I have pulled the trigger on a QCC 400 for the wife, and a QCC 700 for me. Now I need to get transportation for them before they arrive. I have an 05 F250 4 door short bed. These are my first kayaks and I am wondering if one type or carrier is better for a composite boat or will any of the offerings from thule and yakima work for composite? My only rule is that I have to be able to pull my tag along camper with the yaks. Will a bed mounted carrier allow the QCC 700 to clear the camper?
racks…
There all diff brands of truck bed racks that will allow you to carry the boats above the roof height, ( aka “ladder rack” types) which is what you will have to do to allow for the length, since you will also be pulling a camper from X to X at times. You just need to do some homework, there is no one Utopian way to have everything , you will need to make compromises. Aside from that. since the boats are composite, the 1 irritating prob i ran into with saddles is, after a while, each saddle will abrade the hull where boat and saddle meet, and create a dull,matte, slighty rough spot. I use Yakima Land sharks. unless you can live with this , U have to clean the hull of the boat and saddles of grit after use and b4 saddling it up to prevent the blemishing. I offer the following link only as illustration of what may be available on the market…
http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com/racks.php
more newbie questions!
would a roof mount system be an option, or is the boat too long? What about the j-style mounts instead of saddles. Would something like the bowdown work for composites as well as keep the finish in better shape? The kind of wear you suggested is what I was wondering about. Would a j-style mount be best for composite or are they about the same as a saddle type mount?
I thought a couple roof bars might move the kayaks forward more than bed mounts such as the yakima outdoorsman and allow more camper clearance.
I can’t help you on your F-250
but I carry our two QCC’s on my F-150 on “J” cradles and when I carry them on my Ford Escape, sometimes I use J cradles, and other times Yakama saddles.
Don’t worry about hurting the gel coat. I slide mine on and off, and it has never hurt it.
I do try to make sure there is no grit on the hull before sliding it, but many times I have been in a hurry, and even with grit the finish doesn’t get hurt.
cheers,
JackL
rack
for those that pull 5th wheels, they have a roof rack that connects the rear of the kayak above the cab of the truck. So you will need 1/2 of a Thule crossbar. Then they mount a goalpost type to the front end of the truck, so the bulk of the boats are above the hood of the truck. Go to rv chat sites and you will find tons of options.
You can put a Yakima Sportsman
rack at the rear and a regular rack on the cab and have a great system.I have seen people use 2 300s in the bed,but that gets pricey.
897XT Hullavator
I would suggest you mount to the roof rather than over the bed. It will allow more clearance for the trailer to the stern of the kayaks, (don’t know how high the trailer is you are towing). I then would use 897XT Hullavators, expensive but will allow you to unload to the side of the vehicle rather than slide off from the rear. This will come in handy if you see a place to paddle and don’t want to unhitch the trailer.
Good luck and good paddling.
An observation…
about roof mounting and trailers. I roof mount two long (17’ +) boats on my Tahoe, and pull a hard sided trailer.
It looks scary, but when you think about it, the boats can’t hit the trailer.
Imagine one boat mounted in the middle of your roof. As you turn, the boat gets further away from the trailer.
Now with two boats, as you turn they briefly get closer to the trailer, but as you turn sharper, the distance increases. Once they pass the center line of the trailer, you see.
Next time I hook up the rig, I’ll pull some measurements for reference.
FWIW,
T