Fenn Millenium in a Yakima Mako Saddles

Hi,

Yesterday, I transported my Fenn Millenium in a Yakima Mako Saddles. I used the buckle straps and didn't use the tie downs front and rear. I drove around 5 miles at 35 MPH and it seems that the surfski would break in pieces. My questions are the following: (1) Does anyone used the Yakima Mako Saddles for long trips and 60pmh without using the tie downs front and rear. (2) Any idea how I can use the tie downs front and rear in a Surfski that doesn't have anything to attach the strap to the front and rear site. (3)Based on your personal experience, it is normal to feel that the surfski looks like is gonna broke in pieces.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciate it.

I have carried my glass Mako Mill for years on Yakima Mako saddles. The spacing is such that it gets strapped across the front area between the foot pedals and the drain plug on top deck, as well maybe 12" behind the cockpit seat. I have driven thousands of miles at fast speeds and it's rock solid. Use some contact cement and glue layers of minicel foam to the saddles for a better, tighter fit. I use some minicel yakima mako adapters that Huki.com sells. Never have used tie downs and I doubt you'd need them unless your rack spacing was very close. The Mako saddles flex a bit, but It's never been a problem for me. Just don't ride close behind a tractor trailer on the interstate..

What is the spacing between your bars ? If they ar too clos, that may be the problem. My bars seems to be spaced just like postal256's ones.

I also carry a Millenium on Yakima racks with Mako saddles. Like Postal256, I have never had a problem at highway speeds. My crossbars are 38 inches apart. On long trips I try to avoid driving behind large trucks due to the turbulance. The movement you see is the inherent flexibility in the saddles, not the ski flexing. But it is disconcerting. Just for peace of mind, I loosely loop a piece of rope around the ski on the front crossbar. If the front strap should ever break, it will provide an extra margin of safety. Kind of like a "leg leash" for your racks!

Space between bars is 31 inches. Don't you think that probably the factory crossbars are not hard enough?

31 inches is really minimal. I don't use the factory crossbars. I use the Yakima crossbars which give me another precious 7 inches of spread on the factory rails. My car is a Subaru Outback. I have no doubt that the factory crossbars are strong enough, but with only 31 inches of spread there will be considerable torque on your ski at speed.

As others have said it is the bar spacing that is the problem. I carry my evo on a saturn that has a very small bar spread.

I have a cord with a loop in one end and a clip on the other that I loop over the bow, lead the cord back over the foot pegs and clip off to the leash point. That gives me a loop near the bow (about two feet from) that won't slide off. I tie this off to the car and it helps keep the swaying under control. It also provides back up in case of a problem with the rack.

So far it's been working out really well.

yea, I've got 74" between racks right now, the benefit of driving a station wagon.. but it used to be quite a bit shorter and I'd still carry my Fenn double on it. I did drive 1000 miles once with my single on a Camry and don't recall it being any problem, and I think it was 32" spacing.. the boat just moved around more.