Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier
With multiple settings, the Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier allows you to carry 1 boat in the J-cradle position or 2 boats in the vertical position, and it folds down flat when not in use.
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- Works with many types of kayaks, from touring to recreational to whitewater—and even some fishing kayaks
- Fully assembled right out of the box; requires no tools to install on round, square, factory and aerodynamic bars
- Adjust the upright position with the easy-to-use integrated cam lever
- Easy boat loading with the integrated ramp
- Folds flat when not in use
- Includes heavy-duty straps and bow/stern tie-downs
- The Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier is compatible with SKS locking system (lock cores sold separately)
Imported.
| Best Use | Kayaking |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 20 x 6.69 x 6 inches |
| Weight | 11 pounds |
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Best Kayak Carrier Hands Down
I did a lot of looking and surfing the net before I bought this system. I have an 01 CR-V with factory rack and the cross bars are the oval/aero type so I was concerned about a solid connection since most of the clamps seem to be designed for round or square cross bars. The Jaylow clamps fit perfectly and snugged down very securely. The best part about the Jaylow that sets it apart from most other racks is the use of TWO clamps not one. I cant stress enough how important that is to me. This system is super easy and fast to mount and the fold down feature is awesome!
Good fit, great rack
I have two sets of these racks now, and they cradle both of our kayaks perfectly! They are good for multiple sizes of kayaks, and fold down when not in use to give extra clearance. The racks are very easy to install and remove.
Good product
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I got the Yakima JayLow rooftop mounted kayak rack from Yakima and Influenster in exchange for my honest review. When we got these my boyfriend and I were eager to get them attached to the crossbars so we could see their full potential. Once attached, they are very secure and don’t budge. There is plenty of padding so that my kayak will not get damaged when transporting. It’s also convenient that it had the option to hold one or two kayaks with extra straps. Overall, installation was fairly easy and these seem like a great quality product.
Screws should be stainless steel
The bar and screws are steel, not stainless steel. Aluminum parts should be anodized and all screws stainless for use with saltwater kayaks.
A whistling good carrier
I did a lot of research,as all of you reading these reviews are doing, and I like this carrier. It does exactly what it is advertised to do, and then some. An earlier review is correct; this carrier whistles noticeably in the down position at speed, and you need to duct-tape the holes closed, or you will sing along with your new addition while you drive. It also carries 2 yaks, although it is just a bit clumsy doing so (but it does do the job). I found that the cradle-side is most unstable until it is strapped down, so keep a hand on that yak until it is strapped. Speaking of strapping...because the two yaks are held tight against the upright arms, it is difficult pulling up the second set of straps with the first yak attached (you'll know what I mean when you try it). This is important because if the strap is not as far up on the upper bars as possible, they may not cinch down as tight as you'll want. To correct this, buy a roll of self-sticking Velcro, cut two pieces to length, and wrap them around the upper end of the upright bars (see first photo). Then put your 2 sets of straps above the Velcro, and voila, they will be where you want them (at the top of the bars) when the yaks are added. You can then easily guide both sides of the straps over the yaks and then follow the directions for both boats. (You'll also see my inexpensive pool noodles for the other cradle; excess lengths of your roll of Velcro comes in handy keeping the noodles in place around your cross bars.) One more thing: the Yakima website states this carrier is not able to fit on my 2015 Rogue cross bars, but we called their support and they assured us they would work. They do work fine, but because my factory-installed bars slope down to the back of my SUV, the carriers are tilted slightly to the back...disconcerting, but it does not influence performance. If you want to haul two yaks, you can buy this carrier with confidence.
The whistling and may not be good for wider kayaks
This was very easy to install and not too bad to load, although I am only 5'8 so it was a little tough on the roof of my forester. However, it has two major flaws. The first is my kayak shifted and ended up almost falling off my roof while I was driving. Fortunately it stayed on. I strapped it down very tight including the bow and stern straps. I think maybe my boat is a bit too wide for the jay low. The other problem is the whistling when you have them folded down. I really wanted to just leave them on, but the whistling was too bad. I am going to try out one of the other yakima products. Hopefully it will fix my two concerns.
Easy to install, but watch out with big kayaks.
I tried this out before getting the SweetRoll instead. It installs nicely and the included equipment/hardware is excellent. If your kayak is large enough and your vehicle tall enough, it's just too much work to elevate it up there. Our 12-foot tandem sit-on-top kayak at 84 pounds was too much for us to get elevated on our Honda CR-V. No problem throwing the kids' 6-foot kayaks up there of course.
Holds my big kayak well
After looking at a lot of different racks, including buying another and returning it elsewhere, I settled on this one. I've used it a number of times and am very happy so far. It's quick and easy to use. The straps that come with it are more than ample. It feels like it fits very firmly on my rack. I'm really happy with it. I considered going cheaper and I knew I'd hate the other racks every time I used them. I'm glad I went ahead and bought a good rack that I feel is going to stay on the roof.
Great for 1 ok for 2
I bought this before the 850 mile trip to Yellowstone. The description says it can be used for 2 kayaks and it can but it does a much better job when only holding 1. In the 'stacked' position you put the second kayak on the backside of the cradle. This works ok but there is nothing to stop the bottom of the kayak from sliding out. The kayaks never came all the way loose but the one on the backside shifted a significant amount. I wouldn't use it for 2 kayaks on a long trip again. It's great for 1 kayak or 2 if you aren't spending a long time on the highway. Overall a good product.
solid does the job, and comes with what you need
Have used mine a bunch this summer/fall. I like that these fold down so I can leave them on and still fit in the garage. They feel solid and the kayak feels snug in the slots before even attaching all the straps because of the rubber. Couple of scuffs on the bottom of my kayak but nothing that won’t wipe off. I load and unload a 50lbs kayak to a grand Cherokee by myself. Usually push them in to one side first and this kayak holder handles it all fine. I picked up the locks separately. Pro tip if you go to the Yakima website you can get the address to send your non-matching sks locks so they are the same any you might already have. Weird process but it works.