kayakers, how do you transport your boat? 2024
avidone1 reply :
I have a 2014 Honda crv which is not a big suv
My local lake is a mile away, so transporting my 12 foot eddyline to it is a simple cargo area deal with a couple of bungees
but for my longer treks I need to car top it. I have the factory installed roof rails and crossbars, but I'm still not sure which
kayak transport system to attach. I'm only 5'6" so the j hook system probably won't work for me.
How do y'all get your yaks to the lake?
Dye99 reply :
I retired one of my work trucks, a 90's chevy z71 4x4 to be my "fishing truck" so my kayak stays in the bed loaded and ready to go at a moments notice. I use the T-bone tail gate extender as well so I can just pull it up in place somewhat easy.
Choporoz reply :
I got a new Thule 'Glide and Set' off eBay for $100 and I absolutely love it. Not sure I'd pay $220 if I had to do it today, but for $100 its a no brainer.
Mobydick reply :
I have a 2013 Dodge Dart and have been car topping my Jackson Big Rig for 2 years now. At first I was using those metal tubes that have the foam blocks on them but they are the most unstable thing out there for going over 30 mph. Last year I bought some Malone VersaRail Bare Roof bars, now I can just toss it on, run 2 straps over it and its solid. I have had it up to 80 mph and it didn't budge. Here is the link - http://www.basspro.com/Malone-VersaRail-58-Bare-Roof-Cross-Rail-System/product/14102905570055/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT
J Francho reply :
I toss it in the bed, gate down. Secure the bow and somewhere mid ship. I have an orange reflector flag that hangs from the stern to complete the deal.
Preytorien reply :
I car top it, upside down on my 2003 tracker. Between the roof rack rails. I put 2 cross straps on it, then a bow and stern ratchet strap
Fisher-O-men reply :
On 4/7/2016 at 9:10 PM, avidone1 said:I have a 2014 Honda crv which is not a big suv
but for my longer treks I need to car top it. I have the factory installed roof rails and crossbars, but I'm still not sure which
I put mine on the factory racks of my Highlander, right side up, and secure it with two ratcheting straps. Done! For your height you will need to open the doors and stand inside the door opening.
Reminds me of a song, "short people got...". 
boostr reply :
I bought the grey foam blocks that fit nicely on my Xploder's factory roof rack cross bars and two cam straps on the front and rear, and that's that. A total of 30 bucks. I am gonna be looking for a trailer though, the Lure 11.5 is kind of a pain to load on that high roof.
*UPDATE*
Now I have this.
buzzed bait reply :
On 4/7/2016 at 10:39 PM, J Francho said:I toss it in the bed, gate down. Secure the bow and somewhere mid ship. I have an orange reflector flag that hangs from the stern to complete the deal.
this is the same for me.... sure my ride 135 looks a little goofy hanging out the back of a nissan frontier, but looking goofy has never stopped me before!
Darren. reply :
On 4/7/2016 at 10:39 PM, J Francho said:I toss it in the bed, gate down. Secure the bow and somewhere mid ship. I have an orange reflector flag that hangs from the stern to complete the deal.
This is what I do, as well.
As for the Thule mentioned by @Choporoz I have a
buddy who is close to your height who uses it to top
his yak on a Jeep. At least I think it is the same one,
he has an extra piece that goes across the middle
of the back that allows him to prop his yak up, then
walk it up from behind the vehicle.
DogBone_384 reply :
I drive a Toyota Tundra with ladder racks. When I fish alone I slide my kayak in the bed. When I take multiple kayaks, two go on the racks and a third in the bed.
ADD: hey booster, I can toss my Lure 11.5 on my ladder racks by myself, even after a full day of fishing. Unladen, it's about 75 pounds.
buzzed bait reply :
On 4/8/2016 at 5:09 AM, Darren. said:At least I think it is the same one,
he has an extra piece that goes across the middle
of the back that allows him to prop his yak up, then
walk it up from behind the vehicle.
i fished around with an old guy here locally for a while one day and he loaded it up on these by himself. guy was probably about 70 or so and refused any help. he made it look pretty easy too! same method, put it in the middle and walked it up from the back.
flyfisher reply :
Trailer is the easiest way to go and doubles as storage when not fishing. makes it super easy to load and unload and get out on the water.
NinjaAbassin reply :
I used to throw my old yak straight in the bed of my pick up with a couple ratchet straps... Now I have a lure 13.5 and do the same but have a bed extender to support the end.
wpwarhawk reply :
I haul mine in my Honda Ridgeline, I use a Boonedox bed extender.
jbw252 reply :
In the bed of my F-150, with a bed extender. Quick & easy.
avidone1 reply :
On 4/8/2016 at 1:39 AM, Fisher-O-men said:I put mine on the factory racks of my Highlander, right side up, and secure it with two ratcheting straps. Done! For your height you will need to open the doors and stand inside the door opening.
Reminds me of a song, "short people got...".
For a 'fisher of men" you sure got some devil in you LOL 
J Francho reply :
Bed extenders? We don't need no stinkin' bed extenders! I've carried 17' boats in my PU bed without. Through upper Manhattan, right up Broadway, lol.
My buddy has a bed extender for his little Toyota Tacoma short bed. Works like a charm, and wasn't too pricey. Definitely worthwhile if you feel like your bed is too short, or the boat feels unbalanced.
moguy1973 reply :
For our Highlander I use Inno bars attached to the factory rails and the Inno kayak dual kayak carrier.
I put the upright in the middle of the car though because it's easier to put the kayak(s) up there. Inno also makes a single kayak carrier that looks to work rather well.
Caliyak reply :
Chevy Silverado, red flag, one strap and off I go.
avidone1 reply :
On 4/8/2016 at 2:12 AM, boostr said:I bought the grey foam blocks that fit nicely on my Xploder's factory roof rack cross bars and two cam straps on the front and rear, and that's that. A total of 30 bucks. I am gonna be looking for a trailer though, the Lure 11.5 is kind of a pain to load on that high roof.
so you put the foam blocks right on the crossbars? When you slide the kayak over them, do they slip or come off the rack? this sounds like an easy cheap solution if it works good
HeavyTwenty reply :
On 4/10/2016 at 12:28 AM, avidone1 said:so you put the foam blocks right on the crossbars? When you slide the kayak over them, do they slip or come off the rack? this sounds like an easy cheap solution if it works good
I used the foam blocks on my Civic's crossbar. If you do slide the kayak into position, the foam blocks can come off or become damaged. To avoid this, I put an old kitchen floor mat on each foam block, so when I slide my kayak into position it would easily glide on top of the mats. When its in the final position I just lifted the kayak up slightly and pulled the mats out.
After about 50 trips, my foam blocks are pretty worn out. But they were mostly damaged early when I didn't use the kitchen mats. With the kitchen mats, I bet I could have easily gotten 200 trips out of them.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Toyota Tundra with the tailgate down, 2 ratchet straps.
avidone1 reply :
On 4/10/2016 at 1:24 AM, HeavyTwenty said:I used the foam blocks on my Civic's crossbar. If you do slide the kayak into position, the foam blocks can come off or become damaged. To avoid this, I put an old kitchen floor mat on each foam block, so when I slide my kayak into position it would easily glide on top of the mats. When its in the final position I just lifted the kayak up slightly and pulled the mats out.
After about 50 trips, my foam blocks are pretty worn out. But they were mostly damaged early when I didn't use the kitchen mats. With the kitchen mats, I bet I could have easily gotten 200 trips out of them.
Great idea! I have one mat but I was just going to use it to cover the top of the lift gate so it wouldn't get scratched. never occurred to me to use one over the blocks. Thanks!
Landis Carrier reply :
The Kayak Wing.
boostr reply :
On 4/10/2016 at 12:28 AM, avidone1 said:so you put the foam blocks right on the crossbars? When you slide the kayak over them, do they slip or come off the rack? this sounds like an easy cheap solution if it works good
Sorry for the late reply, They stay on. There is a groove on 1 side that wraps around the cross bars. I slide a Lure 11.5 yak on those things without any proplem of them coming off.
Murrica reply :
I used to put it in the back of the truck with a bed extender. I picked the trailer up for $225 and modified it a little and for under $250 I have a great trailer for the long hauls when I have to fill the bed with camping gear. Just have to paint it and add some home made rod pods and a toolbox on one side and it will be set.
imagine29028 reply :
Ive updated it since...little bit more stable now, but this is the general gist...
J Francho reply :
I'd scoot that forward a foot or two, and use bow and stern straps attached to the tow/pull out loops that should be under each bumper. That's a lot of leverage on a small tie down footprint. It may stress the hull.
imagine29028 reply :
On 4/25/2016 at 10:56 PM, J Francho said:I'd scoot that forward a foot or two, and use bow and stern straps attached to the tow/pull out loops that should be under each bumper. That's a lot of leverage on a small tie down footprint. It may stress the hull.
Ive got a stern strap now...also have an under hood strap thingy that brings the bow rope out more towards the hood.
Try not to have the bow too far forward because of wind drag and stress of the nose lifting at hwy speeds.
J Francho reply :
It should be balanced. Not all aero force is applied to the front. There's quite a bit on the back too. Easy to spot - check your mirrors, if it's moving, tie it down. Shouldn't be tight either. Taught is a better description.
QUIENYO reply :
I know... old post. Rather than start a new thread I thought I'd see if anyone here knows. I have a Pescadore Pro110 that I just got and I've used it twice, once transported with the tailgate down and once with the tailgate up. I drive an F150 with the short 5.6 bed. A buddy of mine pointed out that I may be creating a "soft spot" where the kayak rests on the closed tailgate.
Is there any truth to this? I live in Arizona where its going to be in or near triple digits for the next three or four months so it seems somewhat plausible that I may create a soft spot while traveling in excess of an hour each way to a lake in mid-day heat.
Thanks for any insight.
Turtle135 reply :
On 6/14/2016 at 8:57 AM, QUIENYO said:I know... old post. Rather than start a new thread I thought I'd see if anyone here knows. I have a Pescadore Pro110 that I just got and I've used it twice, once transported with the tailgate down and once with the tailgate up. I drive an F150 with the short 5.6 bed. A buddy of mine pointed out that I may be creating a "soft spot" where the kayak rests on the closed tailgate.
Is there any truth to this? I live in Arizona where its going to be in or near triple digits for the next three or four months so it seems somewhat plausible that I may create a soft spot while traveling in excess of an hour each way to a lake in mid-day heat.
Thanks for any insight.
I always have my tailgate down on my S10 with my Ride 115. However the Pescador is a roto molded kayak so I suspect that even a 3 hour ride on top of the tailgate with all that air flow would not cause any deformation unless you were applying a lot of torque with a ratchet strap.
QUIENYO reply :
I have one strap, but its not super tight. I think i may be ok. Another question, I am new to the kayak club, why would it matter if it is roto molded? I get that that is the process used to make the boat, what does that mean as far as durability?
flyfisher reply :
roto molded is believed to be stronger but also heavier and more durable and cheaper. Thermoformed is a little different and you can tell because they look shiny, almost like fiberglass. It is lighter, not as durable (allegedly) but also a lot more expensive. Then of course there are the carbon fiber and fiberglass boats which are even lighter but less durable when it comes to taking the abuse that fishing puts on a boat.
Roto molded boats basically will continue to scratch till you break through where the other materials will crack....
I have seen people with thermoformed boats praise their durability though so who knows lol
Turtle135 reply :
As flyfisher explained roto molded kayaks are really tough and durable. There are some inexpensive kayaks out there where you have a top half and a bottom half basically "glued/welded" together. On those kayaks I would not recommend applying a lot of torque at an odd angle in high heat.
J Francho reply :
It's tough to say that thermoformed or rotomolded is stronger than the other. It really comes down to quality of manufacture. Some brands are better than others. You get what you pay for.
Master Bait'r reply :
I want to believe someone here has a float plane and puIddle hops to remote lakes.
Lie to me. Somebody.
Choporoz reply :
I don't have a plane, but I have been flown into remote lakes to fish:
Here's one of them: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6188249,-94.6133416,1269m/data=!3m1!1e3
Quesenek reply :
I use a few pool noodles to put in between the kayak and what ever car I'm taking and then I just ratchet tie the kayak down. Works with both cars with and without a roof rack.
stk44 reply :
I use an extend-a-truck on my F-150. I'm looking into a roof rack so when I go camping and want to take my yak and still have bed space with tailgate up, I can put th extender in the vertical position to carry it like a ladder rack.
desmobob reply :
I bit the bullet and bought a combination of Thule and Yakima rack system parts (Thule mounts and crossbars; Yakima kayak cradle) to tote my 'yak on my Subaru Forester. The piece of mind knowing your kayak is properly secured is worth a lot.
I later added a slide-out extension for one of the crossbars, making it easier to load my heavy kayak onto the roof.
Tight lines,
Bob
clayton86 reply :
On 6/15/2016 at 10:26 AM, Quesenek said:I use a few pool noodles to put in between the kayak and what ever car I'm taking and then I just ratchet tie the kayak down. Works with both cars with and without a roof rack.
I do this also did it with my ocean kayak big game and now with my ATAK. I cut it I half put one section on the roof set kayak on it then pick up the back end and walk to the truck. The kayak rolls ontop of the noodle to the front Then I just out one under the back end and ratchet her down
RobertHutsell reply :
Nice. My friend took the help of the shipping company transport boats to transport his boat without any damage. Boat haulers were experienced, reliable, insured, bonded and knowledgeable. These companies have many strategies to ensure customer and client satisfaction. You may also click over here for more helpful hints. They take care that each boat transport is safely loaded, unloaded and most importantly, it should be delivered on time.
WPCfishing reply :
I don't own a yak anymore, I've got a canoe I rigged. I tow it.. super simple.
Turkey sandwich reply :
I live in the city and drive a ton for work, so having a truck is out. I have a Lure 13.5 that definitely requires two people to get on my A4's roof. While it's a great big stable boat, it is one heavy/awkward beast to lift. I have Thule Aerobars and the foldable cradle system. Torquing it down stable sometimes temporarily deforms the kayak where it's tightened to the cradle, but it straightens itself out almost instantly once it's removed. Once I can get out of Philly, a trailer is definitely in order.
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