does anybody use Prius or Prius V to carry kayak?

I have to say good bye to my '10 Outback and before jumping to '13 OB I would like to look for any other options.
I have limitted budget 20-25K and would like to avoid 6cyl vehicles since I have a lot of everyday city driving. So, I'm curios if anybody use Prius or Prius V to carry kayak.

Thanks,
Igor

what type of kayak?  a prius properly equipped should handle a decent yak.. dave batt uses a prius for an adventure island, not that i would necessarily approve of that, but ...

Dave Bradfield / dbradfield does, and he covers some major miles.

Not that it's a prius, but I've been lugging mine around for a few months on a Versa hatchback. The interior space is nice. I suspect it would be just as nice on my gf's Honda Fit. That really has serious interior space. They both have great mileage.

The limiting factor on small cars is the roof weight capacity and I would not push it with the cheap steel used today. I am right under the limit with a Tarpon 100 an OK 11 and the weight of the rack itself.

I would think with all the safety requirements on car manufacturers for roll overs and such , you could put any kayak you please on top of even the smallest car . A good quality rack that mounts to the frame above the doors should handle any kayak , the capacity would be more dependent on the given rack not the vehicle .

I would think with all the safety requirements on car manufacturers for roll overs and such , you could put any kayak you please on top of even the smallest car . A good quality rack that mounts to the frame above the doors should handle any kayak , the capacity would be more dependent on the given rack not the vehicle .

   Not true,     Each mfg has a rated weight capacity.     My Ridgeline  was 70 lbs. 

         I'm curious as to  what sort of effect does that have on mileage consumption ?   

I would think with all the safety requirements on car manufacturers for roll overs and such , you could put any kayak you please on top of even the smallest car . A good quality rack that mounts to the frame above the doors should handle any kayak , the capacity would be more dependent on the given rack not the vehicle .

   Not true,     Each mfg has a rated weight capacity.     My Ridgeline  was 70 lbs. 

         I'm curious as to  what sort of effect does that have on mileage consumption ?   

Good to know , I personally would not buy a car that could not survive 70 lbs  on the roof . Thought the Govt. would have this covered with all the air bags , seat belts and all other safety features mandated . Gonna look farther into this , seems mighty unsafe ?

I'm going to talk to Toyota dealer or/and Toyota Customer service to verify roof capacity. Roofrack manufactures claim 120-130lb, but I would like to get manufacture specs.
Life much more precious than EPA advantage

My 2 cents worth...

   We have been doing some extensive roof ract testing here where I work, for a project.  Based on what we have found ... it is not the limiting factors of the "roof" since the racks generally mount to the rain gutters on this style of vehicle (which is the strongest point of the "roof" structural members.  The load is generally limited by the structural integrety of the roof mount, in particular the roof mount foot (be it Yakima, Thule, Inno, etc...).  We have literally RIPPED the metal apart during our testing (granted we were applying loads in far excess of what the human body can withstand).

   My personal take on all the data is they are conservitive in their load ratings.  They key is to distribute the load and minimize vibration or oscilation (ie tie load down good).  One final helpful tid-bit is to place a foam block between the crossbars & the roof itself.  Hint ... it helped decrease the vibration and allowed us to increase amount of G-Shock we could apply.

   Just my 2 cents....

   I carry my Hobie AI on top of my 1991 Toyota Camry and still average over 30mpg on the freeway (4-cylinder).

  Don't try this on a smart car... Fiat 500... or Mini... Saw one (mini) blown off the road with a kayak (T140) on the rack... Vw Cabriolets from the 80's are ok though

Worst case ... get a trailer.  Then you can haul MANY kayaks!

yeap, if I buy trailer my family will send me to see psycho 

looks like I'll stay with Subaru. OB is good on freeways 30-35mpg, but city driving is very low 20th...

BTW, no reply from Toyota customer support yet

          Yeah,   it probably does have more to do with the rack itself than the roof load limit.   I was referring to the factory rack.

    If you had a trailer hitch,  you could  fabricate a support bar  that would split the load between the front rack and a hitch mounted support bar.     move the load back so it's more aerodynamic.   

   Just a two foot shift back on my Ridgeline  increased mileage by 2 mpg.

I'm in process of making a set of "goal posts" for my Camry to spread the weight load between the roof rack & my hitch.  Trying to make a set of custom shaped cradles to fit the AI as well but time will tell.....