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BooneDox T-Bone - Great idea, bad execution.

9K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  tarheelbuc 
#1 ·
Got a T-bone for Christmas.

It is a great concept... it is aluminum so it won't rust. It is curved, so you can back up without fear of hitting an embankment or stump....

But the execution SUCKS.

The first time I used it, I removed all the orange paint from the crossbar merely by putting my kayak on it. My kayak had sand on it (Anyone ever use a kayak that never touched sand?) and it took the paint right off.

I contacted the manufacturer, and they told me that I should have bought the accessory pads and used them. They would have protected the paint. WTH? How do I know I need to buy an accessory to not ruin a product while doing EXACTLY what it was intended to do? Why would they not include these pads? They charge twice what the steel kayak carriers cost, and they know they need this.... There was NO instruction in the box for this. No information about accessories. No suggestion to buy this. So, one use, and I have an orange kayak carrier with paint peeling off most of the cross bar. Sucks.

To make matters worse... They have endcaps on the cross bar with holes in it, apparently for attaching ratchet straps. The endcaps are made of plastic. And the first time I used this, they both bent. Again, I contacted the manufacturer, and they said that those endcaps were not designed for ratchet straps, and instead they showed me a video to how to strap a kayak onto their rack.

Again..... WTH. Every other hitch extender on the market has attachment points at the end of the cross bar for attaching straps. EVERY ONE. And this one has what appears to be exactly the same thing.... But we are supposed to intuit that we shouldn't use them and instead we should watch a video (that we don't know exists) before strapping down our kayaks?

There were NO instructions included in the box explaining this method or telling me that I needed accessories. Nor did the web page I visited for Austin Kayak mention this. If you dig through the reviews, you can find this... but I didn't dig that deep

Angry right now. Apparently I am hosed, they won't do anything for me. My petty revenge will be to leave lots of negative reviews like this on the internet stating 100% of the truth and hoping that others learn that this company sells a product that could be much better.
 

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#2 ·
The web page of the product clearly shows how it is strapped and the video on how to strap your kayak is also right on the page. Not their fault that Austin Kayak does not have it, seems like the supplier page would be the one to visit, not the reseller. Also, car top racks strap the same way as the t bone. Not sure why attaching to a piece of plastic would seem like a good idea. https://boonedoxusa.com/products/t-bone-bed-extender

The paint issue is a different story.
 
#3 ·
Well, I didn't visit their web page. This was a Christmas gift. It showed up. I didn't shop. And a hitch extender isn't rocket science.... I shouldn't be expected to visit a web page for that.

As to WHY I attached to it.... EVERY other manufacturer has tiedown points there. These have holes in it that look like tiedown points. why wouldn't I use them?

And I did not tie down my kayak that way on cross bars. I use ratchet straps, because I don't think the shape and weight of my kayak lend itself to that stupid 'choking" method.
 
#4 ·
So you are a website developer that does not see the need to go to a website for information, guess that explains a lot. But yet you did go to the reseller’s website looking for information? No need to discuss anymore.
 
#5 ·
UPDATE... They are exchanging my boonedox T-bone, and I am buying a set of pads. I wish I would have known about this before hand.

The company decided to make it right, and I appreciate that.

I still FIRMLY believe that they should warn you about the need for pads and the unsuitability of what appear to be anchor points. I hope they do that.

====

And I will let the unfounded attacks on me by NC Tribute slide, as there is no point in getting into an internet battle with a troll.
 
#6 ·
Mine came with pool noodles. Just loop your strap around the crossbar, it's pretty obvious the plastic end caps can't take that kind of stress. I saw how Mikeski beat the paint off his so I babied mine. I really appreciated having a lightweight, rust-free extender that could easily be broken down and stored in a vehicle. Also, the curved design means you can back into spaces where a right-angle design would hang up on the curb. I went to boats under 12' so I let mine go. Not perfect, but a good product.
 
#7 ·
Pipe insulation with the self-adhesive on the inside along with a couple zip ties has worked well on ours. We started with pool noodles and zip ties and that will work but, will need to be replaced every 2 years or so depending on use.

Cheaper and as good as those pads from what I have seen.
 
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