Anyone know of a way to haul a full size sea kayak while towing a 5th wheel camper? I currently carry my kayak on top of my truck with my bumper hitch trailer, but not sure there is any way to do it if I move to a 5th wheel.
Any thoughts?
thanks
Matt
Not sure if this will work, with a 17ft kayak. But maybe something similar to this. A front bumper rack.
http://forums.goodsamclub.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/23054605/print/true.cfm
By the way, I am enjoying your old Cetus. It fits me well.
I haven’t been able to answer this question either. A 17 ft kayak hangs out more than I’d like forward of the front bumper hitch. I’ve seen some shorter ones up there though. I think Florida DOT gets excited about anything protruding more than 4 ft beyond the vehicle. For me that means two kayaks 17n ft or longer. I really don’t want all that stuff hanging out there cluttering up the view of traffic signals, mountain views and over pass signs. Then too I’ve forgotten stuff in the kayak and had to get up there to get it, fasten it , etc. Do you want to climb up on the hood? … I think we are going to up grade/replace the bumper hitch trailer with a little longer unit with some slides. Loading on the truck rack is tough enough sooner or later the old people will need other options.
Freya Hoffmeister carries seven kayaks on top of her motor home. Of course she can jump up there in a single bound and get them off with no trouble. 
Of course the other option is to continue to haul the kayaks on the truck. Sell the trailer. Replace trailer with a Class A diesel pusher and tow the truck. :o I know.
Of course the other option is to get a customized toy hauler fifth wheel with an 18ft well projecting in the cabin off set on the side for the kayak. Not a complete square garage. I’ve though of this but for me that means two kayaks, stacked? But once we arrive we have to unload and then load on the truck for transport to the water. Too much handling.
Get a folding kayak
@Chuck von Yamashita said:
Get a folding kayak
Actually there are also modular plans for a break down sea kayak that separates into three sections. Of course this one is just 14 ft long. Don’t know if the 17 ft can be adapted.
clcboats.com/shop/boats/kayak-kits/shearwater-sport-take-apart-sectional-sea-kayak.html
Plus some rec boats that do that too.
I’ve also seen some kayaks mounted vertical on the rear bumper of the trailer. Most trailers/5th wheels range from 11.5 to 13.5 feet. At best only 3.5 to 4 ft would extend up beyond the roof of the 5th wheel. There can’t be THAT many trees, power lines, bridges to take the top off the kayak…sarcastically he said. Too many TV antennas left up disappear. Don’t do this. I knew an aeronautical engineer that down graded his kayaks from 14 ft to 10 ft so they’d not rise above the trailer. They couldn’t paddle either. Don’t down grade the boat either.
@Chuck von Yamashita said:
Get a folding kayak
I can verify the Oru kayaks are light weight, fold up nice, and paddle nice. They also have windage issues when the weather gets rough. You can light up the whole boat at night with a white light in the hull.
@Overstreet said:
@Chuck von Yamashita said:
Get a folding kayakI can verify the Oru kayaks are light weight, fold up nice, and paddle nice. They also have windage issues when the weather gets rough. You can light up the whole boat at night with a white light in the hull.
I looked at an Oru in REI once. Really flimsy. Would not trust it in anything but a pond
Not sure this guy used a fifth wheel, but he had issues with kayak crunching when he turned with the trailer. His solution, stack 'em in the middle.
I’ve seen vertical load on the back and front bumper rack here in Florida… But havent seen a real sea kayak! The most top out at 14 feet.
@BoozTalkin said:
Not sure this guy used a fifth wheel, but he had issues with kayak crunching when he turned with the trailer. His solution, stack 'em in the middle.
Still got to load and unload those things. I don’t know about y’all but I (wife) have/has to get up in the bed and side step stool to over come the 4x4 suspension and tires. Personally I’m gravity challenged.
Also on my GMC 2500 back of tool box (1ft fwd of gooseneck ball) is 13 ft from the front bumper. Probably similar distance and kayak length. Those kayaks though do look sleek and with possibilities.
@Chuck von Yamashita said:
I looked at an Oru in REI once. Really flimsy. Would not trust it in anything but a pond
That is likely why the guy paddling the Matanzas river / Pellicer Creek paddle looked real nervous. Osyters, wind and washing machine waves plagued the paddle that day.
Nope. You could put the kayak on top of the camper, but you wouldn’t be happy with it. That’s why we stayed with a tow behind trailer. Consider the positive side, you have the bed of the truck available for lots of storage rather than the fifth wheel hitch, and loading kayaks on the roof of the cab is very easy standing in the bed of the truck!
@Overstreet said:
Still got to load and unload those things. I don’t know about y’all but I (wife) have/has to get up in the bed and side step stool to over come the 4x4 suspension and tires. Personally I’m gravity challenged.
I remember talking to the yak stacking, trailer driving, guy. I asked him how he got the boats up there. Sadly, I don’t remember the whole explanation, though he pulled out this roller gizmo he made from stuff he bought at Harbor Freight. He showed me how he mounted it on the hood. Don’t ask me why I can’t remember how he got the boats up there but I remember him stressing “Harbor Freight.” Brains are weird as far as what is remembered and what is not. I’ve got to believe a rope over the rack may have been used to pull the boats into place, but I don’t remember whether he said that or I’m just making it up as plausible.
Note the rollers on his rack are mounted on the front, so he was obviously loading them across the hood.
~~Chip
Sell the hardshell kayak and buy a Pakboat XT-16 or Quest 150 skin on frame folder or a used Feathercraft Wisper, K-1 or Khatsalano (Feathercraft closed the business last Fall but Pakboat is still going strong). Any of them is more seaworthy than an Orukayak and all can be stored in a duffel bag or easily hoisted onto the roof when set up (all weigh 45 lbs or less). I can carry all 3 of my folders in the bathroom storage closet of my small motorhome.
Ref…Quest 150 skin on frame folder
Do you do all that assembly on your knees at the launch?.
Of course if you haul a folding boat packed you have to assemble it at the launch. I have a half ensolite closed cell pad that makes kneeling comfortable – you do a lot of the assembly standing anyway.
But add up how many minutes it takes to load a rigid boat on the roof rack, fasten the straps and tie off the bumper lines and then unfasten and unload it at the launch, then reload it when you are done. I’ve timed that process and it only takes me 10 to 15 minutes more than that overall to grab the bag boat out of the back of the car and set it up and then take it apart (though sometimes I just put it on the rack to drive home if I’m not far away.) It’s a lot less effort than solo loading a 50 or 60 lb RM or fiberglass kayak. And I don’t have the loss of gas mileage efficiency on long trips that you can get with hauling on roof racks.
In nice weather I just always have a folder in a duffel bag in the back of the car. No worries about it being damaged by UV, stolen or vandalized. And if I’m traveling somewhere or just taking a drive and see water that might be fun to paddle, I can stop and be on the water in 30 minutes.
It’s all relative.
That quest 150 looks good and I like the option of using it as a SOT for fishing and casual exploring when visiting different locations around the US. I too have been looking at options for RV travel via class B. The others I have looked at are inflatables. Not to derail thread but, anyone prefer one over the other?
Inflatables are great for situations where a hard shell won’t work. In general, my opinion is that hard shells perform better and are easier to use (they are ready to launch–no need to set them up or take them apart). Many will say the inflatables perform as well, but the ones I have paddled flex more, and flexing hurts performance. I find the cockpit rims and spray skirt connections somewhat squishy. I have had frame tubes come disconnected when doing rescues. If I have two similiar size kayaks available, one inflatable and one hard shell, I will take the hard shell every time. But this thread is about how to transport with a trailer, and as WL points out, she fits three of them in her bathroom. So, from that perspective, inflatables are great. I’d much rather paddle an inflatable than not paddle!
~~Chip
