I recently got into kayaking and I needed a rack to carry my boat. I also just bought a new 2004 Toyota Prius and being a brand new hybrid-electric car that just came out, I didn't know if I should expect racks to already fit this car or I'm just out of luck. My local kayak store where I am demo'ing my boats, California Canoe & Kayak, only carries Yakima and they couldn't help me out. I tried several different towers from Yakima, and they just wouldn't do it on my car at all. I thought I was just out of luck until I went to REI in San Carlos to see if they had more to offer. And they did. I totally forgot about Thule, the brand I grew up with as an avid skier in British Columbia. Turns out, they were right on top of their game and had a fit for my car. The 2004 Toyota Prius takes a 400XT Aerodynamic footing with a fit kit, you can visit www.thuleracks.com. I didn't end up buying the rack system from REI because they didn't have my parts, but Sports Rack in Belmont did. Pricing was the same but Sports Rack people were extremely helpful.

The rack works great, and for my kayak saddles, I chose the sticky, high-brace one for up front (I think it's callled the Set-And-Go), and the Rollercoaster with the slidepads for the rear. I really would not recommend any kayaker getting both front and rear slide pads or rollers (the Yakima version) since it offers much less brace. You'll need that high-brace kind of saddle for maximum stability in crosswinds or highway speeds. I actually got the gliding pads for the rear at first but self-loading was so much easier I went with the RollerCoaster after one weekend. The guys at sports rack let me exchange it and upgrade it for no extra cost! They didn't have the part in stock, but they didn't what me to go to another store, so they exchanged the display model for me at the same price, so I saved $20. No biggie but it's nice to see vendors be flexible.

The rack was easy to install with no tools required, and it looks quite nice too-- it gives my car an atheletic look. Kayaks are fastened securely and I am quite happy with it so far. The rachet that comes with the tie-down straps is pretty useless though due to the open-angled hook that has a hard time attaching to anything. I prefer knots anyway since I also sail on the Bay, and I trust my knots over a wobbly rachet anyday.

My only complaint is the windnoise and apparent reduction in my fuel consumption efficiency on the Prius. I think the rack is costing me about 2 MPG. My Prius used to get about 45mpg in SF Bay Area driving. I am going to REI again today to see if I can do something about the windnoise by getting the Thule Fairing, which is a type of spoiler that goes on the front of the rack.