Thule J hooks or lay flat on bar

I am picking up my Ocean Kayak 13 next week "I bought daleshark's" and was wondering should I use the Thule J hooks I have or is it better to load the kayak flat on the bars upside down with padding on the bars?

Which is better or safer?

And either way I will use straps to hold the kayak down in the front and rear as well as the two in the middle.

I'm also trying to figure out what types of yak support I want to buy. I had to carry 3 yaks from OC last weekend and really couldnt find a super secure setup.
Current I strap the yaks face down, very secure. I found a company called Rhino which makes a double side J hook style. It can carry 2 yaks, one on both sides, smart design. You'll need a strong rail system to use these and maybe clearance issue depending on your ride. For my situation, they might sit up too high on my Tundra with a lift. They also make some nice cradles which will fit into the rail system of my Thule 422xt bars.
I'm going to make some calls to a local Rhino dealer and see what options I have. It would be awesome to get a group buy on something like this, mounting style hardware is sold desperately. So anyone with any type of rack can participate. Check out Rhino as an option.

if you are running a solo yak then keep is simple and strap it directly to the bars. If you need room the j racks are great since they will give your yak a smaller footprint. I tend to run my yak partially rigged so I use saddles and keep it right side up. If you are looking for rack I have a pair of J racks for sale as does Yakuza.

Mike,
  When I run three or four on my truck I use the Yakima Stacker and just put them on thre sides to transport. Never had a problem. Cheap too on eBay or CL. When I take three I use the stacker for two and saddles for the third. The bars take the weight no problem.

if you are running a solo yak then keep is simple and strap it directly to the bars. If you need room the j racks are great since they will give your yak a smaller footprint. I tend to run my yak partially rigged so I use saddles and keep it right side up. If you are looking for rack I have a pair of J racks for sale as does Yakuza.

I have j hooks already, but heard that it is better to strap down straight on to the rack.  Especially for long drives.

flat on the padded bars....when ever you can

The set ups I have are  Saddles, J hooks, and pool noodle.

• Pool Noodle 80% of the time -with the kayak upside down
• J-Hook 15% of the time- when I have two kayaks I am transporting one on a pool noodle upside down and a j-hook next to it with the other.
• Saddles 5%of the time- when I transport my kayaks partily rigged or my fiberglass kayak.

Over all I would just use the pool noodle method... its cheap and easy.

careful with the Trident on the J-hooks.  It looks secure but in a good crosswind the top of the yak wants to spin in the rack and end up horizontal in the cradle, hanging off the side of the car/truck.
 
 I dont have that issue with the outbacks on them.

Another thing to watch with hooks and tridents is that strapping across the foot well, will colapse them in as you tighten the straps. and put a dent in the side of the yak at the same time. 
Straping across the back of the seat isnt a problem, theres enough plastic to support it. 

I'll be buying cradles/pads for the trident when ever I take it out.  I cant strap it flat upsidedown, it curves to far down to the hood of the car and I cant see the road safely.

careful with the Trident on the J-hooks.  It looks secure but in a good crosswind the top of the yak wants to spin in the rack and end up horizontal in the cradle, hanging off the side of the car/truck.
 

Do you run the strap throught the top of the J Hook then back around the bar at the bottom or just around the kayak? I have a trident and have never had any problems with the J hooks. I can actually grab the handle, pull on it and it ends up moving the whole vehicle.

Do you run the strap throught the top of the J Hook .

 Yeah, like it should be.  After coming back from TC I had to stop because the front tie ( the one over the hood of the car.)was getting loose.  When I lookup up at the yak it was leaning over the side of the car. Way past vertical.  I was able to push it back on the hook. re tightened and finished the ride home. 
 It thats when i noticed the foot well being crushed in. I really put the hurt on the straps to keep it from slipping again the rest of the ride home.   
  I figured I'll never do that again.

Look at the Thule glide and set. Easy loading. One prson can load and unload a kayak with these. Shop around for these. I have them after I junked my Yakima stuff. J hooks are a pain to load by yourself. If you can lift it up that high anyway.


http://www.thule.com/en-US/US/Products/Watersports/WatersportCarriers/883-Glide-and-Set