2018 Hobie Outback transport recommendations?

Hi all,

I have been transporting my 2018 Hobie Outback upside-down on a padded roof rack as the hull design makes the boat want to lean over when it is right-side up.

I'm looking for a solution that doesn't require me to flip it upside-down, as it can be a pain and I'm worried about the boat sliding off the car in the process. Not sure if this is a unique problem to this model or not, but would appreciate some recommendations! I have Thule Aeroblade bars.

Thanks

Not sure if I sold you the Outback or not but if you bought new and are in Seattle then chances are good I did!

In the 5 years that I've been using Hobie's I've never put them on top of the car upside down.  The user manual states that you should but it is such a pain (and in cases like the PA14, virtually impossible) that I never do.  The biggest risk you run is getting dents in the bottom but if you are careful and have it up top for the minimum amount of time possible you can minimize that risk.

Here's a vid I did on how I load my PA14 onto my car:


and here's another one I did showing how I strap them down:


I use the bow and stern tie downs so I don't have to crank down hard on the center straps, I get them snug but not super tight.  I also never use ratcheting straps as you can easily put a nice big dent in a kayak with two fingers.  I'm also careful about leaving the kayak up top on hot days when the plastic is going to be more dent prone and loosen the straps if I have to stop for any amount of time (such as for lunch on a long trip) and then tighten them back up before leaving again.  I also do not make the bow and stern straps tight, just tight enough so they aren't flailing around in the wind, tightening them down too much can pull the front and rear of the kayak down and cause dents too.

Kevin

Not sure if I sold you the Outback or not but if you bought new and are in Seattle then chances are good I did!

In the 5 years that I've been using Hobie's I've never put them on top of the car upside down.  The user manual states that you should but it is such a pain (and in cases like the PA14, virtually impossible) that I never do.  The biggest risk you run is getting dents in the bottom but if you are careful and have it up top for the minimum amount of time possible you can minimize that risk.

Kevin

Thank you for the recommendations! I actually picked this up used recently. My issue is that the 2018 model of the Outback wants to lean over on one side if transported upright - and even if I could get it to stay upright and not leaned over, the amount of contact that the hull would have with the bars would be quite minimal. Do you have any recommendations for that specific issue?

Ah OK, I used to have a 2018 Outback.  For that I used a Yakima Sweetroll setup.

Kevin

Seattleite, how long are your aeroblade bars? I carry my 13' Revolution upside-down on padded Thule bars, and have never had any problem flipping the kayak upside-down and right-side up on the bars.  I load the Revolution on my vehicle in the manner which I described in a post at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=19202.msg204958#msg204958.  But my bars are 150 cm (59 inches) long, which is long enough to carry two kayaks side-by-side.  If you have very short aeroblade bars, I can understand why you might be concerned that you might drop your kayak off the bars while flipping it over.  But if the bars are moderately long, flipping your Outback shouldn't be any problem.

Here's how I flip my Revolution upside-down after I get it onto my roof rack: (1) I stand on the threshold of an open rear door and lift the near gunwale up until the kayak is resting on its side on my roof rack. (2) I grab the handle on the lower side of the kayak and pull the kayak towards me on the roof rack. (3) I grab the Mirage Drive hole on the bottom of the kayak and lower the kayak onto its gunwales on the roof rack.

What you want are Yakima LandShark Saddles.
Fitting them to your Thule bars might be tricky.

Seattleite, how long are your aeroblade bars? I carry my 13' Revolution upside-down on padded Thule bars, and have never had any problem flipping the kayak upside-down and right-side up on the bars.  I load the Revolution on my vehicle in the manner which I described in a post at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=19202.msg204958#msg204958.  But my bars are 150 cm (59 inches) long, which is long enough to carry two kayaks side-by-side.  If you have very short aeroblade bars, I can understand why you might be concerned that you might drop your kayak off the bars while flipping it over.  But if the bars are moderately long, flipping your Outback shouldn't be any problem.

Here's how I flip my Revolution upside-down after I get it onto my roof rack: (1) I stand on the threshold of an open rear door and lift the near gunwale up until the kayak is resting on its side on my roof rack. (2) I grab the handle on the lower side of the kayak and pull the kayak towards me on the roof rack. (3) I grab the Mirage Drive hole on the bottom of the kayak and lower the kayak onto its gunwales on the roof rack.

They're just about an inch wider than the widest part of the Outback's gunwale, just barely enough for me to flip it and definitely not enough to be comfortable 

It's also just heavy enough to be not so fun to manage when it's on top of the car

I have the same boat and aero bars.
I bought these pads - DaKine Aero Rack Pads
I strap it to the aero bars on each side and when synched down it sinks enough on the pads so no leaning or movement. Even with a crabtrap on the bow, it lays flat and still.
Of course every time I do say the old “that’s not going anywhere” so that's probably why it works.

I have the same boat and aero bars.
I bought these pads - DaKine Aero Rack Pads
I strap it to the aero bars on each side and when synched down it sinks enough on the pads so no leaning or movement. Even with a crabtrap on the bow, it lays flat and still.
Of course every time I do say the old “that’s not going anywhere” so that's probably why it works.

Nice to hear from someone else with the same boat! So to be clear, you have the hull on the pads (boat right side up) ? And no issues? Admittedly, I have yet to try that. The tipping left and right was enough for me to not even consider it

Yep, right side up with no issues.
I use the NRS 1" tie down straps.
I think the State of Washington requires a bow strap too (they used to anyway), but here in Oregon I just strap it to each aero bar and it stays put, dozens of times, even at freeway speeds.

I have hauled that style outback on my Yakima bars quite a bit.  I hauled it upside down.  The biggest thing I did to make the hauling easier was have the rear of the kayak facing forward, since the bow is much bigger.  When I did that it hauled just fine.

Yep, right side up with no issues.
I use the NRS 1" tie down straps.
I think the State of Washington requires a bow strap too (they used to anyway), but here in Oregon I just strap it to each aero bar and it stays put, dozens of times, even at freeway speeds.

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your method! I tried it today and had no issues at all. I think the pads sinking in does enough to make the boat stable despite the small contact points. Glad I don't have to spend $300 on cradles.

Nice! Yeah it's easy to overthink things but sometimes it doesn't have to be complicated. Glad it worked!

I have been transporting my 2018 Hobie Outback upside-down on a padded roof rack as the hull design makes the boat want to lean over when it is right-side up.

I carry my 12' Pro Angler 360 on top of my vehicle.  I carry it right-side-up because (a) it's too dang heavy to flip over upside down when it's on top of the vehicle, (b) it would be necessary to space the roof rack bars more than 4.5 feet apart so they would be in front of and behind the H-Bars, and (c) the roof rack bars would need to be at least 8 inches above the roof of my vehicle so the steering knobs wouldn't hit the roof.  I position the right-side-up kayak so the front roof rack bar is located at the Mirage Drive hole, where the roof rack hits the sides of the hole and the left and right "pontoon" on the bottom of the kayak equally, which makes the kayak stable on the roof rack.  If you position the front roof rack bar in front of the Mirage Drive hole, the front rack will only hit the keel in the center of the kayak.  Seattleite, you could check your Outback to see if positioning a roof rack bar at the Mirage Drive hole provides a similar stable location for your roof rack.

Wouldn't a pair of those closed-cell foam thingies meant to carry a kayak directly on the roof of your car fit the crossbars and solve the tippy issue?  I think they make some molded to fit crossbars. 

These things: https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear-supplies/paddle-sports/boat-storage-transportation/riverside-cartop-carrier-deluxe-kayak-blocks/p/1139951?channel=shopping

(Those were at the top of the list in a Google search.  Me and Sportsman's Warehouse don't get along...)