My apologies to the kayak/canoe purist before I begin… I currently have my roof rack set up for a canoe with gunnel brackets. I am planning to purchase a kayak soon. Is it possible to keep the rack set up for both canoe and kayak? I am thinking that I can set the kayak between the gunnel brackets with a foam rack. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Sure…
I constantly am changing my set up.
This Saturday I will be carrying two kayaks and one canoe.
I would use saddles for the kayak though rather than just foam.
Cheers,
JackL
Yup
My racks are 2x4s. I use velcro straps to hold foam cradles when I carry a glass kayak. The plastic yaks I just strap down to the 2x4s.
I hear that them yuppies with the Yakithule racks can easy on easy off all sorts of cradles and carriers.
Good luck,
Tommy
You should have seen…
the German guys’s rig that we got a shuttle from up in the Yukon territory a few years back.
He had an old Plymouth sedan (out of date Washington license plates) and most of the windows were either cracked or broken out.
He used two 2x4’s which were just held on to the roof by a piece of rope tied to one end of the 2x4, then run through a open window, through the inside of the car and then out the other window and tied on to the other end of the 2x4.
Then our two (thank goodness plastic yaks)were tied to the 2x4’s.
The trip was 35 miles over a rough gravel road and how those yaks stayed on I will never know.
This guy had come to the Yukon a few years prior to this on vacation and liked it so much decided to stay, and he made money any way he could.
He charged us ten dollars Canadian, and believe it or not when we got to our take out where our car was he was waiting there; “Just wanted to make sure you guys got back safely” in broken English.
You never know where you will find the good people of the world!!!
Cheers,
JackL
Yep!
We’ve used the foam blocks, but ended up purchasing the “J” bars for the kayak. Don’t worry, my husband hates kayaks, but will put up with mine if I whine long enough! Of course that means taking two canoes (1 solo, 1 tandem for 3 of us) and my kayak when we do trips. We accomplish this with the “J” bars and it works out great. Looks really strange, but it’s worth it. I use the bars and the foam blocks when taking my son out with me in our kayaks. What ever works for getting you on the water! Good luck! Dori
you must own a thulyaki already?
If you have gunnel racks I take it you have a system already, therefore jusy buy the yak carriers from that company. I have hully rollers and I would not recomend them for touring yaks. They fit on a round bar and always spin forward when pushing the boats on from the rear. Thule with carpet work much better.
We Do It All the Time
Since the bracket that holds one of the Hull-a-ports broke, though, I decided to just get a longer rack since I need to haul two canoes more often than one of each. My Hull-A-Ports will be for sale after the Ozark Rendevous next week, haven’t put them on classifieds since I’ve been too busy too answer e-mail lately. WW
yakima rack
Thanks all for the info. Yea, I have a Yakima rack and it sounds like it will be pretty easy to configure the rack to hold both canoe and kayak.