Hi Everyone,
I’ve purchased a necky manitou Kayak along with a roof rack from Yakima. I have the land shark pads to place my new boat on but I’m a little unclear as to the best way to transport my vessel. The instructions that came with the Roof Rack are a little lacking. Can any of you point me in the right direction of some illustrations of the proper loading of a kayak for a Civic Sedan? Or any hints + tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bryan
dunno about butt boats … but
– Last Updated: Jan-12-06 9:42 AM EST –
I can easily carry a 16-foot+ canoe on mine.
However, please note that you'll be lucky to get 32-inch spacing between the bars.
This means that if your boat is longer than nine feet bow and stern lines are NOT optional -- regardless of what you read elsewhere on this site -- as you are only balancing your boat atop the Yakima racks (unless, of course, you have a direct line to the man upstairs).
If you don't use bow and stern lines the movement and torque of your boat will scare the crap out of you long before you hit 60 mph.
note: two bow lines in the shape of an inverted 'V' work best as they give the entire outfit some much needed lateral support.
Don’t worry
We have a 2-door civic coupe. Use Yakima q-towers with a kayak stacker. Just mount the q-towers to the roof as far apart as possible so the bars are still flat (boat will rest as parallel to the roof as possible). We never travel without the bow and stern lines though as the previous post said, due to wind/torque at highway speeds. Your kayak should be more than secure on the saddles.
thule roof rack
its real easy to cary boats, but the key how you strap them on. lay the boat flat, run the strap on top of the front of the boat then go under the cross bar then run the strap to the back cross bar then back over the top of the kayak…i hope that makes some sense
2 door civic coupe
If I have one boat, on top, 2 bow lines on front and 1 on back. There are loops welded to the frame of the car for easily attaching the front lines.
I prefer however to use the small, light utility trailer I purchased. Hitches on quickly, or off - for long camping trips, plus ability to carry 4 kayaks a couple of coolers and other misc gear.
Val, in CT
I’d get professional help
the first time you carry a 4 door civic on the roof of your car it will really pay to get a professional rigger to show you how to do it. i’ve carried some pretty big loads on the top of my Oldsmoldybile Station wagon that must have weighed as much as a Civic. it wasn’t easy to get the load up there and it did affect the cars handling.
Professional riggers are available all over. Just ask you locl crane/lifting service provider.
silly
Seems pretty obvious I’m carrying the civic on top of my boat. Forgot to mention the outriggers for extra stability though!
Val (giggling)
Easy
Thanks to everyone for your helpful suggestions! I managed to load my kayak on top of my civic with no problem whatsoever! It even stayed tight during my drive to and from the launch site.
giggling, only?!?
i’m laughing so hard i am crying.
if it helps…
i was terrified the first time i had to load and transport my little floaty thing. that three miles to the put in seemed like 300.
it’s, like, a rite of passage or something :-).
Open your back windows all the way and
poke the boat through them. Make sure the amount sticking out is exactly equal on both sides. You will not need to rope the ends to the car.