When I was looking at purchasing a roof rack to carry a kayak on my xD, I had a hard time finding information. Would it fit? Look funny? How will I tie it down? All valid questions, and so I figured I would post my experience in the hopes that someone will have an easier time with it than I.

I chose to use an Inno roof rack due to its cost and features over the (over-priced!) Thule and Yakima racks. Quality products I do not doubt... but the names alone command premiums over other lesser known companies. Well known overseas, the Inno rack fits the xD perfectly.
I contemplated getting the Thule Slipstream kayak carrier to go with the Inno rack but the particular kayak I was looking at was slightly wider than what the Slipstream is recommended for.

I ended up pairing the Inno rack with the Malone SaddleUp carrier.

After using the supplied Cam buckle straps to secure the kayak to the roof rack, I use ratcheting tie downs to ensure both front and rear of the kayak is secure. In order to do this, I purchased "Hood latches" which are nylon webbing straps that will secure to the frame of your vehicle in order to give you a place to "tie down". The back utilizes those same straps, only this time connected to the rear buckles already available in the trunk of the xD.

And now, the pictures:







It is my hope that this will help SOMEBODY looking to use their xD for this purpose as well!

 

Pretty neat mod, hopefully someone uses this as their point of reference. Happy kayaking!

 

Damn thats impressive, +1 for outdoor scions

 

thanks for the great pictures. Where did you purchase the nylon webbing straps?