Rear Loading Help

Here’s how I dealt with that. I used to put a beach towel on my rear spoiler, but it left too much opportunity for the boat to slide sidways when I was at the stern picking it up. I came up with a variety of ways to prevent that, but this was by far the best choice. Modeled after surf ski racks I’ve seen, it gives MUCH better support for my longer boat than the standard mounting position of my roof rack would normally allow. Those are my Malone Wingracks mounted to that aluminum square tubing, so it really didn’t cost me much…just the cost of that tubing and the hardware to mount it to my roof rack. Now I can lay the bow of the boat into the rear wingrack and move to the stern to pick it up with no danger of it slipping sideways. And obviously, with the rear wingrack so much further back, there’s no chance of beating up my car’s rear spoiler now.

just a blanket.

Never tried this, but here’s a thought: Find one of those bike racks that strap onto the back of cars, preferably a used one, something like this.

Either remove or cut off the arms that stick out for holding the bikes. Put the top straps on the rear roof rack crossbar, put the top bike rack pad/rollers in front of/above the plastic spoiler and the lower pad/rollers below the spoiler. Slide the kayak over the bike rack.

@Nunio
Having had a bike rack like this, I don’t see it being solid against the weight of most kayaks. Also too marrow to be stable for rec boats.

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I guess it depends on the make and model, as I had one that was pretty sturdy. They have to be able to support the weight of a bike bouncing up and down at the ends of the arms, so I’d think it’s be sturdy enough for sliding a kayak up onto the roof racks. You don’t want to leave the boat on the bike rack while you’re driving, just to get the boat on the roof, then remove the bike rack.

If it’s not wide enough, tie a length of 2x4 horizontally across the bike rack.

I hear you with respect to the cost of the Hullavators. I bought two a years a number of years ago when they were cheaper but still $$, but now that I have them I am so glad I spent the money on them, a great investment.

One option might be using one of those extensions that hooks onto the rack so that rack essentially extends a foot or more out to the side. Thule has one called the outrigger. You put the nose of the kayak up and grab the back and slide it up onto the rack.

I have a hullavator, but I use cradles when I want to carry a second boat. I use a device called a roller loader which I bought many years ago. It is essentially a frame with two large wheels on one side and suction cups on the other. Attach the cups to the window with the help of the attached straps, put the hull of the kayak on the wheels and roll it up into the cradles. I put a towel on the spoiler just in case, but if I position the loader correctly the boat never touches the car. It is pretty slick and easy to use and I have used it with all kind of boats and on several cars. If they are still sold, I am sure that they are pretty pricy by now,

Get a trailer hitch and stick one of those T bars in it with a roller on top. Use it to branch over to the Thule roller on your rack. A longer kayak actually makes this easier.

2FKEYWEST-Kayak-Boat-Roller-Loader
I’m 78 yo and getting the kayak on a Honda Pilot was impossible until I got this roller. It rolls right up there. I was stunned at how easy it was. Highly recommend.

I had the Hullivator and experienced lower gas mileage and I just did not like the mechanism. The spoiler on my Toyota RAV4 was not made to sustain the 58 lb. weight of my Pungo 140. Because I have more conventional saddles (that hold my kayak in an upright position and are on my car 365 days a year) I opted for a slide that hooks under the rear crossbar that allows me to slide the kayak up from the rear without touching that pesky spoiler. As Celia posted years ago, a longer kayak (due to the angle to load) is sometimes easier to car top than a heavy short kayak. You do not have to tilt/angle/lift it up as much.

Check this out on Amazon, # Codinter Kayak Roller, Kayak Load Assist with Heavy-Duty Suction Cups Mount

I like the looks of this loader, but can’t find where they can be purchased?

Too bad you couldn’t load it from the front - if the windshield has no spoiler, covering the glass with a mat
might be easier, less of a steep push.
My saddles have rubber traction so I made removable saddle covers with carpet runner to slide the kayak to car top & take it down.

I used to use a Thule Water Slide which was ok but fairly lightweight, so a breeze would flip it over, even though tied to rear rack. Now using a large bath mat, heavier, non-slip backing, works great, less than $10.

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Some good suggestions here, but I got a method that I think is better than any of these options, from another member in a similar thread, that I use to load our 13.5’ tandem onto a Durango SUV by myself.

Lay kayak next to vehicle, and flip it upside down if hauling that way. Open rear passenger door, throw a jacket or towel over top of door, and then lift front of kayak and set it atop door. Then lift rear onto roof rack. Then go to front and slide it home onto roof rack.

I find this very safe and easy, with no chance of harming my satellite antenna or rear spoiler, both of which would be subject to abuse if rear loading. Also, no chance of sliding off the car, using this method, at least given the contours of my particular kayak and vehicle.

As cars get taller the last half of that doesn’t work for someone my height about 5’4" hence average for a female. I had the height myself to bring the boat around the back and onto the rear cross bar plus whatever attachment until the last two compact SUV’s. And were I still using stackers I might just make it, because the boat loads onto basically a bare bar.

But with my current Rav4 and anything like a set of glide pads or rollers on the back, the only way I can make that height is from the rear with a roller loader. With glide pads I can slide the boat forward for the final adjustment.

I have a Hullivator so this is only the second-boat issue, but with this latest redesign of the Rav4 I am not certain how I am going to make things work for the two-boat trips this season. There are other things they did on the redesign that complicated what worked before.

Sounds like your describing the boat loader evo. Thule made a slide out bar not sure if they still do for the square bars.

I use and love my kayak Roller Loader from Oak Orchard Canoes (online). It’s the best $70 I ever spent. This thing works for me loading my 12 ft 42lb yak onto my CRV rolling the boat right into my saddles. There are several versions available depending on your car. My crv does not have a spoiler, and I bought the version with the fin. Hardest part for me in using this is remembering to take it off the car before I start driving down the road!

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Further to philweins post…
Am shopping for rear suction roller (Pontiac Vibe). Curious what brand you’re using. Seems the Codinter is popular on Amazon.
Any other suggestions?

Thanks

I’m using the Malone Channel Roller. Its compact, and the roller has a pretty pronounced “v” so the boat stays in the middle of the roller. You can change the angle of the roller rom vertical to 45 degrees to 90 degrees, so i’m pretty sure it will work on all vehicles. The suction cups are really strong, its obvious when the are on/off- sometimes when flipping the tab to get the suction on, the cup is not on the window exact and its doesnt suction.
For all the other ideas floated, this is a cheap and commercially available solution to this problem. I roll my 63 lb 17’ sea kayak into cradles on top of a minivan by myself…