Boats on cars - let’s see ‘em!

Needs bow and stern lines.

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and too much boat is at the front of the car

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I knew I’d get some great advice!

Sure, I paddle in snow. I think you have to in Michigan, lol. When I lived in Alabama I went year round, mostly. Then I moved to Michigan, and the year is so short that I paddle from ice off until the ice is 1/2" thick, which is the point at which I can no longer break my paddle tip through to be able to push forward. Needless to say, I’m usually paddling alone :smile:


Here’s a picture of my adventure rig this weekend

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Everyone knows it’s bad juju if the bow doesn’t point directly forward. Oh, and furl the sails.

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I had assumed that the car had no engine and the sails were needed for propulsion. However, reverse would have been tricky and most likely the car did indeed have an engine - and yes the sails should be furled.

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Next time I take it for a cruise , I’ll keep these points in mind

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Yup. My prior vehicles had been 1978 Subaru DL wagon, 1989 Dodge Caravan, 1995 Caravan, 1992 Volvo 740, 1995 Volvo 850, 2003 Santa Fe and the crappo Outback.

By now they’ve wind-tunneled the hell out of minivans and Volvo wagons – I much prefer the old style boxy vehicles. In fact, I was amused when I bought all the knock down cabinetry to redo the kitchen at my last house that IKEA seems to size all their packaging to fit like modular blocks precisely inside the dimensions of a Volvo wagon. Makes perfect since since nearly every Swedish family owns that car. I loaded every piece, including the countertops, inside the 740 with like an inch of clearance on every side.

I do love driving my BIG ASS box truck conversion camper (other than paying for the fuel). I can parallel park it with ease whereas most of the circumference of the danged Mazda egg is dented due to the impossibility of judging where the corners are due to the blob shape and curved windows. Been driving the Mazda for 7 years and have scraped it up more often than with all the other cars I have owned in my life combined. Back seat does not fold flat and the roof is tapered in so even getting a bike back there is a challenge that usually ends up poking a hole in the roof. Clearance between the Thule racks is barely enough to fit the coaming between on most of my boats.

I almost miss my gearhead ex boyfriend who could customize anything: I’d have a vintage Volvo wagon rear shell spliced onto the Mazda. Should have bought a Mazda Tribute or a Honda Element while they were still making them.

Now THIS is a nice roomy and accessible box, with a 90" wide, 75" tall rear door with a pull out loading ramp. The white thing inside is a vintage Curtis Lady Bug solo canoe I was delivering to a p.com buyer in Michigan from a p.com seller in the Pittsburgh area. I have had 3 kayaks and a canoe inside of it at once, with room for more (the double bed inside folds up to the wall like a Murphy bed). Someday I may try to do a “clown car” and see how much of my fleet I could fit in simultaneously. Since I also have a two-kayak trailer and 6 of my kayaks are folders that pack down in duffel bags, I really could transport all 12 in one trip!

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Yep! The Warden is mine :joy: the neighbour jokingly gave me that nickname a few years ago after watching us complete some landscaping.

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When life was simple:

Then went to the dark side with a rack.

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This works for when we tow the travel trailer:

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Heading to the mountains (2.5 hrs from home)

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Which mountains? I’ve been trying to guess whereabouts you live, due to your “MohaveFlyer” moniker. :grin:

How I carried my Dagger Blackwater 11.5 on my dorky-but-practical Honda Accord station wagon (Okinawa, mid-00’s). Towers and crossbars bought locally (Inno brand), with Yakima Landshark saddles. :sunglasses:

KayakOnCar
KayakOnCarRear

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Southern Germany :de: near the Swiss Austrian borders (Alps) 3 years only

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Let’s have fun on the water for a couple of days.

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People stay out of my way!

kayak thru car

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Boats behind cars! I’ve had this out for a couple of test runs, including on the freeway in Las Vegas. Also to practice backing up with it. :wink:
Now I just need to figure out where I’m gonna go! It’s a bit warm to kayak on Lake Mead these days. I also want to get away from the heat in general for a while and dispersed camp/kayak somewhere cool.
And yes, that’s a “POS” Pelican Brume 100XP. :smile: I hope to upgrade soon (though I’ll keep the Pelican). The trailer should help, since I may end up traveling to LA to rent/demo boats. If I love something, hopefully I can buy one on the spot and bring it home.

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Ah, okay, not near the Mojave Desert then! :smile: I spent three years on Okinawa…a very different environment, that’s for sure! I’m glad I was able to bring my kayak along.

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just an observation on your mounting set-up from one who uses a similar trailer (and roof racks with j-racks): I don’t think it’s prudent to only lash your boat to a rack mounted bracket. Failure of that bracket connection could be not just damaging, but deadly at highway speeds. Even with your bow and stern lines (and all that length in the bow line) I think you should loop your straps around the trailer frame, not just the wing bracket. I have seen too many rack attachments fail to rely to trust them to secure a load. They are for positioning and support, not to secure the load.

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