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zduke4x · 09-17-2003, 09:08 PM

I have 2 kayaks, one 14'9" double and one 9' single. The single I can get inside my 310 but not the longer one.

Has anyone found racks or a method to transport their Kayak type crafts? They will go on a toad when I start using one but on most weekend I just take a bike.

thanks...jem

anhedonic · 09-18-2003, 03:02 AM

Hey Jem,

You may want to consider a folding kayak...I keep a 15 foot Klepper Arius inside my '69 Overlander (stringers and keel behind the front Gaucho, hull and crossmembers in the wardrobe).

Yeah, you have to set it up to use it, but it doesn't take 10 minutes once you get the hang of it.

Just a thought...

Doug

zduke4x · 09-18-2003, 09:28 AM

Of course my neighbors think I should be committed over all my A/S times, repairs, and projects......but I am saying I am committed to the type of kayaks I use and enjoy....I even have an inflateable never used,sitting and taking up space.... just because I am after what I want in my MH and kayaking experiences. Thanks for the thought...jem

uwe · 09-18-2003, 09:32 AM

Depending on the type of kayak, you might consider adding a light Thule rack above the awning rail and transport your kayak on that. Thule and Yakima both offer universal mounting feet that can be bolted to the skin and short bars could be added to hold the kayaks.
The feet i am referring to re sinilar as the ones used to add racks to camper shells.
You would have to cut the cross bars to the size you'll need, but this would be a good and permanent solution to carrying kayaks.
I am not sure how much room you have, and which part of the roof would be most preferential for mounting a rack.
You might also try and remove the screens form the rear window and put the kayak through the wide open window. Of course if the kayak is wet and sandy, that might not be such a great idea.

cherring · 09-18-2003, 02:58 PM

Hauling kayaks interests me as well. Please post a message regarding how you tackle this and thanks in advance for the info.

jthew1 · 09-18-2003, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zduke4x
I even have an inflateable never used,sitting and taking up space

Please tell me more about your inflatable kayak. My wife has a plastic 12' Walden Scout, It never gets used because she can't load it on her Ford sedan and it won't fit in the Airstream. She just wants to paddle around small lakes and ponds for recreation and excercise, no whitewater stuff.

The motorhome has an air compressor for the air bag spring suspension and auxillary outlet for an air hose. Would the deflated kayak fit in a 20" high X 20" deep X 48" wide compartment and/or trunk of a Taurus.

This may be the answer to her dreams. Your reply would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Jeff

cherring · 09-18-2003, 04:27 PM

Inflatable kayaks, also known as duckies, are made by several companies. Thrillseeker and Aire Force are 2 of the brands that we use at our outfitter base and have good luck with. They can be used for flatwater or whitewater and run approx. $1000. You can buy cheaper ones but IMHO you get what you pay for. We have some that our over 15 years old and are still used on the river all summer long.

They are easy to handle when not inflated and are made in 1- and 2-person styles.

Davydd · 09-18-2003, 06:35 PM

We have two Perception Carolina kayaks that we plan to take with us on our travels but don't have the same problem as the motorhome owners. Whatever tow vehicle we use will have to carry our kayaks on top.

Since I am not a tall man and almost all tow vehicles are usually quite tall I once considered trailering the kayaks in my pre Airstream days. We have since developed satsifactory techniques for hoisting kayaks overhead so trailering is now out for me. You might want to consider that option with a motorhome. There are kayak trailers available.

darkStar · 09-18-2003, 07:27 PM

I'm sure hoping that a canoe will go on top of our, as yet to be purchased, SUV (Suburban-esque) tow vehicle, without there being a problem with the canoe hitting the front of the trailer.

Has anyone done this?

(I'm will to keep the canoe in the 15' range, although I'd love 17')

zduke4x · 09-18-2003, 07:46 PM

In answer to the folded size of an inflatable kayak....here goes...I looked long and hard and best I can tell most would fit in your 20"x20"x48" size space folded, paddles come apart but still tend to be longer than 2 feet apart, usually they are not a problem stowing though.....as prev. mentioned there are many grades of crafts from serious expedition down to toy range.....

On ebay there are quite a few that I would call pretty good, around 100 bucks... for singles and more for doubles, that's for 2 people....certainly under 150 bucks....cheaper are heavy plastic and better are cloth covered plastic...all are repairable and for easy general use should last for years.

The high dollar, high quality stuff would be for serios work in my opinion and I prefer the hard shell materials for that...jem

cherring · 09-19-2003, 04:58 AM

We haul canoes with our Tahoe all of the time. You should be fine with a Suburban. Just be sure that you have good roof racks. Yakima and Tule both make racks appropriate for this. You can buy them at store like REI.

Ed Keyes · 09-19-2003, 05:01 AM

Go with the 17' canoe. Performance better for solo or tandem unless you are looking at a small specialty canoe. Should not have problem with clearance. Canoe only has to extend over the back 12 to 18". Make sure the two lines over the canoe are tight ( use a truckers hitch) and be sure to put a line on bow and on the stern. It you get a vehicle with gutters you will have a more sucure platfform for racks. Don't cheat on the racks. Yakima or Thule are good. Have traveled over 500K with canoes and kayak miles without an incident.

yukionna · 09-19-2003, 04:11 PM

We use the Thule "L" shaped racks for our two 17' kayaks which we transport on top of our Chevy Blazer. Ummmm, should I also be using bow and stern tie-downs, I wonder?

P.S.
What is a "truckers hitch?"

Ed Keyes · 09-20-2003, 07:35 AM

Would reccomend bow and stern lines. If any of the hardware holding the racks to the car come lose on the highway, you will have a missile heading behind you to another car. The bow and stern lines should be firm but not too tight. If you tighten too much, it will cause the overhead lines to loosen.If you are not good with knots, use the straps that are made for this purpose. Stay away from the rubber strech cords. They dry out and snap with any stress. One other thought....... use a cover for your cockpit when it is on the roof. If rain water is collected in the boat it puts too much stress on the system

yukionna · 09-21-2003, 04:36 AM

Thanks for the information! We currently use the straps that came with the Thule racks and will now start using bow/stern tie-downs! I have a photo of my set-up which I will post when I find it.

Davydd · 09-21-2003, 03:20 PM

I use Yakima racks connected to the top carry rails and Yakima's Mako saddles. I haven't used tie downs with this setup. Last year we went from Minnesota to Pittsburgh and then did the circle tour of Lake Superior in Canada--2,750 miles with no problems. This is the picture on the day when I brought them home from REI.

canadarago · 09-22-2003, 11:11 AM

I carry around my 15' canoe on top of my 98 Caravan. I use the foam canoe blocks availabe from Campmor and the like, hooking them onto the gunwales aligned with the crosspieces on the roof rack, tied down with a heavy nylon strap in the center and two heavy nylon ropes front and back. I dont tie the bow and stern down as there is a sufficient connection on the ropes and the strap to hold the canoe to the vehicle.

Have used this arrangement since '98 and have gone several thousand miles (was a Scoutmaster, now am a Venture Crew Advisor

) with the canoe on the van like this. Stable in crosswind as well.

Recommend the truckers hitch mentioned above. Now I have to find a picture of it!

darkStar · 09-22-2003, 01:10 PM

Thanks for everyone's input on the canoe hauling. I have been strapping canoes to the tops of various vehicles for years, over thousands of miles. I definitely believe in bow and stern lines. I've also come to use the space under the canoe for additional storage.

My real question had to do with any possible conflict between the 'stern' of the canoe, sticking out behind the tow vehicle, and the front of the trailer. Maybe another way to ask this question is...

What's the distance between the back of the SUV and the front high point of the trailer? I guess now that I think about it, with a big SUV, even a long canoe (17') wouldn't extend more than 18-24" past the rear.

Nevermind

However, it is good to get such consistent positive feedback!

CanoeStream · 09-22-2003, 06:09 PM

I saw a pickup pulling a fifth wheeler this last week. There was a pair of Thule bars hardly 24" apart on top of the cab. About 4 feet of canoe was behind the last bar and clearly 10+ feet of a very nice kevlar Wenonah suspended across the hood -- no rack or nothin'! There was some sort of line from a front thwart to the bumper area. It looked like a unicorn waiting to find a good gust. Sorry I don't have a picture....

canadarago · 09-23-2003, 03:32 PM

Re DarkStar's response on front and rear tie downs:

I definitely agree with using the front and rear ropes unless you really know your knots or have the right kind of strapping to put sufficient tension on the boat.

Also required: enough roof! On a Grand Caravan I have 5-6 feet between the front and rear ropes. Most car roofs only have 3-4 feet from windshield to rear window. The 24" between the bars on that Thule is scary, especially considering how nice the We-No-Nah Kevlar boats are. A good blast of air from a passing truck and.....