Hi All,
Does anyone have any suggestions on setup
for 22ft by 22in Tandem
and clarifications re overhang laws?
I have a Honda odyssey with thule crossbars.
Cheers
If your crossbars and cradles are
some feet apart and, if possible, under the kayak’s bulkheads, then the boat will be properly supported.
Also see if your crossbars can be set so that the overhang is not too unequal at the front and the back. Usually if a state has a law about overhang, it may specify something like 5 feet, and may call for a flag at the back end of the boat. Any red rag may serve.
Bow and stern ropes should not be tensioned very much. The main “hold” on the kayak should come from straps or ropes across the support cradles. It may help to run a supplementary rope from the bow to the front rack crossbar. This insures agains forward slip in an emergency stop.
I used to have to transport a 27’ rowing scull on a car smaller than your van. We used extended cradles for such boats because in those days, they were built out of thin cedar and were delicate. In such a case, the entire support cradle was mounted to the racks and tied to the end of the car. I don’t think you will need to use such a cradle, but if you were to need one, I could tell you how to build it.