I knocked together a really simple cartop carrier out of some redwood I had left over from my outdoor shower project. It's very simple, lightweight, and very strong. The most difficult aspect of building it was making sure the padded supports sit correctly so that the weight is spread out evenly. I padded the supports with the stuff I had left over from the seat back padding (which I fished out of a dumpster one night outside a skateboard deck/surfboard kickpad company). 
Here it is on top of the car. It's quite easy to pack up. I just throw some straps over the deck, making sure to run the straps above the deck beams so that I can really tighten things down well. Then I just cinch the whole thing down - boat plus carrier - to the roof rack. No need to strap the carrier to the roof rack separately. If the boat arrives at your destination, the carrier will be there too.
As a testament to its functionality and ability to handle the forces it will face: I strapped the kayak/carrier onto the car with a couple surfboard straps from Dakine and drove from Santa Cruz to Hood River not too long ago going 75-80 miles an hour and with a 50+ mile an hour gusting crosswind through the Columbia River Gorge. I watched the bow shift about a little with the stronger gusts, but boat and car arrived unscathed.
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