Help , racks and WW kayak big negative Mpg.

[Tigerman50]

Hi ,
I have a 2009 Honda Fit Sport , I am using the yakima rack with Q towers (no fairing ) and have white water Kayak , Pyranha Creek Kayak that I have been carrying hull down on the Crossbars . I am currently losing about 8 mpg on my highway mileage . I have thought about vertically stacking it but am afraid of the wind catching it like a sail ( with the wind problems the car already has when being passed by big trucks .
Any suggestions to help the Mpg , maybe a Cradle ?
Thanks in Advance , TonyB.

[pbanders]

Are you using a deflector? Mine with bikes is at least -5 mpg. Wind resistance is a b|tch.

[Blackout]

turn up the air pressure in the tires to 38-40 psi other than that dont put stuff on the fit put it in it

[PaFitter]

Sorry guy there is no way around it unless you haul it inside. I have been hauling canoes or kayaks for over 30 years now,and haven't found one way to reduce the drag caused by boats. Actually my Fit is the first car that it doesn't really rip the mileage off when transporting boats? Couple of suggestions though. Haul your boat hull up,and put a cockpit cover on the boat. The cockpit is a giant air pocket,and the smoother the profile the less drag. The curved bow or stern will match the contour of the body more too. Any mounting method where more of the boat is exposed to the wind stream the more drag. Cradles exposes the whole boat to its own air stream causing more drag. The closer and lower to the profile of the car the better.

I am surprised at the amount of your mileage loss with just one boat. I haul 2 ,16' canoes and only loose 3-5 miles per gallon. The faster you go the higher the mileage loss even with without boats or racks. Add the racks and high speeds I could see that. I typically drive with the boats on the highway about or slightly below the speed limit. A fairing I doubt will help because it too is extra drag added to the boat drag. And it wouldn't direct the air around or over the boat unless you could mount the boat behind the fairing,and lower then the fairing. I don't think that is possible.Good Luck,and Paddle on!

PaFitter

[Tigerman50]

I think I'll try the Hull up first , I already use a cockpit cover .
Putting the boat inside isn't an option .It's 8 ft 4 in. long . I may try vertically stacking it on a non windy day .Also the extra tire inflation
sounds good .I don't think a wind deflector would do any good
except with the racks unloaded and I remove them for my daily driving .
Happy boating to all my fellow WW enthusiasts .

[secondspassed]

A little extra inflation might help but be careful not to do it too much and get rid of all your traction, especially while carrying something up top.