Malone Sea Wing Kayak Rack Review

[@S4WYERonPC]

A bit late to the party, but I noticed that you don't have your straps under your crossbars (only attached to the Sea Wing carriers) - you should always secure your straps to the crossbars - the carriers should only act as platforms for the kayaks and shouldn't also be taking the force of the straps. Also, if a catastrophic failure occurs with the carriers, your kayak will remain attached to your vehicle.

[@agfa663]

You should consider the Malone Stinger accessory to load the kayaks by yourself. It is designed to complement the Malone SeaWings, for the Malone Seawings.

[@allonsy9808]

Hello! Thank you so much for the review from a real person and not a retailer. LOL I see that you posted this video 3years ago. How are the SeaWings holding up over time? Have you noticed any transfer/scuffs from the SWs--especially onto your ABS plastic white hull? I would be loading mine solo, so I worry about scuffing. Thank you!

[@RoughRidersTV]

I've not seen any scuffing on the kayak from this. Though loading solo would be way more challenging. Malone makes an attachment called the Stinger that lets you load from the rear of the vehicle. I've not tried it but heard it really helps.

[@pasekmi]

That was helpful. I would also run a strap around the boats and roof rails so the boats are not just tethered to the wings.

[@RoughRidersTV]

Good tip. I do secure both the front and the back of the Yaks to the car as well.

[@pineapplesmash6678]

Great job on the video well done and explained really well

[@RoughRidersTV]

Thanks.

[@michaelthomson5101]

What is the dimension (height) from the top of the crossbar to top underside of the cradle? With and without the kayak installed. I have a Yakima basket (6-1/2") high that may need to slide under that cradle an inch or two. Also, how far apart are your crossbars?

[@boris6747]

Thank you for doing this review. I wonder if you could drive your car into your garage with kayaks loaded using SeaWing rack?

[@RoughRidersTV]

I haven't measured the height with the kayaks on but I'm getting ready to reinstall them for the summer. I will try to remember to measure it. My garage door is only 7 feet so I'm not sure it would fit. I know some of the homes in my neighborhood have 9 foot doors and I'm sure it would fit there no problem.

[@FiatBurner]

What is your crossbar length? Trying to determine how much space is needed to fit two wings & two 30" wide kayaks.

[@lakola7632]

I’m also wondering the same.

[@lakola7632]

Hi! Thanks for the great video! How wide are your roof bars? I have a Mazda CX-9 suv and am wondering if I can fit 2 Malone Sea Wings & kayaks on my factory roof bars? Kayaks are around 30” wide.

[@RoughRidersTV]

I would think so. The red kayak is 29" wide and the blue is 25" wide and there is a ton of spaece between them and I have room the slide the racks further apart if I really needed it. The CX-9 is pretty similar in width to our MDX so I think it would be fine.

[@lakola7632]

@@RoughRidersTV Awesome! Thank you for replying! 🙂

[@edwardvickers5506]

Looks good,i thought they were mainly used for rear loading, rather than lift from side.

[@RoughRidersTV]

You can do it either way. If solo loading, the rear is way easier. With the 2 of us, it's pretty easy to load from the side as long as the vehicle is not too tall. Our MDX is low enough to side load.

[@paulasnatural]

Hi, great video ! Thank you for the review. I'm a newbie and want this system. Could you tell me if I need to purchase the airflow cross bars in addition to the seawing stinger combo, or does it come with cross bars? I have a Subaru Forrester with factory installed roof rails only. Thank you !😁

[@RoughRidersTV]

Thanks for the comment. When you say you have factory roof rails only, are you talking about the tracks (rails) that run front to back along each side of the car or the bars (aka cross bars) that go across from driver's side to passenger side on the car? If you only have the rails that go front to back, then yes, you will need cross bars. If you have rails/bars that go across the car, then no, you don't need additional bars. In my case, I had the factory rails that ran front to back but I did not have bars so I had to order the factory cross bars and install them prior to getting the SeaWing mounts. The kayak racks do not come with any bars, just the cradle and mounts that attach to your factory cross bars. Hope that helps.

[@paulasnatural]

@@RoughRidersTV thank you!!!...yep..I'll order the cross rails and the seawing stinger combo 😁...tax free weekend will help. Have fun out there 💕

[@Greeneyedbandit03]

How are these racks holding up. I’m looking into getting them. I appreciate your time.

[@RoughRidersTV]

still holding up great. I am getting ready to put them back on the car now that winter is over and weather is turning nice again here in Colorado.

[@Greeneyedbandit03]

@@RoughRidersTV last question. Online it says 75 pounds load limit. The kayak I’m looking into is 69 pounds. Do you think I’m cutting it close or I’ll be fine.

[@wonderswedste1789]

@@Greeneyedbandit03 that's pushing it...always best to err on the side of caution with expensive toys like a touring kayak and give yourself some variance.

[@jacobcummens5796]

Thank you for the review. Have you been out anymore on the highways? I'm looking to take my Kayak to Tennessee soon which is about 8 hrs away from me. Just want to make sure it's sturdy enough over long distances before I think about purchasing!

[@RoughRidersTV]

Yes, I took it to a lake about 1.5 hours away with a lot of highway roads with speeds up to 70ish. Perfectly fine, no impact from wind from the highway. Had a cross breeze on parts, no impact their either. Only thing I would recommend is to either use blue thread locker (aka blue locktight) on the wing nuts or check them every once in a while as they seem to loosen on their own. I'm putting blue thread locker on them so they don't loosen up on me. In case you don't know, blue thread locker can be removed, red thread locker cannot without a lot of force and heat...hence use the blue, not the red.

[@jacobcummens5796]

@@RoughRidersTV Awesome! Thank you for the quick response back and the helpful info. Happy Kayaking, friend.

[@RoughRidersTV]

@@jacobcummens5796 You are welcome. Thanks for checking out my channel.

[@DGDancemonkey]

@@RoughRidersTV I can’t get my kayak centered on the racks. It seems pretty secure but it just bugs me! Any thoughts?

[@RoughRidersTV]

@@DGDancemonkey Neither my wife's kayak or my kayak is "centered" on the seawing. However, I have it pretty tight with the provided straps. I haven't had a problem as of yet as long as it is solidly connected to the cradle.

[@pineapplesmash6678]

Do u have another video that shows the strapping in better details

[@RoughRidersTV]

Not at the moment. I can probably do one this spring when we go back out. Still cold here in Colorado

[@pineapplesmash6678]

@@RoughRidersTV gotcha

[@wonderswedste1789]

@@RoughRidersTV any videos yet on the strapping?

[@RoughRidersTV]

@@wonderswedste1789 sorry, one of the crossbars on my rack get ripped off at the carwash and I've been waiting on a replacement to arrive so I didn't get to use the racks this summer. Had to use my truck instead to haul the kayaks

[@pineapplesmash6678]

I got the Yakima's for 155 and seawing stingers are over 200

[@107cadman107cw]

What model is the red one?

[@RoughRidersTV]

The red kayak is a Pungo 120 (12 foot) and the blue/white one is a Delta 12.10 (12 feet, 10 inches).

[@pineapplesmash6678]

If u would of got the seawing with stinger it would be 200 bucks like the Yakima's

[@RoughRidersTV]

Thanks for the comment. I did not look at the Stinger version because I really did not need it. I like the Seawing because it allows 2 kayaks to sit upright on the roof racks and not on their side like other racks. Overall I am pleased with them but you do have to check on the bolts as they can loosen over time from road vibration. I'm going to use some blue locktite when I put them back on this spring so they stay tight.

[@pineapplesmash6678]

@@RoughRidersTV the older I get I think I'm gonna need the stingers....they say it's easier loading...all u do is slide it up the back....I figured you got the stingers but didn't see it in your video....I haven't heard anyone say the Yakima's bolts get loose.....also heard if u get just one of the Yakima's that u can put 2 kayaks with on rack one lays flat one lays sideways

[@RoughRidersTV]

@@pineapplesmash6678 To be clear, after having these on all season, the bolts never got so loose that there was risk of failure. They just needed a 1/4 turn but it was enough that I felt it important to mention it. Yes the stingers help load from the rear but you could do a similar thing by just laying a bath mat over the rear of the car, lean the kayak on that and slide it up onto the rack. We've done that before and it is fine.

[@pineapplesmash6678]

@@RoughRidersTV that's a great idea and good way to save the money on the stinger combo.....I just got a deal online with sea wings stinger combo for 175 plus tax free shipping...I have only 1 Yakima and have 2 kayaks...they say it will hold 2 kayaks one on the stand and one flat.... but people suggested to just get a second one...so I got one Yakima and stinger....I seen someone on you tube using both on a rav 4......so should work on my 4runner...good to know that u can use both brands

[@RoughRidersTV]

@@pineapplesmash6678 Awesome. Happy Kayaking.

[@pineapplesmash6678]

Looks like they would be easy to steal....in Florida crime is high and wanting to leave mine on vehicle specially when I'm out kayaking don't want to take them off and on everytime I drop my kayaks in and leave my vehicle

[@RoughRidersTV]

Yep, there are cable locks you can get to secure your kayaks from theft. I haven't done that yet but considering it.