Thule Hullavator Pro Rooftop Kayak Carrier

What an AMAZING product!! I bought this kayak rack for one main reason: I was sick and tired of wasting precious time and inconveniencing friends in order to go kayaking! I had to either borrow a friend’s truck or inconvenience my group of kayaking friends with trucks to pick me up whenever I wanted to paddle! As a 55 year old extremely independent female, this was really getting old! When I bought my new 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, I also wanted a kayak rack that I could operate myself without damaging my brand new car! This rack is amazing! I have a 50 lb Wilderness Pungo 120 12-foot kayak and it fits perfectly on the Hullavator 898 Pro! I have no problem loading or unloading the kayak myself! The lift-assist feature is phenomenal! Having this rack has afforded me the freedom and ability to just get up and go anytime I want! It literally takes me 12 minutes to attach the cradles to the roof rack, load the boat, and tie down the bow and stern!! It’s the talk of town wherever I launch!! All that being said, the only downfall, if you want to call it that, is the fact that it is on the expensive side! HOWEVER ..... for me, it has been worth every single penny! I would spend it again in a heartbeat!! THANK YOU, THULE!! This is the best invention EVER!! I can’t put into words how liberating this has been for me! I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!!!!

The instructions said that my crossbars needed at least 4" overhang from the footpacks, but I was already using the longest Aeroblades available (60") for my vehicle (2016 Ford F150). On my setup, the Aerobar extended maybe 1" from the foot pack, and I was afraid that this would not work for me, but I wanted to give it a shot anyway. Good thing that I took the chance... On my install, I discovered that with the Hullavator mounted at the end of the Aerobar (with endcap removed), I had about 8" clearance between the Hullavator arms and my vehicle. The instructions recommended at least 4". This meant that I could install on my setup with no issues! Because of the extra 4" clearance, I figured I'd try to set the Hullavator 4" further away from the end of the bar. This didn't work because the arms couldn't clear the end of the bar + end caps. The best that I could do is set the Hullavator 1" from the end of the bar. Now when I lower the arms, it clears the end caps, and I still about 7" clearance between the arms and my truck (see photos). A few things that I noticed but aren't deal-breakers are: * When loaded, my Kayak looks like it's too far towards the edge of my truck as opposed to being centered on the rooftop. I know that I can move the J hooks closer to the other end of the bar to remedy this, but this limits how wide of a kayak I can carry. I have 2 kayaks that are thin, buy my girlfriend's kayak is pretty wide. * When unloaded, I can hear the Hulavator jingle around up there while driving. A few recommendations for the install: * Don't cut the rubber strips on your Aeroblade until you've found the best placement your vehicle. * The square nuts are a little bowed on one side. I placed mine in the Aeroblade tracks bow-side up so that there is more surface contact with the inside tracks on the Aeroblade when I tightened the Hullavator down. The instructions didn't mention this, so I don't think it matters, but why not have more surface to hold it down tight. * Use blue locktight on everything screwed down so that bolts don't come loose from all the road vibrations. * Take your time --- it's actually a very simple install

We have been using Hullavators on all of our trucks since 2012. Currently in use on 4 service trucks. The Thule warranty is a true lifetime warranty. We have had very few issues over the past 13 years of using Hullavators but when we did, Thule replaced the part or the whole unit. They only required proof that we purchased it new (so save your receipt). I am 72 years old and loading a kayak on top of a cap on a pickup truck (with a Hullavator) is a piece of cake. You may think that Hullavators are pricey, but Worth Every Penny it costs.

I bought the Hullavator so I could get my kayak on the roof of my small SUV. The Hullavator provides 40lbs. of lift assistance so with a 60lb., 16’ plastic composite kayak I’m only lifting 20lbs. Sounds good, right? My plan was to install the rack myself using my existing Yakima round bars. This requires an additional adapter which is still much cheaper than buying new bars. Here’s what I learned along the way: • You cannot install the Hullavator without rails or rack that gets bolted to your car. I first learned this when I called Yakima customer service, which is great. Both Yakima and Thule have roof racks that clip into the door frame. There is nothing on either website that indicated these wouldn’t work with the Hullavator. My calls to two different rack store installers did not provide this information and I would have ordered the wrong rack system. Both were using the Yakima and Thule websites. Luckily, I called one of the nation-wide sellers/installers back the next day talking with someone else and mentioning my concerns about the Thule clip on the rack system with the Hullavator. Then I learned that the Thule system also needed roof mounted rails or racks for the Hullavator. • I ordered and had installed Honda roof rails, $600. The Hullavator is $799. Thule rack system, $720. This was still cheaper than a dealer installed kayak rack system that had no lift assistance. • When I drove home and into the garage there was a thump, thump on the roof. The rack arms are too tall for the garage opening, just lightly skimming the arms. Luckily, no damage. The arms can be swung down to the load position or unclipped from the rack and Hullavator base to get in the garage. • I am ready to try out loading my kayak. Huge problem. I cannot lift the kayak up to the height to place in the Hullavator arms. I can straight arm carry the kayak short distances but cannot lift it up. I tried sliding the bow in the back thinking I could slide it. That begins to torque the arm. Also, because my kayak is 16’ I can’t angle it enough without my kayak getting the car. Yes, I can get help lifting it in and out but my goal is to be self-sufficient as I mostly kayak by myself. • I ordered 2 collapsible saw horses from Amazon. I can lift one end onto a sawhorse and then the other and roll the kayak into the arms of the Hullavator. While this now works, this is not the easy solution that I thought it would be. I imagine a 12’ or under kayak would work best with this system.

Thule Hullavator Pro 898 installed on my 2013 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I had to buy Thule Cross Bars - Evo Wingbars 135 - 53inches & also bought the Thule 6 Lock set for the Hullavator & my Crossbar Feet. I used the Fit My Car feature on the Thule website. (I have a factory rail system and mounted the new Thule Evo & Feet to it). I love how easy I can lift my 40lb kayak and put it on top of my car. Great quality & investment! I have weak shoulders and heard about this lift from another camper friend. I should have bought this last year when I bought my kayak. I can't lift it on top of my car and been limited to borrowing a truck. Now I can load my kayak in less than 3 minutes from start to finish - and best of all no strain on my shoulders!!

The Hullavator's sole and only purpose is to provide "lift assist". This is advertised as 40 pounds. After installing, it was unable to lift my wife's 36 pound kayak. As a scientist / engineer I decided to measure the lift capability of the individual arms. At the beginning of the lift, the first 6 inches or so, it was no more than 25 pounds (adding the individual results of each arm). During the majority of the lift, the next 21 inches or so, it was about 30 pounds. At the end, the last 6 inches it was slightly more, about 32 pounds. I then checked the gas struts and noticed a manufacturing date of 2008 (I just purchased this in March 2022). Providing just over 50% of the advertised lift at the beginning, when it is most important, seems to suggest either that the gas struts are defective or that Thule's advertising is misleading. I have reached out to Thule and will provide their response. Update: We had numerous correspondences with the Seller (New England Dive). Their responses mostly consisted of that we had done something wrong (either in installation or operation); even though, our explanations to them were clear and concise in that it was installed and operated in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Ultimately, they said they could not assist in that it was a warranty issue between us and the manufacturer (Thule). The measure of a Seller is not only how well they deliver, it is how well they respond if there is a issue. Based on this, I cannot recommend purchasing from New England Dive. As to the manufacturer, Thule, after almost a week, they responded. They identified the process to initiate a warranty claim and how long it would take. The process raised concerns in that: they would ultimately determine if it was a valid claim; the time to obtain replacement parts was unknown; and, we were responsible for shipping the defective parts back to Thule. While understandable, as a warranty process, considering that the product was defective out of the box (maybe Thule should implement some quality control to assure that what's put in the box isn't defective), this put too much on us to resolve what is effectively and essentially the fault of the manufacturer. In the end, the least hassle process was to simply return the product to the Seller.

They are expensive, there was some difficulty putting them on, my wonderful brother did for me, but it is an absolute game changer for me! I love my old Town kayak, which is on the heavy side for me, but this makes it so easy to put the kayak on the roof of my SUV all by myself! I don’t even need to stand on a stepstool anymore! I also like the fact that I can lock it, don’t forget to purchase the locks if you want that option! I have these installed on my Evo wing bars… Happy paddling!

Perfect if you want your $50,000 investment to sound like a rattle trap …If you’re seeking a system that’s not easy to remove or might even damage your paint by falling off due to its awkward mechanics of removal, or if you’re simply willing to take a chance of it getting ripped off in a parking garage, this is the system for you. There hasn’t been much improvement over the past decade. I’m in a Kiaya club and we all have the same complaint issue: they’re very difficult to remove. The directions are pathetic better off watching etrailer videos… unfortunately there’s no other competition so I continue to buy

These are game changers!!! Load and unload the kayaks take no time at all. Especially great after a long paddle as you don't have to left them very high!!!

Instructions are useless. Watch install vids on youtube. Easy after that. You can attach to most roof racks easy. Don’t believe you need certain types of roof racks. I bolted mine easily to my current Rhino racks.

Excelente Soporte, para kayaks o tablas de SUP, se necesitan las barras especiales Thule para adaptarlo a tu auto. Sin esfuerzo. Subes tu kayak al techo de tu auto.

I installed these on Thule aero bars. It was super easy to install. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. My racks will fit two comfortably but other racks can only fit one hullivator set up. I have 2 16” foot sea kayaks and they fit very nice. Makes loading and unloading a breeze.

Make loading my kayak by myself so much easier.