June 6, 2005

Thule Hullavator

Like most of the gear I buy, this is another love/hate review.

Pro: I LOVE the ability to side load my kayak using the Thule Hullavator. For my Honda CRV, I actually need to bend my knees to lower the kayak in to the rack from the carrying position of the cockpit on my shoulder.

Con: The lock cores didn't fit well - the metal they block to prevent the handle from being squeezed is thin and could easily be circumvented.

Con: The overall quality seemed to be on the rough side. For over $300 I'd expect significantly better quality in workmanship. The rack does not reliably lock in to place and needs to be double checked before driving off. (Note: over the last few weeks this is getting easier)

Con: The lower rack pad did not contact my boat. I found this after some significant wear on the gel coat. I added an extra set of pads from a set of J-saddles I had around the house, but you can move the existing pad if you find your kayak rubs.

Con: Both the front/rear saddles must be brought down very evenly. If not, the kayak will twist and one end or the other of the kayak will smack your car. Just be careful lowering the kayak and you will be fine.

Con: On my Greenland style kayak, the rear deck is low enough as to not contact the tie down strap. I worked around this by tyeing the strap to the Hullavator handle. The front deck of my kayak hits the strap fine.

Con: Oh the wind noise. The rack started whistling at 20MPH very loudly. I finally tracked it down to the small channel the saddles ride in and put some duct tape over it to eliminate the whistle.

Con: If someone parks close to you at the launch site you'll need to move your car to use the Hullavator. Not really a Con - just something to be aware of. The side clearance needed is quite a bit.

Pro/Con: Tying down your boat is a breeze with it hanging at hip level - but position your straps near by when loading your kayak as it is easy for the kayak to fall out until you get that first strap on.

Con: Make SURE both saddles lock in the down position before lifting your kayak off the rack or the rack will shoot upward as you remove the weight of the kayak. I seem to have to use a little extra twisting force on each saddle to make it lock in the down position.

Con: You need at least 4" of bar overhang from your feet on the rack. You can usually get this without problems, but you may not see this listed as a requirement before you buy. Make sure you have the overhang, can shift your bars, or buy longer load bars when you buy your Hullavator.

Summary: Quality should be much better for the lock core system. It has a few loading/unloading quirks that are easily worked around after a few uses. Latching is getting better as the unit gets some use. Mind the side of your car/mirror when (un)loading and you'll quickly learn to love this little gadget.

Update:

FYI For Hullavator owners:

Last summer I wrote Thule about problems I was having with my lock cores on my Hullavator. They sent me a cable lock as a temporary fix and asked me to check back at a later date for a permanent fix. I just checked back with them and they requested I return the entire device back to the dealer where I bought it for a revised 897xt Hullavator.

I bought mine mail order, so it remains to be seen how that will go - but those that bought locally may be able to upgrade rather easily to the newer model.

According to the Thule web site the xt "now offers greater boat capacity and protection with a more robust latch mechanism."

Might be worth the upgrade even if you aren't having problems.

3/1/06 Update:

Recieved my replacement Hullavator last week.

Wind Noise: Well, I guess I need to have one complaint. Out comes the duct tape again to cover that center channel.

Latching: VERY positive latching in the up and down positions.

Lock Cores: Works like it should. I feel confident now that they will deter (although not prevent) theft.

Padding: Extra padding now comes with the lower/outside support arm to properly keep it from rubbing on your kayak.

Lower Arms: When in the down position, the lower arms are wider and bent a little different to better support a kayak when you set it down on the rack. The bars are still a tad too high for the rear deck of greenland style kayaks. There are other ways to attach the strap though, so don't let this deter you if you have a low rear deck.