I have invested quite a bit of $$ in my kayaks. Eleven years ago I invested in a Thule hullavator; problem with lifting and securing my boat is solved! Best investment I ever made! Now, I have two hullavator attachments for my jeep. Loading two boats takes less than 3 minutes combined. I am 60 years old and five feet tall. No problems at all loading boats…
And it may come to pass that however old, or young and fit you are, you’re likely to get older and suffer injuries and strains even become fatigued after a day on the water and then need to haul from the water and load when feeling less robust than at purchase, I’d say go light and seriously consider the great advice here on wheels and loaders. A back injury or torn meniscus or rotator cuff (for instance) can compromise the rest of your paddling life.
I have mako saddles. Try your side bars with 100 pound Libra XT on an excursion or even 65 pound SOT I used to load. Try to lift a heavy kayak up on the saddles off a few steps up on a ladder and on to the saddles. I have no problem snatching other people’s kayaks and loading them on low vehicles from the side with out anything by for an aid. When the Libra XT is on the truck it’s in the center of the bars and truck. So lifting it up on the saddles is not really feasible off a ladder which wants to kick out as you reach in and up. Center of truck is 40" in alone. And when lifting your hand has to go past the center point. The wheels on back may help but I would not depend on suction cups alone to hold it so that means strapping it I guess which is more time. Wish I had a fish scale to measure the weight being lifted it’s a lot more that 25% over 60% when lifting stern when bow is on a bar or bow on the nation on back.
I think you need to be more specific about what you mean by ‘sea kayak’ and ‘features.’ To me a sea kayak is a touring boat and it’s features include enough volume to carry touring gear, enclosed bulkheads, great tracking, and light weight plus a good seating system. Someone else mentioned, they are going to be long. Probably not under 14 or 15 feet. Certainly not a heavy plastic boat.
81" to top of bar. Add 6" fir saddles. Extend bar on on side and it’s barely 20" past plumb point of the truck. Even furthest side of truck to center of saddles is 32" for single carry kayak. I could make it 28" if I carry boat on ends of bars.
Ladder I use is 48" to the top and when getting straps over and under I have to stand on top of ladder to reach. I usually try to keep bar under one arm to steady myself a bit.
Window is more vertical than picture they show and I have the bump out to deal with.
PD52,
Your objections make me suspect you don’t really understand how a Roller loader works. Mine (don’t know if it is the same brand as Celia’s as I bought it used) only uses the suction cups to stay in position laterally. The device is actually held securely in place by nylon strapping attached to it. When I used it I closed the straps inside the top of the tailgate. I can’t visually check it at the moment for model ID because I gave it to my brother in upstate NY to use to load his 68 pound kayak on his tall Acura SUV. I don’t need it anymore since none of my boats is over 45 pounds.
A Rollerloader also has hooks on one end of each strap - this video shows one like I have and how it can be used on a sedan or even on the hood of a car (the last demo in the clip seems to be a Subaru or RAV4 wagon.) Using one to load from the front might be an option for you on your tall vehicle since it would give you a lower pivot point. You would need to measure the diagonal distance from the ground to the front roofline via the resting point on the Rollerloader to see if that was feasible. Looking at your photos of the vehicle I think it could be done.
I know exactly how it works and thanks for the video. The hood and trunk are nothing like my Excursion. Where do I strap it to. How long does it take to strap on the roof of the Excursion that is high? Only thing there is edge of door 4" in. Pressure on the suction cups is downward on them. My pressure would be almost vertically. I open up a rolled up bath in 5 seconds and slap it on the roof. I will add suction cups to the corners for real windy days. After I lift the bow to the mat I go to the back and relieve her of the stern. Push it to the balance point then up halfway on the ladder and push it. Yes takes some effort but at 6’ 225 lb. It’s not bad. As fir effort to load a kayak do I really care if I just paddled hard for 10-20 miles with a ikelos or my corryvreken. Part of my paddling is exercise. As long as I am not pulling my back out I enjoy the lift.
@willowleaf said:
I haven’t noticed anyone mention Stellar kayaks. They are costly but available in 4 different composite lay-ups. Their 15’ touring kayak runs 32 to 36 pounds depending on the material. Not a lot of stocking dealerships but we have one in our area and I’ve seen all their models – beautiful boats and very light!
Yes,they are.
Paddledog52
Why are you making this so much harder than it needs to be?? The Excursion has a hatch back, right? The straps go to the top of the hatch and are left long enough for the wheels to sit beyond the spoiler and the suction cups on the hatch window. It takes a few seconds to strap it on. Without this sounding too silly, the spoilers on my cars have gotten bigger with redesigns and the current one is significantly bigger than yours. It still works.
And let’s get to the rest of it. You started out saying that you didn’t think many people could manage it. A fair number of people of otherwise unremarkable strength, size and overall prowess came back telling you that loading a sea kayak solo was entirely manageable with these tools. I expect most were talking about the same thing as me, loading a single sea kayak.
Let’s assume that you can let it go that indeed a Roller Loader or other aid could be useful.
The next issue added to the pile loading a tandem - which is I agree a further problem. But it is not what most folks have to deal with, certainly not the ones who responded here with solutions for loading each of which you seem to find troublesome.
If there is a tandem there is another paddler involved, yes? I am reaching thru all of this to think that you have a paddling partner who is not willing or able to help you load the boat. That is not how I or my husband ever approached our paddling, but I have been out in groups with enough kayak widowers to know that it is a common problem. And it is, a problem. But it doesn’t mean that these tools and techniques won’t work for a lot of people in the more usual situation, one person with single kayak and a desire to get it on the water. It means you have a boat to person ratio that is a larger issue than the usual.
@Celia said:
Paddledog52Why are you making this so much harder than it needs to be?? The Excursion has a hatch back, right? The straps go to the top of the hatch and are left long enough for the wheels to sit beyond the spoiler and the suction cups on the hatch window. It takes a few seconds to strap it on. Without this sounding too silly, the spoilers on my cars have gotten bigger with redesigns and the current one is significantly bigger than yours. It still works.
And let’s get to the rest of it. You started out saying that you didn’t think many people could manage it. A fair number of people of otherwise unremarkable strength, size and overall prowess came back telling you that loading a sea kayak solo was entirely manageable with these tools. I expect most were talking about the same thing as me, loading a single sea kayak.
Let’s assume that you can let it go that indeed a Roller Loader or other aid could be useful.
The next issue added to the pile loading a tandem - which is I agree a further problem. But it is not what most folks have to deal with, certainly not the ones who responded here with solutions for loading each of which you seem to find troublesome.
If there is a tandem there is another paddler involved, yes? I am reaching thru all of this to think that you have a paddling partner who is not willing or able to help you load the boat. That is not how I or my husband ever approached our paddling, but I have been out in groups with enough kayak widowers to know that it is a common problem. And it is, a problem. But it doesn’t mean that these tools and techniques won’t work for a lot of people in the more usual situation, one person with single kayak and a desire to get it on the water. It means you have a boat to person ratio that is a larger issue than the usual.
Guess you didn’t read what I typed.
yeah I did. “Where do I strap it to. How long does it take to strap on the roof of the Excursion that is high? Only thing there is edge of door 4” in. "
You have a hatch back. so did three Mercury Taurus/Sable wagons, the Subaru Outback, and two Rav4’s. With gradually much bigger spoilers than you show in your photo.
I have a paddling partner who helps me you missed that and how we do it. The only things the wheels do is reduced friction vs a mat. But it can slide back at me easier. May keep it centered better but libra has big flat bottom and it may slide. . Ten inch wheels would be near 90" high for the kayak not trunk mounted like the video. Guy in parkings lot in normal midsize car next to me yesterday had his head level with the bottom of my side window.
Sorry if I missed the partner part. My wheels are on the back of my hatch at about head height, roughly 65 inches off the ground with the current car.
As above, you are talking a longer boat and taller vehicle than many here. But the techniques described above work for many with a less stretched situation.
Yes even your side loading works better on narrower car. I have 20" bar passed side. Never used it with Libra but 65 lb. SOT made them sag and boat slide to outside. That is nerve racking.
I’ll take a video next time I load it in spring she does go in the cold.
Randall, getting back to your questions on kayak weights: the Inuit design based skin-on-frames that people are still building are super tough. I’ve been paddling one for nearly 10 years and have had it fall off the roof rack, dragged over gravel bars and over concrete ramps, bounced off submerged rebar and crashed into rocks with no problems or visible or functional damage. These are very durable boats, especially those made (like mine) with an 8 ounce ballistic nylon fabric skin coated with two-part urethane. You can even slam the skin with the claw end of a hammer and not puncture it