Malone Foam Block for Kayaks and Stand-Up Paddleboards - 24" Long - Qty 1

Video Transcript for Malone Foam Block Style Kayak Carrier Review

Hi, everyone, this is Angeline here at etrailer, and today we are looking at the Malone foam blocks for kayaks here at etrailer. This comes in two different ways, so you can get the deluxe kayak carrier, which comes with two foam blocks as well as tie-down straps, all that you need to tie down your kayak to your vehicle, or you can just get the foam block on its own. This comes in the size 18 inches as well as 24 inches. Malone has foam blocks in different shapes and sizes, depending on your needs. What we have here are the ones with indents towards the middle, because they are perfect for your kayaks, but if you're also trying to bring a stand-up paddleboard, we have some that are straight across, or short and squat if you have your larger boats or larger canoes. You can check them all out here at etrailer.com.

These have the weight capacity of 50 pounds per boat. What I have here are the 18 inch long foam blocks. You can see how they support our kayak on this roof. They work with crossbars, and they fit most style crossbars, arrow, elliptical, and even your round crossbars, but you can also put them on your naked roof. Underneath, you have this non-skid rubber layer, and it's a good layer there, it's nice and thick, thicker than some of your other blocks, but what I'm most impressed of is its grip.

So, here on our door, you can see how it really grips onto the door. It has the same effect on your naked roof, which will really help and you don't have to worry about it slipping or skidding off of your roof. When you do mount it to your crossbars, you are gonna have to open up this opening just to wrap it around the crossbars. You may be worried about if you pull it too wide, if you might break it. Now, don't worry about it.

'Cause as you can see, I have it where it's angled all the way open, but it swings or springs back into place, and that's how strong that foam is. I'm actually pretty impressed by this construction. This is a very heavy-duty foam. You can see how I'm trying to make indents or trying to squeeze it, and it's really strong and sturdy. You can also see how this style has that indent towards the middle, and that's to allow for a better fit on your kayak.

If you have your stand-up paddleboards, they have a version of this that is straight across. So just pick the block that fits your boat. Once you do finally get it on your crossbar, it has a very narrow opening underneath, which means it's really gonna clamp on or hold on to that crossbar. You do have a little bit of a wobble there, but that's okay because once your kayak or your boat is on there, that's gonna hold it down and keep it secured. Let's take a look at some measurements. So, the width of the block is 4 3/4 inches wide. The height in total is about 3 3/4 inches. Now, this depends on your actual crossbars on your vehicle, or if you're using this on a naked roof, but on our factory crossbars, from the top of the crossbar to the top of the block, it's 2 1/2 inches. From the bottom of the crossbar to the bottom of the block, it's about half an inch. The blocks can be used on your naked roof or they can attach to your crossbars. So, let's take a look at the install process onto your crossbars. There's different ways to do this, depending on how much work you want to put into it. What I like to do is just start on the ends and just pull apart those ends to wrap around the crossbar, and then I just try to feed it through. And see, here, on our factory crossbars, which are actually on the smaller side compared to your aftermarket crossbars, they are pretty difficult to put on, which shows how snug they are to the crossbars themselves. I like it. It's just the first initial setup that can be a little tricky. Your kit comes with straps, so we're gonna start with the two black ones. These are the nine foot long black straps. And you're gonna insert them into your foam blocks. While we're here, let's talk about where you should put those foam blocks. If you have crossbars, of course put them on your crossbars. If you have this on a naked roof, try to imaging cutting your kayak into thirds, and then place them at each of the third points for the best weight distribution. Now, once you have the black straps installed, these will connect your blocks to your kayak, so secure them both together. Once those parts are secured, you then secure the kayak to the vehicle itself. If you're installing this on a naked roof, you can attach the blocks to the kayak first with them on the ground and then put them on the roof. But since I'm doing it with the crossbars, I've found that the easiest way to do it was to install the blocks first onto the crossbars, and then attach the kayak, but it's really up to you which works best, as long as they're both secured. The full kit comes with two green straps as well, and these are gonna be used to secure your kayak to the vehicle. So I already installed the first one, and we'll install the second one together. What you're gonna need to do is get the, the end that does not have a buckle, and you're just gonna have to throw that as far across the kayak as you can and then catch it on the other side. You're then gonna thread the other end through that buckle, and then try to get it as tight as you can on both ends. What I like to do is I like to hang one side down, then I tighten the other, and then the other, until they're both as evenly tightened down as I can get it, and try to get as best of a fit as you can get. If you do have a naked roof or a type with just normal doors, this is a great way to strap down your kayak. Here on our minivan, we do have the sliding door, so you can also take advantage of the crossbars already on your vehicle and just use the straps to strap it down to your crossbar. Either way will secure your kayak and your blocks to your vehicle. The deluxe carrier comes with bow and stern tie-down ropes that come with S-hooks, in order to secure them to your vehicle front and back end. Please make sure to install these to your kayak before you go off onto the road. But, with those installed, that's it, and that's how you install a kayak to your Malone foam blocks. My final thoughts about this foam block is I'm really impressed by the sturdy construction of the foam. It's really nice and durable. Now, it was pretty difficult to put onto our crossbars, and it took a little bit of muscle, but once it's on, it's on. I'm also impressed by the grippy underside, because I think it will really work well with your naked roof, as long as you strap it down properly, so please, try to pick the deluxe kayak carrier that comes with that tie-down kit, because that will help secure your kayak to your vehicle as you transport it. But all in all, I think this is a great start to your kayaking adventures. The foam blocks will hold up, and they will transport your kayak safely. And then when you're ready to commit to the larger or more traditional kayak carrier, you can find them here at etrailer. And that was a look here at our Malone foam blocks for kayaks here at etrailer.com..