Hi I have a bad back (and limited funds) and found cheap Lifetime 8’ Daylite Kayak that fit all the way in my Honda Civic with all seats down but drivers. That worked fine until we were rear ended and our car totaled. I take care of my 89 year old mom and had two days to find a decent car. We ended up with a Toyota Camry. pass through is same size but the Camry has more padding on the back seats so they don’t go down as far. The kayak won’t pass all the way through. We have no roof rack. Even if we did I couldn’t get it up there. I was wondering if a Trailer hitch (class 2 for my car), a 1 1/4" to 2" adapter and a Hitch Mount Truck Bed Extender (For Ladder, Rack, Canoe, Kayak, would work (1/2 in car 1/2 out)? I can’t afford a roof rack, trailer or new kayak. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Have you checked to see if the seats come loose or flip forward ? In our car they are hinged so that you can pull them up and out from the back of the seat and they flip forward and stow in the footwells in front of them so the seatbacks can come down flatter.
That extender might work but the legality of the load sticking out like that might be questionable depending on how much it does… Here the limit is about 3ft behind the car. Plus having the rear boot open while driving will suck in all the exhaust fumes of the car - not the greatest thing.
Have a look at inflatable roofracks - not very expensive and work well enough and will fit any future car as well…
Those hitch adaptors wobble a lot. Driving with the rear hatch open can get exhaust fumes.
Thanks. The seats can’t do more than fold down on Camry… If I had had more time to find a car I would have found one to fit my kayak. On a good day lifting 15-20 lbs is iffy, going above my head with it is impossible. I guess I’m stuck then unless we have company to load my yak for me. I am enter contests for inflatable yaks and boards, or those that come apart. Thanks. I miss kayaking.
If you don’t use the rear seat for passengers, just remove it totally.
I don’t know which year you have, but here is a video on the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwtllAPqyBU
If I were in your situation, I would strongly consider the Advanced Element Firefly. Very lightweight, easy to inflate. Of course it is limited in where you should safely take it, but so is the kayak you’ve been paddling. This would get you on the water, be easy on your back, and not take up much storage space.
https://www.advancedelements.com/kayaks/recreational-kayaks/inflatable-kayak-ae1020/
I feel you - we got the lightest canoe we could find that fits us all and its a good 26kg… but on the roof it goes with some help.
I’d skip inflatable and look at all the different folding types - those are quite decent to paddle - hope you can get yourself out there soon again 