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Thule 854 Water Slide Kayak Carrier Accessory Mat

Thule 854 Water Slide Kayak Carrier Accessory Mat
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Thule 854 Water Slide Kayak Carrier Accessory Mat

 
 
List Price: $39.95
Our Price: $35.95
You Save: $4.00 (10%)
Shipping: This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
 
SKU:  

ARLXXXXXXX-31100959

In Stock
Availability:   Usually ships in 1 business days
 
 

Note: Item may be sold and shipped by another company. Learn more.


Features
  • Covers vehicle below rear kayak saddles to protect your paint jobs when loading a canoe or kayak onto a roof rack

  • Non-skid underside and two bar straps hold mat in place while loading and unloading

  • Smooth top surface protects the boat and vehicle in case of contact

  • Universal straps wrap around any and all styles of roof rack bars

  • Dimensions: 36" L x 24" W; Thule Racks Lifetime Warranty


Description

The Thule 854 Water Slide Mat is an ingeniously simple way to protect your vehicle’s finish when you’re loading and unloading a boat from a canoe rack or kayak rack. The Thule 854 Water Slide Mat has a non-skid underside and two bar straps that hold the mat in place while the smooth top surface allows your canoe or kayak to slide easily onto a car rooftop canoe rack or kayak rack. When you’re finished, the Thule Water Slide quickly rolls and stows away


Product Details
Product Length:24.25 inches
Product Width:3.75 inches
Product Height:3.75 inches
Product Weight:0.98 pounds
Package Length:24.0 inches
Package Width:5.3 inches
Package Height:4.8 inches
Package Weight:1.35 pounds
Average Customer Rating: based on 13 reviews

Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:4.5 ( 13 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 found the following review helpful:


5Loading my 12 foot Kayak became easy  Sep 13, 2009 By Dr. Wilfredo M. Viray "Wally"
I have a Toyota Sienna Minivan with a Factory roof rack. The roof rack far enough away from the rear of the van that when I stand up the kayak on the back of the van and lean it at a 45 degree angle, the Kayak is a good 3 feet away from the rack. The only way to load my Kayak on to the roof rack is if I were to slide the kayak on the rear roof edge of the car and use that as a fulcrum.

The problem with sliding a 50 pound 12 foot long Kayak on the edge of the roof is that it will destroy the paint. So you will need to cover the paint with something so that there is not contact with the Car roof and the Kayak. It has to have a low coefficient of friction so that it will not scratch the underside of the kayak. It also must be able to stay in place as you slide the kayak. So the top part must be super smooth for the bottom of the kayak, and the underside must be extremely grippy that it will not slide off the roof, with the kayak. I tried the following:

1. Small Rug - I was going to use it, but I could see how, although it may help slide the Kayak, it will scratch the paint of my car.
2. Towel - A kayakers best friend. Towels have so many uses in roof loading kayaks. It will protect your paint, if it doesnt slide off. I have had an experience when it did slide off and my kayak came craching to the ground. It was a good thing I had rubber mats all over the ground in case it happened. That was when I decided to buy this Thule Water Slide.

This is all you need to do to use the Water Slide.

1. Attach or place the Water Slide on the back of your car as seen in the picture of the product.
2. Put a carpet or rubber mat on the ground behind your car.
3. Put your Kayak on the carpet or mat on the ground behind you car so that it is parallel to your car.
4. Lift up the nose of your kayak and lean it against the back of your car, reating on the Thule Water slide.
5. Go to the rear of your Kayak and just slide it onto your roof rack.

That is it. Very easy. I used to have my family help load my kayak, but now, I can do it myself. Another excellent product from the best Kayak racking system, Thule. Enjoy your life, GO KAYAKING! See you on the water.

17 of 17 found the following review helpful:


5So much help for so little money...  Jun 25, 2010 By Honest John
As the other reviewers say, the Thule Waterslide really does work much better than a towel or rug, and it costs no more. It's a good size and well made with cushioning to protect your car. Your kayak easily slides on it and the velcro straps make it quick to attach with a sure grip. Unlike other Thule and Yakima rack products, the Waterslide is also fairly priced for what it is. It's an essential part of my system to raise and gently lower my Delta 12-10 kayak onto my Volvo XC70 roof using the Thule Roll Model roller with the glide and set saddles.

Because the Waterslide is so slippery, your boat can unexpectedly slide off the back of your car at the wrong time in the wrong direction when you can't catch it. One drop of my boat on the ramp tarmac taught me that lesson. So I now use my bow line rolled over the front roof rack as a guide and a brace to hold my kayak in place while raising and lowering it. I hold the line in my right hand to steady the bow, and then gently pull or slowly release the line to prevent the boat from sliding too quickly off the car. I keep my left hand on the boat hull to guide and support its weight. From my experience, I also highly recommend the Stowaway Kayak Cart for $59 at LLBean to complete a sensible loading system that can be used by one person. This well-built cart easily attaches to the stern of my kayak to support much of its weight during loading, unloading, and rolling my boat to the ramp. I'm a guy aged 62 with tendonitis who isn't planning to get any stronger at lifting boats, but I have used some extra thought to devise an affordable and portable loading/moving system that works for me...

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


4Protects the paint!  Aug 14, 2010 By DK
I have a 13 foot long Necky Manitou that I carry on the top of my van with a Thule Glide and Set. This handy little device allows me to load a kayak myself without scratching the paint. I couldn't load by myself without this product. My only complaint is that in even relatively slow breezes the whole thing can catch the wind and stop protecting the van. I now clip my jumper cables to the bottom of the mat in order to prevent it from flipping up in a breeze.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


5kayak confidence  Jun 03, 2010 By Karen Farago "graceful kayaks"
Both my niece and I are short and I have a Town & Country van she has a Rav4, which makes it hard to load our kayaks. The Thule 854 water slide has made things very simple for us and we now do not worry about scratching the paint on either vehicle. We can even load the kayaks by ourselves if we have to. what a great little product with a great price.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


4Really Works  Jun 26, 2009 By J. Edwards "'grey mom"
Does not slide off much as the towel I used to use, don't know how it will perform long term, but right now it seems like the perfect answer.

See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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