Can anybody recommend a quality roof rack for a car without cross bars? I'm not looking for anything crazy, just a dependable relatively inexpensive one.
What kind of car? Is a wagon with factory rails that just needs cross bars or a whole rack system?
IMO, if you are putting thousands of $$ of bikes/kayaks on top, it is worth getting either factory or quality aftermarket like Thule or Yakima. I hve used Thule in the past, but now I have factory aero cross bars on a Audi Avant.
Personally, I would never put anything directly onto the roof of the car and risk scratching or denting the roof, and I doubt that you could secure the kayaks well without a rack. All depends on your own tolerance for such things. A general purpose rack would be $250-$400 for a Sonata from a brand like Thule, Yakima, Inno or Rhino. You might get lucky on Ebay or Craigslist too.