Yakima SweetRoll Kayak Mount Product Tour & Installation

The SweetRoll makes loading your boat as easy as it's gonna get! Two front and two rear saddles with integrated rollers will have you and your friends on the water in no time. No tools needed to mount to any bar type makes it simple to install. And the spring-loaded base automatically adjusts to boat when loading.

[WillNGo]

1:00 Who's on the stern of that kayak? I've been hauling my sea kayaks around for 15 years, I've never lifted the entire boat and loaded it from the rear. Sure you can lift 35-50 pounds over your head (maybe) after a long paddle it's a lot harder. This is typical rack company oversell. I've had both Thule and Yakima rollers (I've had the Yakimas for about 8 years now). After a year they barely roll, the surface gets gummy and leaves gunk on the hull. (Maybe these are better...) The best way to load a long awkward kayak on a car like this is to have rollers on a plywood, cushioned pad (cheap yoga mat material is great for this). These rollers need to slot into the gap between your hatch back and roof. Mine have 1/8" luan plywood that inserts into this space. The rollers are 1.5" ABS pipe on 3/8" threaded rods. Mine are a V shape. Not hard to make. For holders on the cross bars. I'd just make dense foam with a slot that slips over the cross bar. Those hull shaped holders? They might fit perfectly to your hull the first time, after that if your kayak is an inch in either direction, they don't fit. They still work fine, but you've just paid $400+ for a myth. Two inches of foam on top of the rail is more than enough to cushion your hull when strapped down. (On really hot days just don't leave a plastic hull 'yak up there cinched down. I've never had a problem with fiberglass, or fiberglass on strip wood). The most critical part of carrying any long kayak is bow and stern tie downs. I've heard dozens of stories about people losing kayaks, sometimes they take both racks with them: in none of the stories are the bow and stern tied down.
For the bow on most cars you can open up the hood, find sheet metal bolts holding the fenders on. Remove one bolt on each side, then take a loop (about 8") of thin webbing (I used a piece of old tie down webbing, been using it for about ten years, on two cars). Melt a hole in the webbing with a soldering iron or a heated bolt held in visegrips over the stove. Screw the bolt back in. Now you have tie down loops that stick out of your hood. When you don't need them, tuck them under the hood and close it.

[stevencanter]

How does the front strap attach to the hood or other location on the front of the car? Do I need to buy additional accessories?

[c.h.]

I have an Ocean Malibu kayak, and the bottom has several ridges. Should I adjust the saddles so the outermost part of the kayak rests there or so that one of the interior ridges rests on them?

[musicandmountains]

I can't tell from the video how exactly to route the straps, the video does a poor job from about 1:22 on explaining that. That's all I need to know is how to route those straps so that they aren't on the outside of the rollers. Same with the front..

[marcemmanuel]

I noticed that there are adapters round bars. Can the mount knob secure itself to a standard factory roof rack?

[bradyobrien]

Shit takes forever to strap down. It's insane. When I bought a $240 rack I expected to be able to toss my yak on the roof and go, not fuck around with straps for an hour. there's gotta be a better way. Contemplating returning it after one mount. That being said, the rollers are great.

[velocity]

Can this withstand highway speed? Like 70mph?