How are you carrying your boats?

Ryan Rogers

Adventurer
I'm curious how everyone carries their boats on trips?

Mine go on the roof of our "overland rig" :sombrero:

j4NOj95.jpg




...but I ask, because I'm not sure this will be very practical when we move up to something a little...taller.
 

Huffy

Observer
A trailer for now but, it's not very feasible for cross country work. Cant wait to see the responses as I would like to cover a lot of ground and water in a few years when we retire.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
A trailer for now but, it's not very feasible for cross country work. Cant wait to see the responses as I would like to cover a lot of ground and water in a few years when we retire.

I'm getting 2 of these once the newer version is back in stock:
http://www.discountramps.com/pickup-rack.htm

Should be able to carry 4 kayacs. 2 on top, 2 upsidedown. I'll likely never carry more than two. I could also make a joiner bar that'll connect each rack. Room for one on the middle then, maybe.
 

JHa6av8r

Adventurer
I load on top of my pop-up Which is about 8 1/2 feet at the racks. I carry a 4' step ladder when I have the kayak.

photo.JPG
 

Stumpalump

Expedition Leader
image.jpg
My last boat was a Porta-bote folding boat that I threw on a roof rack. It was just too much work for a too small a boat. The new rig on a trailer is just so simple to drop in and go.
 

Mark Harley

Expedition Leader
My helpers are too short and not strong enough to lift my Grumman 19' canoe onto the roof of the truck.
with a 6 .5 foot bed there is no way to haul it in the bed. I took an old jet ski trailer and made racks for the canoe.
Makes me use the canoe more now and I can load it by myself too.
 

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wallaceg

Observer
I've carried up to 6 whitewater kayaks or 4 seakayaks on my RAV4 with 58" crossbars and a set of stackers:
DSCN3191.jpg

When only carrying 1-2 seakayaks I use a set of Yakima saddles:
DSCN3357.jpg
 
image.jpg

I mounted a common boat trailer roller to the rear edge of the roof of my rig. The v-shaped rollers work well. The kayaks then feed up into Yakima j-cradles.
 

Erik N

Adventurer
I use foam blocks from ACK.com that fit over the crossbars. Cheap black rubber bungies front, rear, and over the rails. Withstood 90mph in a crosswind.

PS If you unload it yourself, open all the side doors to catch it if it slides off sideways.
DSCN0323.JPG
 

Ryan Rogers

Adventurer
I've carried up to 6 whitewater kayaks or 4 seakayaks on my RAV4 with 58" crossbars and a set of stackers:
View attachment 194922

Are those the Yakima stackers with the little anchor shaped hooks at the top?

That is what I have on my car now, and I've been less than impressed...but it is likely user error on my part?

With our two boats they seem to slide down and then loosen the straps. I just ordered some hullraiser J-craddles to try out. The downside of the craddles is that I don't think I'll be able to get the bikes up there too. At some point I guess I have to stop taking ALL of my toys when I go camping :(


Keep the replies coming!
 

susswein

Observer
Depending on the trip, I carry a klepper folding sea kayak, an inflatable white water kayak, a folbot, or a whitewater raft with breakdown frame. All of these fit inside with 4WD van. I designed the van interior so that the cabinets on one side are raised about 12" off the floor and this space is open to the rear cargo area. This gives me a 10' long area to carry long components (like oars and frame rails) without intruding into the living space.
 

wallaceg

Observer
Are those the Yakima stackers with the little anchor shaped hooks at the top?

Yes, those are Yakima stackers with the anchor/arrowhead shape on the end. I have nothing but good things to say about them. There are a few steps to using the stackers properly. First, get the distance between the bars correct to support the boat in front of/behind the cockpit. This is the stiffest part of the hull. Then lay the boats on the rack against the stacker posts. Run a strap around the stacker post (under the arrowhead), around the hull of the boat, and finally around the roofrack crossbar (as close as possible to the boat) in a big loop. Try to thread at least one strap through a solid point on the hull. As you tighten the straps, you may notice that the stacker posts tend to rotate towards either end of the kayak. This is just the rack adjusting itself. The stackers will reach an equilibrium position where any movement will make everything tighter (local minimum of strap potential, if that makes any sense). This is what you're going for. The Yakima instructions are well illustrated:
http://www.discountramps.com/marineImages/yakima-kayak-stacker-instructions.pdf

WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER USE BUNGEES!!! A simple cam-buckle strap is THE ONLY tool for the job. Stay away from ratchet straps, too.
 
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pidge

New member
Long time lurker first time poster...I think. Here's my set up.
93C68282-F348-4AA2-8A06-EC9DE4D954B2-3423-0000049E2B6D0A25_zpsab6809f5.jpg

DAF28FC3-881C-4CF4-9EB9-831E84CD3456-9221-00000C67581F8AA9_zpse055ed44.jpg

FD556F57-1308-4CE3-BA2D-00EABC1D42FC-9221-00000C6746B9EA7A_zps5df5915b.jpg


My old set up with the Porta Bote.
A6A429E5-62ED-4D36-BE45-F4D0D9AF582F-12109-00000B349E1E6117_zpsbe117520.jpg

D9D3F396-1248-4987-9A4F-45738DE68675-12109-00000B3495D337AE_zpscc8737ef.jpg


Pidge.
 

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