Also, back to the original question. I wouldn’t use a ramp or a step stool. Each has disadvantages. What we used when we had the first kayak carrying assembly was an aluminum folding work platform. Rock solid. You can walk back and forth on it without fear of falling or tipping over. Most any hardware store, Lowes or Home Depot carry them.
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Just to clarify, Thule ProBars are the model that can be trimmed. The WingBar and SquareBar = not so much.
See you on the water,
Marshall Seddon
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
Hyde Park, NY. 12538
845-229-0595 main
845-242-4731 mobile
Main: [www.the-river-connection.com]
Store: [www.the-river-connection.us]
Email: marshall@the-river-connection.com
Facebook: [The River Connection, Inc.]
Instagram: Instagram.com/marshall.seddon
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I have made 5 kayak racks for my wife and my friends but here in Wyoming, outside the big towns most people have pick-up trucks. However my idea is useful on car tops too. I made one for a friend with a Subaru and one for my wife’s Rav-4.
What I do is to build a wood frame that is notched to fit the existing rack. Just a rectangular frame with a cross brace built in so it’s rigid. I make them from 2X4 and a 1X4 used as the angled “wind brace”.
Next I make a set of parallel 1X4s that install at the back end of the 1st frame and sit about 1.5" It has a front end and braces, but it’s a frame around the frame so to speak. Install it about 1/5" higher with a set of 7/16" bolts, so it will pivot up at the front, a a bit down at the rear. (Think of the ladders you see on fire trucks which pivot from the back as they are raised.) My 2nd frame is light but strong and pivots at an upward angle of about 25 degrees. I make a pivoting arm that can connect the rising frame to the box frame as you would see the hood support of your car with it’s support arm. (just working downward instead of upward) The light frame is then built with cleat supports that are matched to the hull contour of your kayak exactly. You simply set they in place and attach to the pivot box at what ever angle fits your boat perfectly.
So when loading the kayaks you lift the pivoting frame in the front and set the brace arm to the lower frame to hold it in place. (I use a pin to go though both the arm and the main frame made from 3/8" steel) You lift the bow of the kayak into the yoke you made at the rear (which fits the stern perfectly) Walk to the stern and pick it up only about knee high, and as you walk forward to run the hull up the ramp it just slides up. Once past the center it’s nearly effortless. The kayak is self aligning at that point, because the yokes you made with the cleats cause it to slip to the same place you built the yokes around the hull. When fully on top, use the brace arm to lower the pivoting rack down to it’s resting position. Tie off on the bow to the front of your car, and I use the cockpit combing as a place to run a cinch line to pull backward and then tie off to the rear of the rack. That gives tension fore and aft. One rope around the middle of the boat and you are now good for any tip.
This makes a carry rack that weight only about 15 pounds and is not a permanent attachment to the car. The 2X4 main frame is notched (inlet) to fit your car rack and is tied on with X hitches, so it’s very fast and easy to remove any time you want, and the whole thing is about 6.5 to 8 feet long (depending on the car you are fitting it to) and only 30 inches wide. So you can set it on edge in a shed or along a wall and it take very little space. Because the pivoting frame slants you need only get the bow up to it, and if it’s installed on the roof the rear of the pivoting rack come down about a foot or so. Get the bow on it only 10" of so, and you just push the kayak up and it sit perfectly. If you car is low you need not even make the pivoting frame. Just make the main frame and install the yokes. But for higher roofs the pivoting frame is very handy. The only thing you must be a bit careful with is the lowering of the kayak to it’s travel position… Lower slowly using the side brace. If it falls it doesn’t really hurt anything but it down make a loud noise and makes the car top flex a bit (Guess how I know that!)
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Load from the rear, not the side.
Load from the side, not the rear. 
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Thanks again mowog73,
Found a few videos, and saw attach/detach operations. Just a matter of lining up the holes, while holding the Hullavator (9 lbs?). Starting to sound doable.
Celia: Cannot remember when I was NOT carrying a blanket in the car. Good idea to protect the side of the car with it … but not coming up with a picture.
NHTrucker: Like the idea of medical stairs. It’s a good suggestion, but as fate would have it, shifting my attention to the Thule Hullavator Pro … but it’s not a done deal yet.
Made too many posts as a new user, so was banned from posting this earlier.
What Load Assist option, I’m going with (for now): Thule Hullavator Pro. Have some concerns,
- Since I have to use the Thule crossbars, instead of the Subaru ones, will the rack clear the entrance of my garage? (If not, return everything OR remove the entire rack between trips.)
- Videos make attaching/detaching the Hullavator appear easy … but is it really?
- Air strut replacement: Video makes that look very nasty. Wondering how much Thule charges?
Last one could be moot: Think by removing the mechanism between trips, will extend its life.
I don’t see massive maintenance issues to keep these things healthy. Mine are off during the snow, which gives them a solid five months of rest inside these days. I lubricate them and tighten down any screws before putting them on the first time when the weather breaks.
During the season I don’t move them after every paddle but they do come off. In fact they will for this weekend. I will probably take a boat out tomorrow on some local pond or whatever, but with tix to classical performances my weekend is cooked for paddling. So off will come the mile eaters.
Like Lilyflower I also often remove them if the car is going to be sitting any place that makes me nervous. I did move two of my locks from my older setup to the cradles so can lock them, but these things are very tempting. And it is easy to just put them in the car under the cargo cover.
I have a really solid metal stool I got for my stepmother, but more often use a folder because the really good stool is a bit of a beast.
I got mine for the first Rav4. I want to say that was fall 2015.
I just throw the blanket over the top of the door, with it outside covering where the base of the cradle will hit, then close the door.
Once there is weight in the cradles the rear one tends to lie against the car. There is rubber down there that protects the paint, but throwing the blanket in there just adds a safety layer.
I use this after I put the front of the canoe on the rack extension on the cab of my pickup. Step on this to lift onto the roof.
Ironton Truck Service Step — 300-Lb. Capacity | Northern Tool
Dude, just watch the video I made for you.
My Forester is a fraction of inch shorter than your Rav4, so I’m glad that I have the stool at the roof level.
UV damage was another concern, regarding the Hullavator. That makes leaving the 2 cradle assembly off between paddles, a very good idea. And I was even thinking about the theft issue.
Get the locks. It is fairly cheap for two and it means I don’t have to worry about leaving the cradles up at most places I launch from.
Not sure what can get UV damage on the cradles except maybe the black padding gets a bit duller. Rest is pretty solid metal, sun won’t hurt it.
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I have hullivators on the truck. We went to them four years ago when we got a bigger taller truck. No problems with air struts. They spend time in the florida sun and get plenty hot.
The whole system is 7 feet in the air so i use a short three step stool from Home Depot to remove cradles, etc.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-3-Step-Aluminum-Step-Stool-Ladder-RM-AUL3G/205548469
Most of the folks i know that have had problems had older model Hullivators and had them on the car empty. Ours will be carrying boats most of the summer.
Ps…i remove the cradled with the assistance of my paddle partner Author-Itis.
Hi Celia,
UV does a job on rubber & plastic (I’m fanatical about applying 303 to my hatch covers), so it’s a good reason to remove those cradles when not in use.
Overstreet,
Good to know that it was the earlier Hullavators, that were more prone to failure.
Bought one of the 1st mechanically-assisted loading systems (EZ Load Talon), 19 years ago, and it was a horrible experience … made me suspect of any complex load assist device (e.g. Thule Hullavators).
Oh, hatch covers. I get that. There really isn’t anything that the sun can hurt on the Hullivator cradles, unless the black padding being a bit less black would bother you.
I always remove the hullivator between uses, no need for it to be sitting in sun, the UV will fade and damage the nylon foam cover with time.
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I am thrice challenged: short (5’4"), female, and gray-haired. I love my loading system and it works great for solo loading but adapts well to duo. It works just fine on my Subaru Ascent (mid-sized SUV) and even better on my Outback.
I’ve had these Marco gull wing saddles https://marcosaddles.com for about 3 years and they make loading a breeze. I think they would be several inches lower than the Hullavators, maybe fitting your garage. And they are dirt cheap compared to the Hullavators at about $170. I love how the saddles are large and flex-y to gently support my composite boats, especially for distance travel.
I carry a long (2’ x 5’ ish) rubber backed bathmat which I toss horizontally across the back of my roof (if windy I run it the other way, tucking under the bar and rear saddle so it stays put while I go get my boat) and I throw another one down one the ground (4 steps out from the bumper for me), carpet side in. I shoulder my 16’ boat and walk it to the rear bumper area, resting it sideways with the stern on the ground mat and the bow end on the mat on the back of my car, ready to slide into the cradle. I slip it off my shoulder, turn it hull down and walk my hands back toward the stern holding the rear of the cockpit coaming and the deck lines. Then I lift the stern and push forward from the rear toggle area to slide the boat onto both saddles. The saddles are lined with felt so the boat slides easily (note that I’m careful to dunk my boat to remove sand etc just before I load).
I toss the buckle end of Thule straps with “buckle buddies” over the boat and roof, starting at the rear just behind the cockpit coaming. I go to the other side and take the buckle under the load bar and back up and over the boat and roof. Back on the starting side I take the loose end under the load bar on the side of the car, bring it up to the buckle and cinch til tight but not cranked. Repeat for the front saddle. I can do lotsa macrame to secure the loose end but usually give it a twist or two and secure it by opening and closing the rear car door to trap it.
If I need height in securing straps or bow line I generally put a foot on top of a tire and use the roof rack to pull up and work from there. I also carry and sometimes use a lightweight, taller Werner step stool ULINE - Shipping Boxes, Shipping Supplies, Packaging Materials, Packing Supplies
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Thanks Pilgrim for chiming in,
But at this point, I’m committed to trying to get the Thule Hullavator Pro to work. Have most of the parts, so it’s a matter of waiting for the towers, and REI installing everything.
- Will the new Thule rack, sans Hullavator, prevent my car from getting in the garage?
- Will the new Thule crossbars extend too far? (Composing this reply, has me thinking that setting up the Hullavator to be on the passenger side of the car is VERY BAD idea.)
Removed the kayak from its U-brackets for the 1st time since 2013, for cleaning & repair. Wasn’t as light as I remember.
I have my Hullivator set up on the passenger side, because that leaves the cradles on the not-facing street side on most parking situations. In the case of the one way streets where I live the theory fails, but I find it convenient when it comes to being out in the world. With the crossed bow line I can see what is going on anyway.
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This may be helpful: