I always chuck my kayak in the water straight off, or at most have it stick out the back of my car when I drive the 2 miles to the beach side when I want to surf, so I’ve never needed a Yakima this or that. The most I have is the two foam cradle blocks and the two cinch straps I bought to take it home from REI when I bought it. I’m traveling to Port Aransas from Houston, about a three hour drive, and staying in a 100 year old inn for the weekend. I’d like to take my kayak with me, and I think I can fit it in the hotel room with me at night, but my wife thinks the rooms are too small. Is there any way at all I can make it secure to the roof of my car at night that won’t cost me an arm and a leg. The answer is no, right?
Depends
Does your car have a factory roof rack? I sometimes use the MasterLock Python locks to secure my boats to the factory rack (with foam blocks). You can get these keyed alike at Lowe’s or Bering’s.
If you don’t have a factory rack, I would ask the hotel if they have a bike rack outside and try to figure a way to lock the boats to that.
Aouple of long cables with eyes on each
end. make two slip knot nooses and go one around each end of the boat, tighten it up and take them in about three feet from the end, then just take the cables under the roof of you car and lock the loose ends together, You will have to do something to take up the slack so the caple cannot be slipped over the end of the boat.
Cheap cables are pretty much a joke but it will keep most kids and idiots out.
You can get cabling and stuff at a decent hardware store or home despot (pun). If you use bolt-on fasterners use locktite red and round 'em off too.
Yak Board or Frenzy as in profile?
– Last Updated: Apr-07-05 12:59 AM EST –
Pass the cable lock through a scupper hole and thread through the eye end and lock the other end to the factory roof rack, trailer hitch or to a bike rack or railing. So you have looped the cable around the boat using the scupper hole. Sometimes you can pass the end inside the car and lock to a secure piece of hardware like a seat or cargo tie down and just leave the window open a little bit (only do this if your car is not worth stealing.) Usually you don't have to do too much security with sit on tops, just keep the honest people honest. This picture is not very clear but the Frenzy s locked to the roof rack with a cable through the scupper holes.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/170538707/170955769OzeHKj
Frenzy
Ah, through the scupper holes - a good idea.
Bike Cables
Go to a bike shop to find cables. Bikers run cables through both wheels and frames to lock them. SOTs are easy to secure. SINKs often have a spot around the seat you can run a cable through. Get a coated lock so if it hits your vehicle there’s less chance of chipping the paint.
Use the "CLUB"
If you have a “club” or equivelant steering wheel lock, you can run it length-wise across your cockpit (assuming you have a SINK,) then use a heavy duty bycicle lock to lock the club to your car or other unmoveable object. Then, even if a thief cuts the cable he will have to destroy the boat to remove the club.