Thule Hullavator Demo and Review

Thule Hullavator 899.00

Product Name: Thule Hullavator Pro

Product Description: The Thule Hullavator helps you to get that kayak on the top of your vehicle if you're like me and your arms are just not strong enough!

Brand: Thule

GTIN-8: 00091021607026

Offer price: 899.95

Currency: USD

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• Users

• Ease of Installation
  (3)
• Provides significant assist to lift kayak.
  (4.5)
• Reliability
  (4)
• Price
  (2)

Overall

3.4

Thule Hullavator Pro Review Summary

The Thule Hullavator Pro is expensive! But it’s great at what it does — helping you get your kayak onto the roof of the car.

Pros

• Provides substantial assistance with lifting the kayak onto the roof.
• Comes with easy-to-use straps and tie-downs and securely fastens the kayak to the car roof.
• Sideloading. This means I can park on the street at my favorite launching spot, and if someone parks behind me, I can still get the kayak back on the car.
• It has a high profile, but this helps me locate my car in busy parking lots. This may beg the question of whether I should even be kayaking if I can’t find my own car. We refer to this as “wearing the horns” and bowing to other passing vehicles and proudly sporting them.

Cons

• The Hullavator asks me to deadlift the entire kayak to get it onto the lowered Hullavator bars. This is easier if you are putting it onto a low car but harder if you have a high roof.
• Due to the extra height, many parking garages are off-limits.
• I’ve had some trouble with one of the Hullavator units that does not consistently want to lock down, likely an issue as my Hullavators are older. I’ve learned from awkward experiences getting my kayak off the rack that I need to double-check this unit carefully before I attempt to remove the kayak.
• Though I’ve read that it’s “easy to install,” we didn’t consider installing it that easy, and I so proudly carry my “horns” atop my car for most of the season.
• The price

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• Thule Hullavator on Amazon
• Thule Hullavator Product Page

My history with the Thule Hullavator Pro

Thule Hullavator Pro Rooftop Kayak Carrier

• Lift-assist kayak rack designed to easily load and unload on your own
• Gas-assist struts lift and lower 40 lbs of the kayak’s weight
• Load and unload your kayak at waist height thanks to double extending arms
• 8 touch points of padded support for maximum protection
• Corrosion-resistant kayak cradles expand to fit wide kayaks

$894.77

Buy on Amazon

I was fortunate to purchase two Thule Hullavators a few years ago (if you need clarification, that’s two pairs of Hullavators—it takes a pair to lift a kayak). From what I can see, there’s little difference between my Hullavators and the Hullavator Pro model currently being sold.

Some of the issues I’ve had with my Hullavators may stem from them being older, but it gives you a general idea of some of the problems you may face over time. After all, if you’re spending in the $500-$600 range to lift one kayak, you want to ensure the product you’re purchasing is durable. Mine has just a bit of rust, but they’ve been repeatedly exposed to the elements, and except for the occasional episode of finding one unit is not locked down fully when I go to lift the kayak off, they’re still working pretty well after years of use.

How it Works

The Hullavator is a side-loading kayak lift with a gas-assist mechanism that can lift up to 40 lbs of your boat’s weight. Once it’s on the rack, you can strap the kayak onto it using the provided straps, and the tie-downs are also easy to use.

The downside is that you need to get that kayak up on the rack before the Hullavator helps you lift it overhead. On my Subaru Outback, that’s about waist-high for me — it was even more so when I was using the Hullavator atop a minivan. I can do so with my 44lb kayak, but don’t take my preferred 16′ kayak out by myself because, for me, the weight is prohibitive. I’ve tried sliding the kayak onto the Hullavator from the back, but there’s some wiggle, I find it challenging and awkward, and I worry about doing damage to the Hullavator. So, I end up doing a deadlift onto the rack.

Installation

Click here for the product manual/installation instructions from Thule. If you’re wondering how it installs, here’s a video from Thule:

Specifications:

Here are some things I’ve learned by experimenting with the Hullavator on racks over the years:

• Works with Thule square bars.
• I can confirm by experience that the Thule Hullavator works with Yakima Round Bars. Lately, I’ve been using mine on a 2019 Subaru Outback with Skyline Towers. For this setup, you also need Yakima Landing Pad 15 and the SL Round Bar Adapters. I was a bit worried at first as this setup seemed to be less stable than the square bars, but it’s been doing just fine with safely towing my kayaks around. It does NOT work with Yakima aero-style bars. My video may be slightly incorrect in saying it does not work with ANY aero bars (that was my husband’s impression). I’ve heard of them being used with aero-style Thule bars with modifications.
• The bars you use must extend out from the car a bit — it will not work, for instance, with the integrated Subaru Outback bars. On my Subaru with Yakima bars, the 58″ bars do the trick!
• If you have a tall vehicle and are short (or just a wimp, like me), you might need to bring a step-stool!

Brief Instructions:

I said this would be a “how-to” and a Thule Hullavator review. If you want installation instructions, it’s best to watch the video above and read the directions that come with your Hullavator. But as far as using it once it’s on your vehicle, here are the steps. It’s pretty easy:

1. Remove the pins! I can tell you that on a bad day, I’ve failed to remove a pin and then wondered why my Hullavator wouldn’t release.
2. Squeeze the handles on both Hullavators and pull them out and down until they lock into place.
3. Put your kayak on the Hullavator. It should be evenly centered. I think it’s best if the straps don’t go over the cockpit, but on some kayaks, this is unavoidable to some degree.
4. Thread the provided straps through the big loops at the top and bottom of the Hullavator. Then thread the end of the strap through the cam buckle and pull it tight. The Hullavator has a pocket where you can tuck in the loose end of the strap.
5. Squeeze both handles at once, and the Hullavator will assist you in lifting your kayak STRAIGHT UP. When I’ve allowed people to use my Hullavator, I’ve found that often they expect it to just flip the kayak right up onto my car and try to force it to do so. No! This is a two-step process. The kayak goes straight up and then stops there.
6. Now it’s time to flip the kayak onto the top of the car. Squeeze the handles again and rotate them to get the kayak to flip down onto the top of your car. Make sure the Hullavator has locked into place.
7. Replace the pins. This is a very important step!
8. Now, you can use the tie-downs. They have a locking pulley to make it easy to tighten them. Ensure you find a secure location on your kayak and a metal, not plastic, location under your car. On one car I had, I couldn’t do this, so I fashioned a rope loop that went through a metal hole under the hood and came out through the hood when I needed it. This was a perfect location to tie down the kayak in front.

Thule Hullavator Review Summary:

Would I recommend the Thule Hullavator? In one word: YES! If mine broke, I think I’d repurchase one. I haven’t tried all of the other kayak racks out on the market (and there are other side-assist racks out there), but I suspect that the Hullavator, with its gas-assist mechanism, beats them all.

This Thule Hullavator review is in our extras section, which is off-topic content. You can read bike-related reviews here.