Please advise. I have a 2019 Mini Cooper S. Before I buy a 10’ recreational kayak, I am just wondering if I can carry it on top of my Mini Cooper? And, what type of rack should I buy? Is it easy to install yourself, or should I have it installed on the car? Please advise me. I am also looking to buy a 10’ kayak. Any recommendations on models and where best to buy? I am located in Miami Beach, FL.
There used to be a guy that ran up and down the keys with an 18 foot long QCC-700 sea kayak on a Mini Cooper all the time.
Just get a good rack and proper tie downs and yes you can
Certainly feasible - the boats shown in the first picture are 14’1" and 15’3". The aero style crossbars offered for the 2004 Cooper are sturdy, the cradles are Kayakpro EZ-Vee (one 7’, one 8’ long). I have used standard cradles too, which work fine but aren’t as bombproof. I used J-cradles briefly, but the boats caught too much of the cross wind from trucks on the highway for my taste.
The skinboat here is 13’9"
There is a lesson here. 10’ kayaks are worthless for just about everything. Also, you want the lightest boat you can afford.
A friend of mine used to carry her daughter’s 19’ racing kayak on top of a SmartCar. And I haul a 15’ and 18’ kayak atop my Mazda CX5 where the rack crossbars are only about 40" apart.
Bottom line is that you can pretty much carry any length kayak on any hard top vehicle with the right rack and tie downs. Mini Cooper? Piece of cake…
Shouldn’t be a problem. Why do you want a 10’ kayak? What is your intended use?
High Desert has a point. Can’t recommend models unless you share some data, like your height and weight and the type of paddling you intend to do in what sort of waters. That said, 10’ rec boats have pretty limited range of use especially at the low end of the budget. With the exception of the $1000 Eddyline Sky model, in general 10’ rec boats lack sealed bulkheads or safety features (like perimeter deck rigging and a keyhole cockpit coaming that will support a spray skirt) and all are quite wide to achieve enough volume for their short length. That tends to make them slow and inappropriate for deep or exposed large bodies of water. OK for day trips on shallow ponds and lazy rivers – not so great for coastal conditions or extended trips or paddling with others in longer kayaks (you can’t keep up). And not for larger folks – not enough displacement.
@dwbush said:
Please advise. I have a 2019 Mini Cooper S. Before I buy a 10’ recreational kayak, I am just wondering if I can carry it on top of my Mini Cooper? And, what type of rack should I buy? Is it easy to install yourself, or should I have it installed on the car? Please advise me. I am also looking to buy a 10’ kayak. Any recommendations on models and where best to buy? I am located in Miami Beach, FL.
I think you can, just needed a proper rack for it! aside of rack I’m curious about your 10’ Kayak, what you plan to do?
Before you buy that little kayak in Miami I suggest you contact these guys and get a reading on kayaking in the local area and what boat is the right thing for the area and what you expect to accomplish. They are a kayak club in Miami that ran the State Rendezvous a couple of years ago. Knowledgeable and ready to help you I think it would be a good idea. They will be way more focused and locally informed than forum. .
http://www.bushpaddlers.org/
No! it will be a hassle to slide up there on the racks and will look horrible. Minimum length for a Cooper MUST be over 14 feet!
FrankNC is right: longer kayaks are easier to load than short ones. They tend to be narrower, weigh about the same and a longer boat gives you more leverage to slide it up on the roof from behind. I much prefer loading my 15’ and 18’ sea kayaks to the 9’ Dagger RPM white water kayak I used to have., especially because I am only 5’ 5".
Get a trailer and nothing shorter than a 14 foot kayak. Make it at least 17 feet and you won’t be sorry.