ProView- Yakima Showdown
This fall, I had the pleasure of testing a new rooftop boat mount from Yakima called the Showdown. A load-assist mount for kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards, the Showdown is designed to allow paddlers to easily load their crafts at waist level. The convenience and ease of loading my boat onto my roof rack using the Showdown was an unparalleled experience for me in my four years of kayaking. I tried out the Showdown on a few full days of continuous laps and shuttles of a short section of whitewater on the Colorado River. Loading my boat onto my car repeatedly, a task that would have previously been daunting and slow was made extremely easy and convenient with the Showdown.
Photo credit: Michael Curtis
Photo credit: Michael Curtis
Photo credit: Michael Curtis
Photo credit: Ruth Eipper
In Colorado, the relatively short whitewater season drives those of us who love paddling to drop everything we can to get on the river as quickly and as often as possible during spring and summer runoff. As soon as I’m able to escape to the river, I hastily pack any paddling and camping gear that doesn’t already live in my car and hit the road. Loading my boat onto my roof rack is the task I look forward to the least. The process involves grunting, climbing all over my car, and (often) a couple of new scratches on the top part of the car door. Fast forward to the takeout: after a long, incredible day of paddling, when my body is exhausted and I’m ready to chow down at the nearest brewpub, I am not always psyched to have to lift my ~65lb (with gear and residual water), unwieldy creekboat up and over my head and onto my roof rack. I am a woman of average height who is strong enough to paddle over 25 miles of class III-IV whitewater in one day, but I’ve still never been able to make the boat loading process look or feel easy.
When I was car shopping a few years ago, I considered the ease of loading boats onto the roof. My previous vehicle had been very tall and boat loading was particularly arduous. I decided on a shorter car, in part due to this concern, but after a year of questionable driving on 4WD roads in the Colorado backcountry, I realized that I needed the clearance of a taller vehicle more than I needed the convenience of a shorter and more accessible roof.
Performance
The Yakima Showdown is the perfect solution to what had previously been mutually exclusive preferences for good clearance under a vehicle and an accessible roof rack. Using two handles, I pull the Showdown out about two feet from my car and then tilt it down until it rests at waist level. Once I’ve placed the boat onto the support hoops and tied it down using cam straps, I use the handles to swing it back up onto the roof, sliding it fully onto the roof and then replacing the metal pin on each side that keeps it in place. Two felt-covered cradles hold the kayak on each side, preventing any denting or oil canning to the hull that can sometimes occur when the boat is tied down directly to the rack.
Photo credit: Polly Murray
Photo credit: Polly Murray
Photo credit: Polly Murray
Photo credit: Polly Murray
A concern I had when I first saw the product was whether or not it would be possible to help shuttle other boats in addition to my own while the Showdown was installed. I found that two additional boats can be stacked on the other side of the rack, and if more room is needed, the Showdown can be removed from the crossbars in less than two minutes. Re-installing it is just as easy and involves tightening four handles around the crossbars.
Fall in Colorado is a great time for multi-sport days, so I often brought my mountain bike along with me to see the colorful foliage from the river and the trails. The Showdown and the Yakima Frontloader bike mount fit with room to spare on my roof.
Final thoughts
I think I’ll be seeing more of the Yakima Showdown on roof racks across Colorado next summer. It is truly a remarkable product with a broad appeal.
Pros
- Easy to configure, install, and uninstall
- Provides weight assistance when loading a kayak or SUP
- Easy to use
- Fits with other boats or a mountain bike on the roof
Room for Improvement
- Takes up one side of the roof rack, resulting in reduced carrying capacity for large shuttles
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Jessie Gunter works as an Epidemiologist in Denver and moonlights as the Vice President (and incoming President) of Colorado Whitewater, one of the oldest and largest non-profit paddling clubs in the country. For the last two years while on the board of directors, Jessie has coordinated volunteer-led river trips for club members almost every weekend from May to September. Though runoff season is her favorite, Jessie keeps herself occupied with mountain biking, climbing, trail running, and skiing during the rest of the year.