Kayak carrier recommendation

Hey there, need an advice.

I have WS 130t which I transport in J-Rack. Bars are 53" and I also have a Rooftop box, which is 36" wide. Car is pretty tall (Acura MDX)

Kayak weights ~70lbs, 13ft (tandem) and 34" wide.

If I'm with somebody I can load/unload with no problem, alone I can *probably* load, but not sure about unloading.

What options would you recommend? I was looking at:
- trailer
- transport flat with some kind of loader (but then it will not coexist with rooftop box?)
- learn how to load it into J-bar or vertical w/o help (it seems that vertical bar could be simpler to load/unload)
- find a loader which works with J- or vertical bar
- install wider bars (but that opens can of worms)
- other options?

I'm also considering
- different car
- different kayak
but these are off for now

I spent quite some time on youtube and looking at various carriers, but thought I'd ask here.

Thanks!

Can you lift it over your head?  Serious question.  I don't think I could lift the 130t, but for my boats (all under 55lbs), I do this:

I have a similar set up to yours (height, j-carrier) atop a toyota previa, and the easiest way to solo-load is to dead-lift my kayak and use a step stool (I bought a $25 harbor freight aluminum one for this) to get up a bit higher, and then place the boat on the j-cradle. If there's a curb, or better yet, a walk-way at the launch (both ARW and the Grand St ramp in alameda, the MLK shoreline in Oakland, some others), I'll pull up as close to that as I can and use the walk's height to help me unload the kayak. 

If not, I drag the kayak off the tail of the van, rest the stern on the ground and bow in the rear j-cradle, then go to the middle of the yak and carry it away from the van.  Not graceful, but not hard.  It helps to have a total beater of a car, something you're not suffering from at the moment

Seriously considering getting a hullavator if I can find one used at a time I'm more flush with funds.  Heck, I almost pulled the trigger on a FolBot yesterday to get around the issue entirely.

Get rid of J rack, if needed get wider cross bar and get some foam blocks. Foam blocks come with slight v built in
Put a non slip shower rug on the back of vechicle. Lift one end of kayak up and put on rug, walk to back and pick up and push.
Dont laugh at the foam blocks. I Have all the diffrent kinds of pads and foam works best for me
Cheers

A workable option might be the RhinoRack T-load Hitch Mount or Yakima DryDock.  If you have Yakima crossbars, you can also use the Yakima Boatloader (this is what I use).

The tilting hitch mounts make it easy to load from the rear of the vehicle and slide the kayak onto your roof rack.  Then what NewFutureVintage said, use a step stool for added reach.

Put a non slip shower rug on the back of vechicle. Lift one end of kayak up and put on rug, walk to back and pick up and push.

I've found that the floor mats of my truck are convenient to use this way as well.

If you have the means, these work wonders for solo loading/unloading:

http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/products/carriers-and-racks/water-sport-carriers/kayak-and-canoe-carriers/thule-hullavator-897xt-_-18974


I have an older set, and if I have to car-top now, its the only thing I use.

Tw has these they are bada$$
http://www.amazon.com/Malone-Assist-Module-AutoLoader-Carrier/dp/B001BWAVI2

If you go the step stool route, I can recommend this one from Little Giant.  Very stable!

Can you lift it over your head?  Serious question.  I don't think I could lift the 130t, but for my boats (all under 55lbs), I do this:

I have a similar set up to yours (height, j-carrier) atop a toyota previa, and the easiest way to solo-load is to dead-lift my kayak and use a step stool (I bought a $25 harbor freight aluminum one for this) to get up a bit higher, and then place the boat on the j-cradle. If there's a curb, or better yet, a walk-way at the launch (both ARW and the Grand St ramp in alameda, the MLK shoreline in Oakland, some others), I'll pull up as close to that as I can and use the walk's height to help me unload the kayak. 

If not, I drag the kayak off the tail of the van, rest the stern on the ground and bow in the rear j-cradle, then go to the middle of the yak and carry it away from the van.  Not graceful, but not hard.  It helps to have a total beater of a car, something you're not suffering from at the moment

Seriously considering getting a hullavator if I can find one used at a time I'm more flush with funds.  Heck, I almost pulled the trigger on a FolBot yesterday to get around the issue entirely.

Weight + bulk is the problem. I think I can lift, but definitely can't control it lifted well enough (at least not now). Same concern about step - if I can't control it well enough (weight + bulk) step could make it even worse.

Thanks for mentioning dragging - I was trying to envision this, but this did not sound right for j-cradles (b/c of kayak's instability).

I guess I just need to experiment, probably somewhere far from the car For some reason I think unloading is riskier (as it's starts from position when I don't have enough control over kayak)

Thanks for suggestions!

A workable option might be the RhinoRack T-load Hitch Mount or Yakima DryDock.  If you have Yakima crossbars, you can also use the Yakima Boatloader (this is what I use).

The tilting hitch mounts make it easy to load from the rear of the vehicle and slide the kayak onto your roof rack.  Then what NewFutureVintage said, use a step stool for added reach.

I was looking at these, but do you know if it will work for j-rack, with j-rack off-center and at angle.

 I saw video of loading using Boatloader onto J-rack, but seemed to be with lighter/more narrow kayak. I'll look into it more.

Thanks for suggestions!

Get rid of J rack, if needed get wider cross bar and get some foam blocks. Foam blocks come with slight v built in
Put a non slip shower rug on the back of vechicle. Lift one end of kayak up and put on rug, walk to back and pick up and push.
Dont laugh at the foam blocks. I Have all the diffrent kinds of pads and foam works best for me
Cheers

Yes, that's what I'm leaning to. But wider bars (I have Thule's Aero) will interfere with my wife's aesthetics (and it is her car)

I'll look at foam blocks. Thanks!

If you have the means, these work wonders for solo loading/unloading:

http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/products/carriers-and-racks/water-sport-carriers/kayak-and-canoe-carriers/thule-hullavator-897xt-_-18974


I have an older set, and if I have to car-top now, its the only thing I use.

Yes, this is very cool. It's horizontal, but maybe it still will fit - will take a look. Thanks!

Tw has these they are bada$$
http://www.amazon.com/Malone-Assist-Module-AutoLoader-Carrier/dp/B001BWAVI2

Yes, interesting option, thanks!

If you go the step stool route, I can recommend this one from Little Giant.  Very stable!

Thanks!

Weight + bulk is the problem. I think I can lift, but definitely can't control it lifted well enough (at least not now). Same concern about step - if I can't control it well enough (weight + bulk) step could make it even worse.

Thanks for mentioning dragging - I was trying to envision this, but this did not sound right for j-cradles (b/c of kayak's instability).

I guess I just need to experiment, probably somewhere far from the car For some reason I think unloading is riskier (as it's starts from position when I don't have enough control over kayak)

Yep, it can get super squirrely in either direction (I agree, unloading is a little worse).  I'm only just fine with my method if there's no wind.  With a little breeze, trying to keep the yak under control gets dicey in a hurry.  If things get to that stage, I'll nose the bow into the rear cradle, then pick up the stern and slide the yak into the both cradles. I don't do this due to driving a 20 year old minivan, but if I cared about the finish of the car, I'd be dropping a floor mat onto the roof to keep scratches off.