ShowDown - Load-Assist Kayak & SUP Roof Rack

I purchased this rack to use for my 9.5' Ocean Kayak on my Bronco Sport SUV. I have the standard Yakima cross rails and this rack works perfectly with them. I love that you can side load your kayak, secure it and then push it up on top of your vehicle. It locks in place and looks great. A lot of fellow kayakers have seen me use the rack and ask me about it. I would highly recommend this rack to anyone with a kayak.
Collected on Yakima.com

I was excited when I saw this and totally replaced my Yakima racks for it (new bed tracks, bars, and tonneau cover). My old roller/cradle set up made loading and unloading on my Tundra difficult because it has the tow package. I was so disappointed when I went to load my OC1 for the first time. The cradled don't work for slim hull shells like OC1 or surf ski. The lower cradle is fixed and the movable cradle pops out so it won't fit sung to the hull. Had to slide the cradle so it could just be tightened which left some gap under the shell. Had to used some cardboard and bungee cords. I will have to find some pads to bridge the gap. Works well with SUP and traditional kayaks. Also, when loaded they don't slide smoothly and evenly when lifting or lowering.
Collected on Yakima.com

I like the idea behind this system. However, Yakima will officially say my rack is not compatible with the Showdown. I have a Thule Aeroblade which has no overhang. So initially I looked at every loading concept out there for kayaks and SUPs but I always came back to the Showdown as being the best idea, so I wondered if I could make it work with my rack. I only planned to use the Showdown for a 20 pound racing SUP so I felt if I could if I could move all the clamps over about six inches that would not overload the structure. Moving the clamps was fairly simple, all I had to do was unbolt the clamps, drill new holes and reattach. So far everything is working out really well. The Showdown makes loading and unloading my SUP very easy, I'm glad I could make it work for me.
Collected on Yakima.com