Yakima ShowDown load-assist boat carrier no. 8004081

Please note that this carrier is clamped around the roof bars and therefore will not fit to Thule ProBars (they are too deep), or to Dropracks systems and Thule Slidebars (they are too deep, and they also slide).

It can be a challenge to lift a kayak onto the roof of your vehicle. The ShowDown makes the job much easier! The arms fold down so you are loading and securing your boat at the side of the vehicle, rather than straight onto the roof. Then it's much easier to lift and slide the rack onto your roof.

• Double extending arms lower the kayak by 66cm so it's much easier to load/unload and secure the kayak/boards
• Maximum protection for your kayak thanks to eight touch points of padded support
• Includes two straps with a rubber buckle cover to protect your vehicle and your gear
• Takes 1 x kayak or 2 x boards (up to 36kg in total)
• Fits around bars up to up to 88mm wide by 16-44mm deep - you'll also need to check it's suitable for the type of bars on your car
• Folds flat when not in use to reduce drag and noise
• Includes bow and stern tie-down to secure your gear at the front and back of the vehicle (a 'hood anchor' is available separately if your car has no attachment points for bow and stern tie-downs)
• The rack locks to the bar
• Locking straps are available separately - listed below

Will this rack fit my car?

There are a number of important factors you'll need to consider. It's really important you check these before ordering this rack:

• The ShowDown requires at least 9cm of crossbar protruding beyond the roof bar feet to ensure you have the required clearance from your car during loading/unloading.
• Both your car roof and roof bars will need to be able to take a load of at least 75kg.
• It won't fit bars that secure 'around the door frame' of a car.
• Requires a minimum crossbar spread of 61cm.

A specific watersports carrier will make carrying your gear much easier. The aim of this note is to persuade you that kayaks (or boats etc) should always, also, be tied to the carrying vehicle at both bow and stern.

Untied kayaks have, in our experience, the greatest potential for a roof bar or kayak carrier failure. The massive forces that untied kayaks can generate have even been known to snap roof bar fixing bolts with the result that a complete assembly of roof bars and kayaks has ended up on the road. We know that this has happened with almost every brand of roof bar, and regardless of whether the kayaks are on a special carrier or just strapped to the bars.

You need to fix bow and stern lines, probably using the front and rear screw-in towing eyes to get strong and accessible fixing points on the vehicle. You can use, for example, 'paracord' for this purpose. Alternatively, we have sets of straps available that are perfect for the job and are really easy to use. Yakima make some excellent Bow/Stern tie down straps and Thule makes the QuickDraw 838 which we have listed together with every kayak carrier we sell.

Please note that kayaks should be strapped to the roof bars, or to kayak carriers, using straps that are suitable for the purpose, e.g. 25mm polypropylene straps with strong buckles. Most kayak and other watersports carriers come supplied with such straps. We also have a range of suitable straps available, click here for details. Bungee cords must never be used.

Please also note that all roof bar instructions point out the dangers of carrying unsecured long items, as of course do all kayak carrier instructions.

If you tie down your kayaks you almost certainly won't experience a product failure. If you don't you may or may not get away with it. If there is a disaster and the kayaks end up on the road, separated from the vehicle, then you were not using tie downs and you have subjected the roof bars to forces for which they were not designed. The costs of sorting this out are yours, not ours, and you may also have difficulties with your insurers.

We're sorry to be so firm about this, but "things coming off the tops of cars" is the stuff of nightmares, and we want to do all we can to prevent accidents of this sort from happening.

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

These are our standard charges; there are usually surcharges for all offshore destinations and some remote postcodes - for details please see our delivery information page.

Delivery of other items

Delivery times

Delivery times are calculated in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank holidays).

Cut-off times for Express Delivery orders
Express Delivery orders placed before before the cut-off times shown below will usually be desptached on the date of order. Express Delivery orders placed after these cut-off times will be despatched the next working day.

Delivery FAQs

When will my order arrive?
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Express Delivery orders placed on a Friday (before 1pm) should be delivered on the Monday or Tuesday, Express Delivery orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday should be delivered on the Tuesday or Wednesday. The arrangements for Very Heavy Items are different and are shown above.

What about Next Working Day delivery?
Most Express delivery orders will arrive on the next working day, if the order is placed before the cut-off time (see above). Some will arrive on the second working day if there has been a "split-delivery". So-called “split deliveries” happen when the couriers do not have enough trailer space for everything that should be moved around the UK, so they will load what they can and leave the rest for the next trailer.

Is my delivery day guaranteed?
No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. As well as split deliveries, all courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

Do I need to be at home?
We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver to an address which suits you – this does not need to be your home address. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

Payment options:

We take the following cards, and also PayPal. Please note that the entry on your card statement will be from "The Roof Box Company".

Secure payments

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Technical specifications at a glance:

Can be used with: kayaks (1x) / SUPs (2x)

Includes a mast holder: no

Includes straps: 2x

Max load: 36.3kg

Max boat width: takes up to 70cm wide kayaks or 90cm boards

Weight: 9.5kg

Fits square bars: yes

Fits aerobars: yes (fits around bars up to up to 88mm wide by 16-36mm deep)

Minimum distance between roof bars: 610mm

Guarantee: 2 years

To find the spare parts you need, please see the diagram below, identify the product codes, then choose them from the list below. If you need more than 1 of any item, change the quantities in the Shopping Basket.