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| |  | Kayak & Canoe Racks | Home » » » Malone Auto Racks AutoLoader XL (w/Bow & Stern Lines) | | | | | | | Description: | | The Malone Autoloader XV universal car rack kayak carrier includes everything you need to carry one kayak vertically on your roof top or trailer. The Autoloader XV was developed here on the coast of Maine to withstand our brutal cross winds and crippling salt water corrosion. We were the first in the industry to produce a J style carrier and this years model is our best. The Malone universal JAWZ(tm) mounting hardware fits round, square and factory oval cross rails. Features: J style kayak carrier with built-in boarding ramp for easy loading Corrosion resistant polycarbon construction Gentle flex helps protect kayak at all times JAWZ(tm) mounting hardware fits round, square and factory oval cross rails. Includes bow & stern safety tie-downs and 2 - 12 foot cam buckle straps Product Instructions View the Autoloader Video Additional Information Malone Fit Guide | | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 24.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 12.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 8.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 5.3 pounds | | Package Length:
| 23.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 12.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 8.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 12.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 19 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 19 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Malone kayak rack works greatJun 08, 2011
By Hank G.
Like many, I was horrified at the prices of "name brand" kayak racks. These polycarbonate Malone kayak carriers are a great value. I've used mine for three years, including 12-hour drives up to northern Maine for long river/lake camping trips. They are easy to install on your roof crossbars and very secure. I have two sets that I use on my Toyota Matrix. I've even hauled up to three kayaks by wedging one boat between the two on the Malone racks. I live in New England, so I remove my racks in late fall and reinstall them in early spring, leaving them on all summer unless I'm taking a long trip without the kayaks. The crossbar clamp that come with the Malone uses a large "wing nut" that provides plenty of leverage. The "autoloader" feature refers to the small ramp on the lower part of the rack. When the carriers are mounted on your crossbars, these small ramps allow you to gently flop the kayak against the ramps and push it up into the carrier so that you don't have to lift it as high as you would with a Yakima or Thule carrier. It's a good idea and works quite well. I'm 6'2", so I personally don't use that feature; however, my wife has used it successfully on her outings with her girlfriends. A good buy you won't regret.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Easy On, Easy Off. Very Sturdy.Sep 03, 2010
By April
Increadibly simple to put on the car and take off by myself. Have no difficulty securing my kayaks so that they do not shift at all even at highway speeds. While I do use the bow and stern lines when traveling at high speeds or long distances (just in case a strap broke), so far they have been totally unnecessary as I have seen no shifting of the kayak in this very sturdy rack. I now own 3 of these and can fit 3 kayaks on the top of my Ford Escape.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Car Rack Kayak Carrier!Jul 09, 2010
By Tom and Joyce
We bought two carrier for our two kayaks.
Sturdy, well designed and has good clear instructions. After just one outing we could load our kayaks with ease without instructions in less than 15 minutes!
Only negative is:
1. it does not fold
2: the bow and stern kit isn't worth the extra money. It's a simple rope with a s-hook. Unless you don't mind making knots... (I am not very good at it)I would recommend instead to buy the model at $103.46 and a ratchet strap kit.
NOTE: we use velcro tie-wraps to secure the hanging red side load straps.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Malone Autoloader almost perfectAug 19, 2009
By micven55
I purchased the kayak carrier with the intention of using it on my wife's matrix. We have the Thule aftermarket rack (the factory roof rails start too far back on the roof to be of any use) and when I put the carriers on the load bars the one on the front bar was tilted forward and the one on the back bar was tilted back. This was due the fact the the thule bars were not level, a fault of the thule design. There is no adjustment on the carriers to correct for this. I ended up using the carriers on my Mazda 3 which also has an aftermarket thule rack. This time the bars were level and the carriers both were level. No problem putting the kayak on and securing it.
I would recommend this product, just make sure your load bars are level, not a problem for yakima racks.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Would buy again!Aug 05, 2011
By Andrey
After trying to decide between the Autoloader and the Seawing, I went with the Autoloader. However, Amazon sent me a Seawing by mistake, so I got a chance to take a look at it as well. I have to say that the fit of my kayaks (2 Delta 12s) on the Seawing was not as good as I thought it would be, it didn't fit quite as well as I hoped. The only benefit to the Seawing is the slightly more aerodynamic shape of the carrier & the kayak position, although I've driven with 2 empty sets of Autoloaders on the highway and didn't hear much noise (no rack fairing installed either). Also, in my opinion, I like that the Autoloaders take much less space on my roof and when I'm tired I can just plop the kayaks on the loading step and push them into the rack.
Now for the actual product - very sturdy and does indeed flex to fit your kayak. Won't rust. Extremely easy to install and remove - in fact, this may be a con if you are like me and worry about leaving the carriers on your roof in sketchy places. Unscrewing the t-knobs by hand to remove the rack would take no more than 30 seconds. I've thought of putting nylon locking nuts on the screws just to deter the 'honest' people, but if someone wants your carrier/rack, they'll take it.
I have not had any problems with the straps that are included, in fact, I like them very much. You are supposed to pre-dress the carrier by feeding the straps through the top, put your kayak in, then throw the straps over the kayak - I've had some difficulty with straps twisting at this step here, which makes it difficult to pull them through for the next step, but it's not too bad and I'm getting the hang of it - you just need to carefully slide the strap the right side up over the hull.
I strongly encourage you to use the bow & stern lines, although the ones that come with the carriers are nothing special. I use a hitch knot and so far no problems with it loosening. I am concerned that the hooks do not provide a permanent attachment point - if a bow/stern line were to develop some slack, possibly in a catastrophic scenario, the hook would detach from the car. I may use carabiners to replace the hooks.
I have the same problem as mikven55 with the load bars not being level and therefore the cradles not being parallel to the ground. It's not a huge deal, actually.
One thing I want to complain/warn about is the T-knobs - it's possible to overtighten them, and I had two of them crack/crumble in the hexagonal portion. As a result, some of the rubber covering the metal adapters has ripped, but I am going to fix this with some Plasti-Dip. The cracking has lead me to reverse all the knobs so that the hexagonal portion points away from the rack and it's the flat portion that presses against the metal. I contacted the company and they sent me not two, but 8 replacements! Excellent service! I like that you can buy replacement parts as well.
Taking one star away because of the crumbling of T-knobs, but overall, I am very happy with the product and the support!
See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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