports, and I'd refuse to go over 50-55mph because the yak would shake no matter how hard I cranked on the tiedowns. With the EvenKeel, I confidently go 65mph.

Pros: Perfect for aero-style crossbars, inexpensive, easy to use, and secure.

Cons: The little grippy things that go inside of the clamps can work their way out when you're adjusting the cradles to fit the yak hull. Also, Yakima includes an almost-comical length of tiedowns. I literally have 5'-6' of tiedown leftover on each one after securing the boat.

Comment on this review

Jun

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

simple and sturdy

By crpaddle

from Montana

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Kayak won't slide on rack

Best Uses

Commuting
Long Rides

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

In spite of previous comments, I ordered this rack for my Pygmy kayak. It works very well on Yakima round bar, and doesn't move at all. Racks will rock when trying to slide the boat on, but when it's tied down, it doesn't move. I think the racks would move apart if used with a much heavier boat that has a deep vee hull placed right over the rack.

Comment on this review

Jan

2011

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Not for Yakima bars, great for built in

By Montressor

from Seattle, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Versatile

Cons

Hard plastic can damage
Not made for yakima bars

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

We use these on top of our Camper which has square aluminum bars. Carried our custom fiberglass kayaks from Seattle to Point Reyes and back again with no problems.

These racks are ABSOLUTELY NOT made to work with the round Yakima bars, they will slip and be sloppy, but for ovals or for the square bars I have, they work great.

The rubber pad Should have been extended to the entire footing to prevent damage, but thats why it's not a 5 star rating.

Comment on this review

Oct

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

No Problems So Far

By Kayakerdavid

from Portland, OR

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Seakayaks

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

I have used these saddles to transport 15-17 foot poly seakayaks to various locations in OR, WA and BC. The plastic saddle conforms nicely to the shape of the boat. The sticky 'rubber' pad insert holds the boat tight and kinda protects it from abrasion. Things have stayed secure when stapped down across the bars, plus tie-downs front and rear.

Have had no problems with these saddles twisting or sliding on my square Thule bars. Am a little concerned with the plastic contruction though. The bases do seem rather flimsy. I expect that REI and Yakima will stand behind their product if anything should go wrong.

Comment on this review

Aug

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Good kayak Rack

By LBS193

from CA

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable

Cons

Best Uses

Long Rides

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

I just bought these Yakima Evenkeel on sale at REI after reviewing all the kayak rack, Over the weekend I go kayaking, The kayak it stay put on the rack with speed 80mph sometimes, These is a good product if you have a factory crossbar the flat and square on my Toyota Sienna 2007, but if you using a round yakima bar maybe is not fit properly like the other reviewer said.
Is a decent price come with all you need.

Comment on this review

Jul

2010

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Do not trust your kayak on these!

By selkie.v

from Monterey Bay area, California

About Me Intermediate

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact

Cons

Not Functional

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima EvenKeel Kayak Saddles:

I purchased these in May 2010 for transporting my new, custom carbon ultralight kayak (14 ft, 26 lb) on a 2009 Honda Fit with round Yakima crossbars. I thought their compact size would work well with my small car and ultralight kayak.

They seemed great the first 2 times I used them. Both trips were to a nearby estuary roughly 20 miles away, along a coastal route with little elevation change. Then I transferred them to a friend's round Yakima crossbars for a paddle 2 counties away over a coastal mountain range. (My friend uses Mako saddles with a 16 ft carbonlite Eddyline kayak and loves them).

When we arrived, I noticed that the Even Keel saddles had moved away from each other on both the front and rear crossbars. I reset them to the proper distance for my hull. When loading for the return trip, each time I tightened the straps, the Even Keel saddles spread laterally away from each other, dropping my kayak toward the crossbars. This happened no matter how much we tightened them. By the time it got dark, and about an hour after we started loading the boats, we realized that they just weren't going to stay put. So I wrapped thick cloth padding around my friend's crossbars, set the saddles as best as I could, used bow and stern tiedowns, and off we went. By the time we got home (watching my boat through the sunroof all the way), my carbon boat was resting on the crossbars, as the saddles had separated entirely away from the hull. Fortunately, the padding we wrapped the bars with prevented hull damage.

I thought perhaps there was something about my friend's crossbars that made my saddles separate. A few days later, I reset them on my crossbars and loaded my kayak. It seemed secure, though I was careful not to pull the straps too tightly, and I set off 20 miles for my favorite local put in. When I arrived, I noticed that the saddles had separated a bit, but my kayak was still sitting in them. Unfortunately, it was not sitting on the nice rubber cradle insets; due to the saddles moving apart, my boat was resting on the hard plastic that surrounds insets.

After my paddle I cleaned off my boat and reloaded. Once again, I couldn't tighten the straps without the saddles moving away from each other. I'd pull on the straps, and the saddles would scoot apart by several inches. The mounts couldn't grip the crossbars strongly enough to stay in place, even with the little rubber grippers that come with the mounts. I did the best I could, meaning I didn't tighten the straps as much as I'd have liked to, as I didn't want the saddles to move so far apart that the boat would fall onto the cross bars again. I secured bow and stern tie downs, and headed home at less than normal freeway speed.

I could see my boat moving around a little as I drove the flat, coastal route home. By the time I got home, the saddles had separated so far apart, that the boat was barely resting on the inner edges of the saddles. The saddles had moved several inches apart, and another quarter of an inch would have brought my kayak onto the crossbars. As a consequence, the kayak was riding lower, and the straps attaching it to my crossbars had significant slack. I think the bow and stern tie downs were the only reason my kayak made it home.

These are going back ASAP. I'm not about to risk my $4300 custom boat on them again.