The recent thread on roof racks got me thinking about the j-cradles I've built. I really prefer j-cradles, as they make it easy to tie down a kayak without undue tension on the straps, and yet achieve a near-rigid mounting for the boat. I find that in order to get the boat firmly tied enough to v-blocks to resist the strong crosswinds we get in this area, the required tension invariably oil-cans the hull--even a stitch-and-glue. So I've done a couple of j-cradle designs.

The most recent design is shown here, and another I did some years ago for S&Gs is in the following post. I finished these latest ones just in time to lash up and head for the BASK Mendocino gathering. Once the boat was off the car, my camp mate remarked that they looked like some kind of sexy woman's shoe, so they are herewith christened the Kinky Shoes J-Cradles. How they were made should be pretty evident, but if details are required, I'll be happy to oblige.

--Scott