Malone SeaWing Saddle Style Universal Car Rack Kayak Carrier with Bow and Stern Lines

I brought these after looking for an alternative to the J style Kayak rack I was using with my 36" wide tandem. The J style rack was a nightmare every time I used it because it turned the Kayak into a huge sale on the top of my van. Riding vertically on edge is not a stable design when one is driving at freeway speeds and with crosswinds. Each time I took my Kayak with the J design, I would have to pull over several times to readjust the kayak, and on one occasion, I had to stop as the drag had actually started to peel the Kayak away from the rack. Not only that, but loading on the J rack was a time consuming and physically demanding task that would take at least 20 minutes to get right and secure. Not fun! I bought the Malone SeaWing looking for a less expensive design that would allow the tandem to sit flat on the rack and thus be more aerodynamic. When I received the shipment, I was impressed with the robust design of the SeaWing set and the simplicity of the mounting hardware. The universal mounting system matched up perfectly with my factory oval crossbar and it was installed in a matter of minutes. I was ecstatic at how easy the Kayak was to load as it slid effortlessly from behind and found it's own seating. The wings are sprung enough so that the Kayak is held up in the V, but, once the tie downs are cinched down, the wings embrace the Kayak and it is clear that it is firmly supported. I took the Kayak on a 600 mile round trip and had not one problem. Each time I checked the security of the tie downs and positioning of the load, it was clear that there was absolutely no movement or shifting. There was no annoying noise and I got the sense that I could have done this same trip with now bow or stern lines connected to the front and back of the van. I would absolutely recommend the SeaWing to anyone looking for a well built, easy to use and very secure Kayak rack. The only modification would be to go to Home Depot and spend $15.00 on a set of ratcheting tie down straps which would allow you to cinch down the Kayak much more firmly than the tie down system provided.

Pros: Solid construction, heavy duty. This is important if you are traveling on the highway at 50mph to 60mph / interstate. I used this for a large bulky Cobra sit on top kayak I had customized for fishing. Malone saddles performed flawlessly for me. I did make some modifications to ensure it was heavy duty for long trip use. The kayak mount is 100% heavy duty quality and that is what matters when transporting a kayak to me. I always mod stuff to make it "Murphy" proof.Cons: One mod you might consider is taking the bolts to a hardware store and putting on a lock nut with nylon end insert behind any excess bolt length. This goes on behind the manual tighteners as double insurance nothing can come loose when taking it for some long trips to the beach or lakes. The bolts are 5/16 x 24 type threads. The common 5/16th threads are 5/16 x 18 course threads. For me, the simpler solution was to buy 4 zinc two inch 5/16 bolts, 4 zinc larger washers, 4 zinc locking washers, 8 nylon 5/16 locking nylon nuts. All hardware was course threaded at 5/16 x 18 thread and it was all under $3 to do. In the end I ended up with a solid locking base with and extra nylon lock nut to snug up against the other as extra precaution on long trips that in no way any vibrations would loosen my mount on slow 4x4 off road conditions. This is a small investment to make for piece of mind on long trips. I am totally happy. I will post a picture of it to show what it looks like. If you are going a short distance to the water, the standard mount hardware works just fine. I like heavy duty fail safe equipment with no chance of anything ever coming loose. (Two is One and One is None!)The straps they give you are ok for short trips to the water - I purchased a $6 set of 500lb ratchet straps that allowed me torque and tension down my kayak to the mounts- this is for long road trips / peace of mind on tension. Malone should have included a set of ratchet straps instead of cinch straps. Consider buying a $7 cable lock to run through both strap holes and back through your SUV roof rack main foundation base. I've done this and have yet to have mine stolen - kayak up top or no kayak up top. I use this to put through the scupper holes and then the kayak mount, then the roof rack mount so if you park your vehicle over night- your kayak will still be there in the morning. Or if you take your kayak out on the lake, the mounts will still be there when you get back. If some one wants something bad enough, they will take it, but often it is "more trouble than it is worth to steal" on deterring criminal behavior in public places.Bottom Line: I used mine on a large cobra sit on top kayak and it worked perfect to put it on an old SUV I used for a Hunting / Fishing platform. I had no issues for years and I also put ratchet straps instead of the pull cinch straps. The ratchet $6 set made sure I had the kayak torqued down for safety and I had zero issues. As I am a big guy- I could easily manhandle the kayak on and off my roof. Load and cinching was done in about 3 minutes taking my time. Offloading the kayak was faster. If you want a solid "Wing" style kayak mount that will not fail you, buy this mount. I run a $7 bike cable lock through both of mine to my roof rack base to deter simple theft. With that- I have never had a problem of keeping my mounts permanently attached up top anywhere I go. If you want to run the cable lock through your "sit on top" kayak scupper holes- that is even better for theft deterrent. I have done that as well on vacations with this mount across the U.S. and had no theft issues. Criminals go for the easy target every time- so make yours a hard target and you should be fine. Total cost on changes to stock mounts $3 for hardware changes, $6 for ratchet straps, $7 for cable locks = $16 plus the original mount price to have a hardened kayak mount on my SUV that is heavy duty to take on or off road under any weather conditions.This is also my permanent kayak mount I can just leave up there because it is heavy duty hardware mounted and that was my original purpose to permanently mount it and not have to worry about taking a mount on and off a vehicle. The stock kit is fine for short transport to the water, consider the modifications above for heavy duty off road use- piece of mind.

It is really quick and easy to set up on top of the car. Makes it easy to get the kayak up and down, just slides right up. Seems like it really holds the kayak down, no concern on the kayak going anywhere. Rack has held up going through touch less car washes several times.