Hobie Mirage Sport and 2010 Prius

[dbradfield]

Dave the SoCal lurker here.  The good news is that I have saved ALMOST enough in my special account to buy my first kayak which will be a hobie mirage sport.  I'm considering how to best transport this boat with my 2010 Prius.

I went by Extremeline Sports today because I was told you could fit a Hobie Sport inside a Prius.   I tried it, and it works (see quick cell-phone photos below) but I don't think I'm going to do it.   I got it to fit in and all the doors and hatch closed properly and there was plenty of room in the driver's seat to drive.  But visibility and safety for driving is a BIG ISSUE.  You can't see out the right side of the vehicle at all. There's no way to see right side rear view mirror, and the "regular" rear view mirror is mostly blocked.  The only way to see behind the vehicle is the driver's side rear view mirror.   I'm not sure I would even want try this to drive the short distance (3 miles) from my house to Cabrillo Beach where I would most often go.

But in a pinch you could lock the boat up inside the car and I think it would be relatively secure.

So I've ruled out the notion of transporting the boat in the car.   Instead, I think I am going to use this cartop carrying solution - the XSL Quickrack

http://www.xstreamline.com/kayak/accessories/rack.html

I believe this is something that "Greg" at Xstreamline makes and sells from this shop.  It is certainly something I could copy but my time/patience for such is limited and he's had opportunity to "tweak" this into what looks like a good option.

HERE IS MY QUESTION TO THE GREATER WISDOM (madness?) OF THIS GROUP

* What is your opinion of that XLS Quickrack system above? 
* Do you have any other better advice for transporting a hobie mirage sport with a 2010 Prius?

One other point -- I have daughters up in Eureka and will likely want to transport this boat up there [will try to find Hawk and Abking!] so ultimately I'd want something that would be secure enough for the long highway trek up.  I eventually want to relocate [retire] up there.

Opinions??

Dave the SoCal lurker

[Jedmo]

For the price, I would have it done right and go with the Thule rack system attach
to the car. Hassle free and much sturdier. Just my .02

Jedmo

[dbradfield]

Thanks Jedmo - I haven't bought anything yet so I value everyone's $.02.

I have some dumb questions about the Thule system.  Is the rack something you typically leave on your car?  If not, how long does it take to mount and remove the rack from the car?  One appeal of the XLS Quickrack is that I can take it completely off in 2 minutes and the car retains its normal aerodynamics when I'm not transporting the kayak.

Other dumb question for any Prius owners out there -- does leaving a Thule-type rooftop rack system seriously degrade the mileage performance of the Prius?

Dave the SoCal lurker.

[CGN-38]

 

  I'm not a huge fan of those style of racks.  Looks like you have to run a strap down and anchor it to the bottom of the car?  Strap + highway speed+ car side= wear marks in car.  If any sand dust or grit of any kind get up under those cushions, you might as well clean the contact patches with sandpaper.  Keep the hulls off the vehicle roof with a real rack system.

  Go for a Thule or Yakima system.  You leave them on, locked in place, or, they can be removed with minimal effort on such a short vehicle. 

[Fish 'n Brew]

I haul my Hobie Revo on top of a Honda Accord with Yakima load bars with Mako saddles at the front and Hully rollers at the rear.  I spent a few extra bucks when I bought the racks and got the key lock cylinders.  I take the rack off when  I'm not hauling the yak and it takes about 2 minutes to remove it and stow it in a cabinet in my garage.  I have hauled the yak long distances and have always felt that it is secure at any speed.  My only beef with the Yakima rack is that the tower attach points have caused some minor denting along the roof line.  I'm not sure if this is from me tightening them further than necessary or the fact that Honda sheet metal is really thin in this area.  The small dents aren't really very noticeable but they are definitely there as a result of the racks.  Like Thule, Yakima racks aren't cheap but I think they're a far better option than the ones pictured in your post.  I think I paid about $200-$250 for the complete rack system and the locks at REI.

Martin

[EWB]

find out what parts you need and then surf craigslist.

[dbradfield]

OK I hear this loud and clear.  Now is not the time to be penny wise and pound foolish.  So the real question is Thule or Yakima for the 2010 Prius?   Any other thoughts out there?  I appreciate this, THANKS!  dB

[nudling]

I just picked up the the exact same prius a month ago... love the color and I can't believe that you were able to fit a Sport in it!

The yak gets quit dirty after use so I would definitely get a sturdy roof rack.  Also, you could use mylar film at the attachment points to protect the paint.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-accessories-modifications/63980-thule-vs-yakima-roof-rack-2010-prius.html

The 'inflatable roof racks' have the same issues that was mentioned with the other removable racks, but that's another option.

[dbradfield]

Thanks to all here.  I'm taking your advice and will get a real rack.

Now -- today  "Greg" at Xtremeline sports just contacted me via e-mail saying he has a set of Yakima racks off a prius, used for $125 with locks. He says they may need a different set of q clips it was an older prius.

I'm gonna check them out tomorrow.  Anyone have any experience with used racks like this and with the older model Prius vrs 2010 ??

dB

[AlsHobieOutback]

Careful putting it in the car like that.  Had a friend at work pickup a yak in his prius, lifted it up a tiny bit and cracked his windshield, pretty easily!

[dbradfield]

I bought the used Yakima rack today for $125.  It came off a very old model Prius.  We've ordered the correct Q clips from Yakima for the 2010 Prius which I should have by Wednesday.  The clips cost $75 so the entire cost of the rack was right at $200 +tax.  I will have a few days to "futz" with it to get it right this week before leaving town.  "Greg" at xtremeline said he would help and if I have any problems or I'm unhappy he will take it back and we can just buy a new rack for the difference in cost.

I guess it's kind of weird to get the rack before the yak but if all the things play out right, I should be getting the yak in early August.  Thanks to all for the good advice.

Mr. Penny-wise-and-hopefully-not-so-pound-foolish.. aka DaveTheSynthGuy

[jhfish]

........will try to find Hawk and Abking!......

Opinions??

Dave the SoCal lurker

Don't forget Domenic and Redwoodfox!!!!