I'm trying out the Thule Hullivator to replace my cradles for my Mariner XL (17 ft, 60 lbs). What is the recommended spacing for a kayak that size and weight? It turns out the Hullivator has a "trigger" on each handle that must be pulled at the same time to release each arm at the same time. Thule said the max distance between mounts is 47 inches (4 ft). If I put the rear mount near the back of the cockpit, that still leaves a lot of "nose" sticking out without support. It also looks like Thule expects the kayak to have the same width at the position of both mounts. But the Mariner has quite a taper from the back of the cockpit to the nose.
My cradles allowed two boats to be carried inside the width of the jeep. The Thule mount requires the kayak to extend outside the width of the jeep but probably not outside the length of the side mirror. I can probably live with that.
So my main concern is supporting a 17 ft kayak (on the heavy side) with supports only 47 inches apart.
Note that the Thule video doesn't show the kayak from the side so you don't see how long it is with respect to the mounts or how equal the width of the hull is at each point 47 inches apart.
Paul
That device…
…looks like it has precious little surface area for the hull to rest on.
Spacing
Blackboat has a point that I’ve mentioned to Thule since the Hullavators introduction. Add padding to the cradle arm mounts to even out the high points on the plastic mounts. There are other MadMax-ish methods but I’m not saying what I may/may not have done to some Hullavations in the past.
As to 47" spread, that’s huge. 27" is usually most Thule foot pack bar separation spreads on sedans. Question is, at that wide spread and for the height of the vehicle can you clench the trigger handles and tilt the Hullavator to the 90 degree deployment position? Easily? Depending on the Jeep model you may find moving them narrower gives you better purchase in manipulating the machine. Use Bow/Stern tiedowns depending on deck height vs the top of the inner/outer cradles may/may not provide strap contact all the way across the deck making for a looser carry than most traditional not articulated cradles.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org
kayak mount spacing and Hullivator
The kayak is a little over 17 ft so closer spacing would leave a lot hanging over both supports. Also, it would put the rear support near the back of the cockpit where the boat is the widest. It quickly tapers to the bow. The Hullivator expects the boat to the equally wide at both contact points. A person can adjust that a bit by raising the bottom support of the front mount - but it brings the mount "out of spec". Yes, at the max of 47 inches, my 5' 6" frame would still have trouble pulling both triggers at once. As it is now, I put a strap loop around one trigger, pull it and step on the loop with my foot, holding it open. Then I can squeeze the other trigger with my hand. I'm guessing I just have too big a boat for that device. There video shows a boat from the end, so you never see it's size with respect to the distance of the mounts, nor the symmetry of width at both mounts.
It’ll work
If the one cradle assembly is near the back of the seat it’s on a bulkheaded area so it will have plenty of internal support. The other will likely be below the foot pegs so move the cradle arms inboard enough to the primary support is on the padded surfaces of the cradles and not the cradle mounts (plastic bases)
As I mentioned before Thule’s minimum distance for carrying any kayak is more along the lines of 26"-27" so if you have 33"-36" spread you’re fine with a 19’ kayak. This should alleviate your stomp strap adaptation. Even if you were using traditional saddles you’d have boat overhang unless you trade your jeep for a stretch limo in order to get near 17’ of straight roofline. It’d be a sight that’s for sure.
Use your bow/stern tie downs.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org
kayak mount spacing and Hullivator
Thank you for the recommendations. Usually, and in the case of my XL, Mariner kayaks do not have bulkheads. They believed in an “open” boat for easy loading - no hatches - and used a sea sock or float bags if the boat was empty.
With my usual configuration, the nose of the kayak is even, if not just a little behind, the front bumper of the jeep. So I’m going to hit something with the keep before I hit the nose of the kayak. It does hang over the back of the jeep, but not by a large/long amount.
I’ve received other suggestions that even 3 ft spacing between mounts is good enough for a 17 ft boat as long as I use stern and bow lines.
Guess I just can’t visibly wrap my mind around that much kayak hanging over the supports. Maybe because when I see them supported on racks in shops they are never that close. But that might be a “public” safety issue to avoid “tipping” incidences.
The articulating arms of the Hullivator are great - they keep the boat away from the side of the car and reduce the lift effort by 40 lbs. Though the boat extends out over the edge of the jeep, I don’t believe it goes beyond the side mirror. I didn’t realize I had to pull two handles at the same time. I thought I could just lift the boat itself from the middle. So the requirement of “within reach of both hands” was a surprise.
I’ve never carried my boats with supports that close together. And I picture myself going over bumpy, unimproved, roads - lots of bounce. So I’m going back to my wider spaced cradles.