Since acquiring our ISLE Glider Wood SUP’s last year (May 2019), we knew the need would eventually arise to upgrade to a rack system that would allow us to transport both of the boards and the kayak simultaneously. Since we have a big vacation planned this summer where we will want to bring everything, we upgraded the factory installed roof rack on our 2014 Chevy Tahoe to the Yakima Skyline System with the JetStream Cross Bar. This yakima rack system provides the ULTIMATE convenience and safety for transportation of these silent sport water toys.
INSTALLATION: the installation Yakima Skyline System was a breeze and took less than an hour. The first order of business was to remove the factory cross bars. Each vehicle is slightly different, and I needed to remove the rear section of the rail from the roof of the Tahoe in order to slide off the factory cross bars. However, prior to the removal of them, I noted their position so I could place the Landing Pads into the proper position once I had secured the rails back onto the Tahoe.
The Yakima Landing Pads are vehicle specific. Since my Tahoe is a 2014, it was a slight challenge to locate the Landing Pads since they have been changed for newer vehicle models. Once these were secured, I moved onto securing the JetStream Cross Bars to the SkyLine Towers. Note: I watched the Yakima installation video, and I walked through the setup provided in the direction packet as well. Once the first set were semi-secure, I repeated the procedure with the second set, which went smoothly as well.
After securing the SkyLine Towers to the Landing Pads, I made certain the JetStream Cross Bars were properly positioned equally across the roof of the Tahoe. Once the adjustments were made, I leveled the JetStream Bars and proceeded to tighten all of the remaining contact points. Once installed, the remaining time was spent dialing in the JetStream Cross Bars and placing the Yakima SupDawg Rack and SweetRoll Rack on the cross bars.
ADVANTAGES:
a) Installation: as mentioned previously, this system was super easy to install – I was able to complete it without any assistance. However, if you happen to have a buddy available, that would make the process easier and a touch quicker.
b) Fit: the fit is rock solid! This is due to the fact that the Landing Pads to which the SkyLine Towers mount to are specific to each vehicle. I am confident that the rack under load will not detach from my Tahoe.
c) Customization: the ability to choose the applicable size JetStream Cross Bars for your needs is a huge advantage. In our case, we needed the 70″ JetStream Bars to allow transport of the Perception Tandem Kayak and the ISLE Glider Wood SUP’s simultaneously.
d) Options: the ability to remove the rack from the vehicle when not in use is awesome, as this would reduce drag and save fuel over time, and would be easy to accomplish. However, if you are like myself, I intend to leave the rack on my Tahoe permanently. The SkyLine Towers also lock to the Landing Pads to prevent theft, but the SKS Locks have to be purchased separately.
DRAWBACKS:
a) Locks: having to purchase the SKS Locks separately is kind of a bummer. Note: two to three times per year, Yakima typically offers a 20% Off Sale, usually around the Memorial Day Holiday, Labor Day Holiday and again late October/early November.
b) Overall Design: I have not been able to find a design flaw with this rack system, but I will post an update if something were to change in this regard. With that said, however, I do notice some whistling from the JetStream Bars while traveling at speeds near 45 to 55mph, but at higher speeds it not noticeable.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I do not want to over simplify how easy the installation of the Yakima SkyLine System was to install, but in this case, it went smoothly. Pairing any Yakima product to the JetStream Cross Bars would be easy as well. We purchased the SykLine System with the JetStream Bars prior to the Memorial Holiday to take advantage of the Yakima 20% Off Sale.
Overall: Excellent Purchase
Price Paid: $179.99 – SkyLine Towers, $175.19 – 70″ JetStream Bars, $47.99 – SKS Lock Cores & $104.80 – Landing Pad 1 (2 Sets) ***Note: All Prices noted are after the Yakima 20% Off Sale
Place Purchased: REI & Rack Attack Golden (Landing Pads)
Link to Yakima Website: Yakima
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