Sherpa rack, 2001 Sequoia and 4 kayaks.

[Ryker]

Hello everyone, new guy here. I have a 2001 sequoia limited And I’m in the early stages of making it a kayaking and camping set up for my family of 4. I’ve owned the rig for a number of years but due to my sons health issues, it haven’t been a priority. I’m planning to build a sleeping platform for my wife and I and we’ll use a tent and cots for the boys. My main goal is to not have to haul a trailer and I’m wondering if the Sherpa rack will allow me to transport 4 basic fishing kayaks on top? I THINK it will and I always overdo straps. It will have front and rear tie downs as well as straps around the middle X2. its only a little over 200 lbs in weight so I don’t see that as a problem, just the bulk of it that has me perplexed. I hadn't Planned to use any stackers or other Yakima/Thule components, just the Sherpa rack and straps.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.

 

[Viking1204]

I don't think it will be a problem, I'm assuming due to the kayak widths you'd double stack them side by side on top and just tie them down good with ratchet straps.

 

[Ryker]

I don't think it will be a problem, I'm assuming due to the kayak widths you'd double stack them side by side on top and just tie them down good with ratchet straps.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I had planned to lay them all on their side, wrapped twice across ways and running the straps under the rack. Then also using front and rear tie downs on my hood and hatch for extra security. I think it’ll work but just wanted an outside opinion in case I’m missing something glaring. Thank you.

 

[yazanabbas11]

Buying the inexpensve racks that sit on the roof might save you a few bucks now, but they'll also sand the paint off your roof and you'll spend more later to get it repainted. And you'll be lucky if you don't dent the roof trying to tighten them down enough to keep them from going airborne.

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[Old Tanker]

...I’m wondering if the Sherpa rack will allow me to transport 4 basic fishing kayaks on top?

Sherpa racks are a 1/4 20 erector set - a blank slate with lots of possibilities for customization as you add parts from tnutz.com or McMaster-Carr (stick with 316 stainless washers, bolts, and nuts as much as you can). The Sherpa smileys are great for connecting straps. You could zip tie noodle-style cushions to the crossbars to protect the kayaks as you strap them down.

No concerns about the weight, but I would watch for any lift created by the kayaks - if the front mounts of the roof rack aren't bolted through the roof you could get some chattering vibration on the front end.

 

[TexasLandman]

I have an 07 with the Sherpa rack. After reading your post I got curious myself and pulled my Yakima hullraiser rack off the shelf. I only have one Yak but I laid the front and rear side by side to kind of get an idea on how much space 4 across would take.
The sequoia rack is 49” width (inside to inside). It would be tight to fit 4 mounts in that space but I’m not saying it couldn’t be done. I think the height of each kayak would dictate your spacing. Again… you could get creative and make it work. Maybe place wider square bars on top of the Sherpa rack to allow the outside racks to overhang a bit and space out the yak mounts. It’s doable….
3 for sure with no problems.

 

[Ryker]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I plan to set everything up today and see how it goes. I’ll put some pics up after we’re done. Wish me luck.

 

[Ryker]

Worked pretty good. 4 fishing kayaks on the Sherpa rack for an 01 sequoia. I ran two cam straps around the middle, two guidelines to each corner of the hood and 1 guideline on the back. I used paracord for the guidelines and used nite ize cam jam carabiners to lock them down. When we put them on the rack, I had the hatch open and slid them back to within an inch of the spoiler. Each kayak is just under 10’, weighs approx. 52 lbs and the height of the total package was approx. 8’ 3”. Now I do not have a lift on my sequoia, just bilsteins on the front to level it out. We drove approx 100 miles round trip and I did stop halfway there to snug it all up but it was on pretty good. I may use ratchet straps next time vs cam straps.