This is an Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5 on a Ford Flex. The rack is a Yakima Sweet Roll, making it much easier to load since I don’t have to lift the entire kayak at once. I just set the bow on the back of the rack, pick up the stern and roll the boat into place.
Wanted a rack for my Ranger that was easy to remove. The four posts drop into the holes on the sides of the bed. As we have used Yakima racks for years and have the crossbar accessories I wanted to incorporate the round crossbars in the rack design.
Our 1995 Walden and Aquaterra recreational kayaks still get plenty of use. The Thule TracRac SR racks will hold anything. The challenge is how high the F-250 is. Planning on making an assist lift similar to the New Zealand Rhino-Rack Nautic Kayak Loader.
What brand of universal ladder rack are you using on your Colorado? I’m asking because I’m getting a used Chevy Longbed pickup that already has a fiberglass bed cover. I was hoping to get a single ladder rack section to mount at the cab and then use a hitch goalpost type bar on the rear.
Everything I can find seems to need to mount directly on the rails of the truck bed, and wouldn’t allow me to keep the cover mounted. I don’t want to lose the secured lockable storage provided by the cover.
I’m in my early 60’s and the wife is a few years older. I’m 6’5" and can handle our boats alone, but even I need a step ladder to secure them to the Yakima roof rack on my current pickup. That makes it too much like work to me!
If you, or anyone else can suggest a brand of racks that will fit under the cap or cover I’m all ears!