Shell/Rack decision

I have been trying to decide on the best decision for a rack for my recently purchased 2011 Tacoma V6 PreRunner AC.

I have enjoyed Yakima products for almost 25 years, with my first rack at top a '91 Ford F150. I bought a 2002 Toyota Tacoma X-Cab brand new in '02 and I loved it until it was totaled on my 50th birthday last year by a lady who was on her phone. I was sitting at a stoplight and she rear ended me at about 30-40 mph.

I had Yakima Q Towers + a stretch kit, with 48" bars, on the '02 Tacoma. I was able to salvage the rack from the truck before the insurance company totaled it. (I have a fork mount + wheel tray for my mountain bike, and also have gunwale brackets for my 2-man 16ft Canadian Necky lake kayak. I had a color matched SnugTop Extra Vision camper shell, though the rack was mounted to the cab of the Toyota truck and not the shell.

I want to get a new SnugTop shell for the 2011 Tacoma. However, I have come to the conclusion that I will have to purchase additional towers, and landing pads, to use the SnugTop factory installed top runners. (I still have my Rain Gutter Towers left over from the F150 gathering dust in my garage, and would like to use them on the new shell.)

My original plan was to reinstall the Q Towers onto the roof of the 2011 Tacoma, but I am concerned that my wife and I will not be able to LIFT the kayak from the side anymore, as this newer truck is a lifted PreRunner, and is 4 to 5 inches higher than the '02 4cyl X-Cab. I had thought that it would be easier to load the kayak from the back, because we could lift half of it at a time.

I know that my 48" bars will be too short for the 2011 Tacoma, as this truck is quite a bit wider than the last one. I was hoping, originally, to just purchase new bars (and new clips for the Q Towers) and I would be done.

I had thought that I'd like to put the rack on the shell because I could load the kayak from the back. I would also like to save $$$ by being able to re use components from my old racks.

I have had a couple of ideas:

1. Install the old Q Towers with new clips and 58" bars on the cab of the newer Tacoma. That would enable me to put my bike and my kayak on the truck, though it would be difficult to lift the heavy kayak from the side.

2. Purchase the new shell with runners attached, but I would need to buy four new towers, plus landing pads and 58" bars. It would be more expensive but more adjustable and I could load the kayak from the rear.

3. Install Yakima side brackets on the shell and re use my old Rain Gutter towers, and purchase new 58" bars.

There was one other problem with option #3 that I recently thought of, and that is if I had brackets installed on the side corners of the shell (for a 6' bed) it would work fine for the kayak but the crossbar span would be too great for the wheel tray of the bike mount.

I know my wife will NOT want me to purchase yet another set of 4 towers, and she would not be in favor of option #2.

(I use the gunwale brackets so I can invert the kayak on the roof of the truck. Plus, the gunwale brackets were inexpensive and have a low profile. I don't think I could get the truck in the garage with a larger kayak mount as it would stick up too high.

Finally, I have come up with a forth alternative that I think will work the best:

4. Buy new clips for the existing Q Towers from the '02 Tacoma. I researched this and I need Q 127 clips for the front and Q 128 clips for the back. Amazon has a set of 2 clips + 2 rubber pads and 2 vinyl pads for $34.96 each (2 sets needed)

Yakima Q-127 Clip for Yakima Q Tower Roof Rack System

https://www.amazon.com/Yakima-Q-127...012SA8FQ?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

Purchase new 58" bars and install the rack on the cab of the AC.
Install a fixed point rack on the rear of the shell utilizing One of the 48" bars from the '02 Tacoma set up.
https://explore.yakima.com/custom-install?_ga=1.89895448.2079436518.1467653164#fiberglassfixed

Prices would be $160 for new clips + pads and new 58" bars for the roof of the AC, plus $160 for two skyline towers and a set of 2 of the Landing pad 6 mounts for the shell.

I could also go with Yakima side loader brackets and use two of the old Rain Gutter towers from my F150 rack, but I would have to purchase another 58" bar, because the 48" bars are too narrow to be used with the side load brackets. (The bars are sold in packs of two so I'd have one extra.)

That would enable me to use the Tacoma roof mounted rack for the mountain bike and the kayak, but I could also Load the kayak from the rear. I could install everything myself, but I seem to remember from my last SnugTop that if you drill into the shell it will void the warranty. Best to hold off for a bit to make sure there is no defects in maufacturing before installing the rear bar. (I haven't heard back from SnugTop yet if having an authorized dealer install the side brackets would save the warranty.)

I got the idea of a 3-bar rack from looking through the pics in the TacomaWorld archives.

Here is a pic of my old '02 Tacoma X-Cab, SnugTop Xtra Vision shell, Yakima rack, with the kayak and bikes on top. We had just loaded the kayak after a day out on Utica Reservoir, in the Sierras.