Yakima Big Catch Saddles: First Impression

Since switching to fishing from the Old Town Topwater PDL I've been looking for a better saddle system for car topping a variety of hull designs and I think I found one. The Yakima Big Catch is rated for up to 150 lbs and seems to work well for the variety of kayaks I own.

Thanks for the review. I have been struggling loading my kayak on my roof so I may give those a try.

Hi - I have a tandem Hobie that weighs about 120 naked.
I use the Yakima big catch on my 4Runner with factory bars.
They are solid and carry the kayak nicely although I've read that the factory bars might not hold the weight as well as something stronger.
Now if I could just power it up onto the roof alone....

I just ordered 2 of these. Kind of spendy, but I get  a nice discount through work, so that helped quite a bit. Hoping I can fit 2 hobies on my truck rack as well as a rod holder for my longer trips out east. Most of the time I just throw a single in my bed for solo local trips.

Two outbacks and a rod holder was optimistic thinking. I might be able to mount the rod holder upside down with a few mods to keep the rods from falling out when the rod holder is open.

What model car is that rack system mounted on?   I'm very curious about the Showboat bar system -- I wonder if that could work for my Prius, but it's got a plastic spoiler that extends to the hatchback of the car, so I'm not sure if the Showboat would work.  I'd like to make an easier solo loading system for a variety of kayaks.  Nice video.  I like the Big Catch Saddles too.

Mine is on a Toyota Tundra with XL HD bars. It easily fits 2 outbacks, just no extra room for a rod holder. I can easily bungee rods to the bars if needed, but was hoping for a cleaner/lockable solution. I have some ideas, but definitely will require some customization. I haven't found any other good solutions out there.

What model car is that rack system mounted on?   I'm very curious about the Showboat bar system -- I wonder if that could work for my Prius, but it's got a plastic spoiler that extends to the hatchback of the car, so I'm not sure if the Showboat would work.  I'd like to make an easier solo loading system for a variety of kayaks.  Nice video.  I like the Big Catch Saddles too.

I have a Toyota RAV4. The bar and roller can only move back so far but for most vehicles it should allow you to rest the nose of the kayak up with risk of hitting the window.

After having some time on these saddles, I have to say that I love them. I've never had a strap loosen up on me, and I don't stress about them at highway speeds like I used to with other mounts.

ThanBks for the video! I had been looking to get some real saddles for my Compass vs. my janky padded 2x4s  I had made.  A bit hesitant on their size and ability to use on "normal" rec kayaks.  Ended up getting a set of "hullhounds" from Rerack instead since they had/have a killer deal.  Anyone else notice that the Hobie PA in the Yakima photos for the Big Catch had Next Adventure stickers!?