kayak transporting

I’ve seen some transport their kayaks hull down, and others deck down. Is there one way that’s better than the other? Or is it just a matter of what works best with the shape of the boat? As always, thanks in advance for your comments.



paddle safe, LJB

On the four that I own,…
(plastic and kevlar) the two different manufacturers recommended right side up on saddles, with the bars spaced under the bulkheads.

The two plastic ones have survived vey nicely for the past twelve years this way without any harm, and sometimes they have ben strapped down tight off and on for several months at a time.

The kevlar ones are newere and seem to be doing as well.



cheers,

JackL

AND IN CONTRAST TO MY GOOD FRIENDS

– Last Updated: Apr-20-06 7:10 PM EST –

JackL & Nanci, we transport all of ours downside up on our pool noodle-clad bars.

I imagine cradles make it easier to position the boats, and may make it easier to load & unload them. We sold our extra Yakima rack -with the cradles -to Baszilbrasil and he transports, up to 3 at a time -on his small Toy Echo (!) -his Impex Outer Island (18'?), WS Tempest 17, ~20' SOF, OK S-Pro TW (14'9"), OT Rush, & OK Venus (? correct me if I'm wrong Paul) using mixed techniques of Cradles, foam blocks, bars, and perhaps Js, too. I would've kept the cradles, but figured things were well as is, and gave them to BB.

We have a plastic 17' Perception Eclipse, a 16'-6" Hurricene Tracer in Trylon, a 17' glass Knysna Isthmus SOT, two (14'-1" & 14'-9") plastic OK Scupper SOTs, and a 12'(?) OK Scrambler XT.

All work well carried downside up, most especially the SOTs, even the Isthmus, and we've had no problems, and have toted them around South Florida, over to Southwest Florida, and up & down the Florida Keys with, all with no problem.

It's your choice on how you want to tote your boat to get to the place where you

PADDLE ON!

-Frank in Miami

… with kayak on the side
Yet another way, especially suitable for plastic boats ( or so they say :slight_smile: ).

The straps distort my plastic boat with
the cockpit up but there are no problems with it facing down.

One thing to consider . . .

– Last Updated: Apr-20-06 10:04 AM EST –

If you transport it cockpit up, then you either need to invest in a cockpit cover or never, never transport the kayak when you think it might rain.

Water is very heavy and can do damage to the kayak, the car, the car's handling, etc. Even if the kayak is just sitting out overnight on the rack and it rains during the night, you may find (at best) the kayak very difficult to remove and dump (you'll proabably have to use the bilge pump). Worse case you'll find the roof of your car damaged by the weight.

good point to remember
All was clear last night when I checked the forecast, but I woke this morning as it started raining…I had to run outside and grab my K1 off the rack… Water weighs 8.3 pounds/gallon…it doesn’t take much before it’s the equivilent of standing on your boat.

Just not backwards
Up, down, on it’s side appears to be just fine, but I’ve been informed that backwards is a no-no. I was told it brings bad luck, according to what I was taught in the beginning of time itself, ha!

Monsoon?
Just how much rain do you get at one time?

trailer
Impex Outer Island on J racks, (18 ft) SOF on foam in middle of rack (19 ft) Tempest on saddles I got from Frank (17 ft)



piece of cake!



Or. OI, Tempest and Scupper Pro





wonder if I can get a riser and strap four boats on it?



My poor abused Toyota Echo…but I have always liked cheap small cars…had a Ford Festiva a while back too! Wife has the top of the line Mazda MPV L or whatever to compensate I guess.



Starting to think maybe trailer as the kids get more involved and I will then need to have the OI, the Scupper Pro for Vera and the KEA and the OT Rush for the kids.



Anybody know of a good cheap trailer?



Paul

storage
boats are not stored on the rack for longer than 10 minutes before being brought in to the sawhorses for a wash and then into the garage for storage. I do have covers for them for when I am driving except for the OI…note to self…



Paul

Good thread
For transport of a QCC or NC fiberglass kayak, am I correct to presume that on their sides is best? I am thinking about getting the slings to hang them from in my shed…would that be ok or better on their sides there as well?

Monsoon…
Yes, that’s about right. I’ve lived in upstate NY for about 35 years, so I know that you know rain.

But here in Florida, the rain comes down unbelievably hard and fast for an hour or so most every day in the summmer months. Then, the sun returns to let us bask in nature’s sauna.

-steamin’ T

@
That statement is a little oversaid…everyday?..not. I’ve been to Florida for weeks with no rain at all.