etrailer | How the Malone SeaWing Kayak Roof Rack with Load Assist Fits - 2013 Ford Focus

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Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-m...
Hi everyone, it's Evangeline right here at etrailer. Today we are taking a look at the Malone SeaWing saddle-style carrier with the Load Assist in the back. and we're seeing how it fits here on our 2013 Ford Focus. Now right off the bat, if you are looking to carry some kayaks on the roof of your Focus, like the owner of this vehicle does, the nice thing is that your roof rack sits pretty close to the ground, makes it a little easier to load your kayaks up. The downside is you do have to get your roof rack first. So if you don't yet have a roof rack, you can find one custom fit for your vehicle here at etrailer.

And if you would like to get the best experience, try to find a roof rack with the most height clearance that you can find and that will help you out a lot. The Load Assist on the SeaWing is called the Stinger. That's gonna be- (Evangeline taps) this right over here. When you have it in the loose position, you're able to adjust the Stinger out. (Stinger snaps) In its fully extended position, the way it's supposed to work is that the Stinger sits on the roof, there is a rubber pad underneath so you're not damaging your roof, and that's where your kayak sits as you load it up and onto the car.

Now as you can see here on our Focus, the downside to the height of the Stinger is it's a little bit lower than the height of your spoiler. So, you may have contact with the spoiler of your vehicle if you are loading your kayak completely from the rear. What some people do is they kind of go at an angle and then they pivot up and onto the carrier. Or the owner of the vehicle, he just side loads his kayak. So that's just something to keep in mind.

So my suggestion for you is if you are only carrying kayaks with your Ford Focus, maybe check out the Malone SeaWing without the Stinger Load Assist bracket, mainly because you won't be able to fully utilize it. However, the owner of this vehicle also owns a Toyota 4Runner, so he is using his kayak here on both vehicles and on the 4Runner he does like using that Stinger, so that's the reason he still prefers this one. So if that's the case for you, if you do have an alternate vehicle or you're planning on using this kayak here, even when you change vehicles, this is gonna still be a great saddle-style carrier. And when I say a saddle-style, what I mean is that the carrier supports the kayak by the hull. So the kayak is sitting on top of the carrier supported on both sides by these straps.

The straps are included with your kayak carrier, as well as the bow and stern straps in the front and the back. So everything is included. All you need to do is attach it to your roof rack and tie the kayak down. The Malone SeaWing carrier has a weight capacity of 75 pounds for your kayak. If you want to, you could still load a second kayak on top of your Focus. The carrier itself is 27 and a half inches long and that's gonna be the width of the kayak. Your wider kayaks may be wider than even that and that will help you figure out if you have enough space on your roof for two kayaks if needed. Just remember that when you add kayaks and you add all that weight, try not to exceed the weight capacity of either your roof rack or your roof weight capacity. So whichever has the lowest capacity of them all, follow that number. But with that, there is plenty of space here for up to two kayaks. I like the saddle-style version because your kayaks sit a little closer to your roof and they're not sticking way up as if you we inchesre J-style carrying them With a kayak sitting and resting on its hull, another perk to that design is that you are more likely to have a bit more hatch clearance. Now I undid the rear rope here so that I'm able to open up our hatch door and you can see that while we can't fully open up the door since the spoiler does make contact with the kayak, this is still plenty of clearance to grab things like paddles (hatch door slams) or life jackets or a change of clothes for when you go out kayaking. This rope is included with your kit and it also has a metal hook underneath. You are gonna have to find a location, ideally metal, to secure that metal hook. It's gonna be the same upfront by the hood. There is a good spot over by the frame to secure this metal hook to, but avoid all the plastic parts around th