Malone MegaWing Reinforced V-Style Carriers

We have used our rack quite a bit. It is an excellent way to mount our two person kayak (90 lbs) on my roof rack. Very secure.

I'll let you in on a little secret, this isn't your ordinary roof rack, it's a beast. Nay, it's the James Bond of kayak carriers. Sleek, sturdy, and with a license to haul.I own the Jackson Take 2, an impressive behemoth of a kayak that has been known to laugh in the face of standard roof racks. But not the Malone MegaWing. This thing's tougher than a two-dollar steak and snazzier than a tuxedo t-shirt.Getting the kayak on there can be a bit of a brain teaser. It's sort of like wrestling a well-oiled octopus onto a bicycle. But once you get the knack, it's as smooth as butter on a bald monkey.Once installed, these carriers hold onto your kayak like an overzealous grandmother. I drove around for days with two kayaks hitching a ride on my car's roof, and let me tell you, they didn't budge an inch. I half expected them to start charging me rent.In short, if you're in the market for a kayak carrier that's tougher than a bouncer, prettier than a summer day, and reliable as the morning sun, then the Malone MegaWing Reinforced V-Style Carriers is your ticket. Your kayaks may never want to come down.

Our sit-in kayaks weigh 50 and 55 pounds each. I was trying to decide if we should go with the Malone SeaWing (rated for 70 pounds) or the Malone MegaWing (rated for 150 pounds). From what I understand, they are both made in the same mold so they are the same size. The only difference is what type of plastic compounds (nylon) they use to make them. The MegaWing also comes with longer loading straps at 15 feet vs 11 feet for the SeaWing. I was worried that the MegaWing might be too stiff for our kayaks, but I decided to order them anyway. The MegaWing flexes quite a bit while loading our 50 pound kayak. It holds the kayaks fine and the keels don't bottom out. The MegaWing is slightly wider than our kayaks at 27.5 inches. If you have a wide sit-on kayak, I'm not sure if this is the best solution for you. It also comes with ropes and two hooks to tie down the bow and stern of your kayak.The reason we went with the Malone "Wing" type mounts was because they allow us to cradle both kayaks side-by-side on our 4Runner's roof rack. There are other type of cradle mounts that have a separate left and right cradle so you can customize the width of the cradles on your roof rack. They issue with those is that our roof rack is not wide enough for two kayaks using those mounts. By using a cradle type mount, you lower the profile of your kayak on your roof vs a J-style mount. The lower profile allows me to drive into my garage with the kayaks on top and also reduces wind loads on your vehicle/kayaks.The most difficult part of securing your kayak with the MegaWing/SeaWing is running the strap through the opposite side of the wings and then flipping them over your kayak without twisting the straps. This would be easier with a shorter vehicle or standing in a pickup truck bed. Loading our kayaks on the MegaWing is pretty easy with two people. I can do it by myself by placing a bath mat on the back of my 4Runner, placing a large door mat on the ground to protect the kayak keel from wear and tear of the asphalt and loading the kayak from the rear into the mounts. The MegaWing does not come with any type of padding where it mounts to the top of your roof rack. I bought some 1/8" rubber to put between the MegaWing and my roof rack. The MegaWing does whistle driving down the road while there are no kayaks mounted to them. At $144 each, the are a little over priced.

For larger heavier kayaks this is the way to go. I carry a Vibe Sea Ghost 130 on these. It is 33 inches wide and rests well on the outsides of the rack. Easy to secure the kayak with the included straps. The straps seem to be good quality...time will tell. If you want to lock them to your roof rack...so nobody can take them while your away. There is a small round hole at the tip of the carrier. I ran a cable lock for securing a gun through that hole and down around the outside roof rack part that is permanently attached to my. You will need to measure what length lock u need oncd installed on your vehicle. Mine needed to be 11 inches. Will it stop the determined thief will bolt cutters..NO. But it will stop the spur of the moment thief from just unscrewing them and taking off. Took me a minute to come up with this as the internet had No ideas for thief proofing the malone megawing. Hope this helps!

Fits my bigwater 132 wonderfully, doubt it would work with a tri-hull style yak.

This was to replace my old J-style kayak carrier. I have a Hobie Mirage Oasis tandem, which is an awesome kayak, but it weighs a ton. When mounted to my J-style carrier, it wobbled a bit too much for my liking. Also, the J cradle part put a lot of pressure on the side of my kayak. I also started to notice that those cradles were starting to dent the sides. So a saddle style was the way to go. I bought this after lots of research. Glad I did because it was super easy to install and now my heavy kayak feels very secure.Only gripe I have is that I wish it had some sort of lock on nuts. You can only hand tighten the nuts so much. I have to tighten them down just a bit more every time I'm out on a long drive or on a bumpy gravel road. I would think that a simple lock nut would have improved this much more. Guess it's a trip to the hardware store for that.

I learned about these reading product reviews of other carriers here. I just carried an 80 pound two person kayak 400 miles on a 4Runner roof rack with zero drama. They were easy to install, rock solid, and generally just did the job for significantly less cost that other big name products. The included straps and end ropes were also high quality