Hi all - I’m a bit of a newbie, especially with transporting kayaks. I have a Toyota Tacoma with a (unfortunately) short bed, and a camper shell over the bed, and a Thule rack with ‘aerodynamic’ cross bars on the shell. MY kayak is an Eddyline Caribbean 10 SOT kayak. I’m a slight of build 50’s something female, too, and need to be able to transport my kayak solo.
I can and have done the tied in the bed, sticking out the tailgate routine, but I do not want to do that for more than a short jaunt across town. I just ‘test drove’ getting the Eddyline up on the truck roof rack, supported with Malone Seawings. It held solid at 50 mph going across town, but I am not sure I like this method, and I am wondering if I would be better off going bare on to the crossbars with the kayak upside down. Or if I can modify how I got the kayak up and then off the shell, to make it easier/safer. Here are my issues:
The Thule crossbars the local shop here recommended to me are curved. I clearly didn’t realize ahead of time how wobbly that made the default install of the Seawings to the bars… I purchased an adapter kit from Malone that slides into a groove on top of the bars that the wings then mate to; but I’m not thrilled with that solution, either. I feel I have a bit of ‘wobble’ by hand of the Seawings (when empty) to the crossbars that makes me a bit uncomfortable. (the wings are attached to the crossbar adapter plate via locking nuts which I have fully tightened, but still there is a bit of wobble).
I’m not happy with sliding the boat up onto the wings or back down, because there is a LOT of slop in the wings, because the hull of my Eddyline doesn’t meet the wings until quite far out the boat in width from the centerline. (see the photos) The sloshing of the boat left to right as I’m trying to get the boat down is particularly not fun! I needed a 4’ ladder handy to get the boat down safely… and to get off the ladder very fast as gravity ‘helps’ the boat down, once it’s cleared the front wing as I back it off the camper shell.
I will say with two strong NRS straps and a bow and stern line the boat did not budge, but I’m still nervous about an upcoming 4 hour drive trip going through mountainous terrain. Would I be better off going direct to the crossbars with the kayak upside down? (I seem to recall Eddyline telling me I could mount this kayak upside down.) Is there something clever I can do while getting the boat onto and off of the Seawings to control the slop within the span of the Seawings? What do y’all experienced folks think?
Appreciate sensible advice. Thanks!
I don’t have direct experience with anything other than sea kayaks. But two things are true about kayakers, we can’t not look at the water when crossing a bridge and you always notice boats on cars.
Every SOT, fishing kayak or rec boat I see on the road is
- hanging out the back of the bed, or
- strapped vertically behind an RV, or
- in a J rack or similar (such as the Thule Compass) that sits them on their sides.
I’ve always found J racks hard to load personally. The only other thing that might be helpful for ease of loading would be a Hullavator or one of the knockoffs.
Sloshing back and forth?..I think no matter what that is I think I would carry that boat upside down on a flat bar. Cover bar with that curved thing or foam.
I would use a two or three separate stool/ ladder with hand grip rather than 4’ ladder. I have dramatic story about ladder and carry boat on shell vs bridge light pole.
I suggest a three step loading. First place pipe extension on cross bar. On the truck it is pvc pipe…on my Subaru it is a clothes pole.
Put the bow of the boat up on the extension.
Then pick up and place stern on the back cradle.
Move the bow over to the cradle and tie boat down.
OK THE PICTURES LOADED IN THE WRONG ORDER. Just sort 'em out in your head.
You boat might be to short for this on a tall truck. …or not.
When I carried boat on top of pop up camper. I hade rollers at the back and placed boat bow up then pushed it up and over.
Foam thing,
On the Subaru the clothes pole is tied on the passenger side of the rack.
I switched to Seawings last year, and I’m a big fan. However, they seem wrong for your kayak. It looks like only the tips of the wings support the boat and the width of the boat extends beyond the slots in the wings where you thread the straps. Just not a good fit.
I think your kayak would ride well on the naked bars in an upside down position. Your boat looks like it would sit flat on the bars. Hopefully the bow doesn’t end up on the roof of the cab.
Your Caribbean is listed as 39 pounds. Can you lift it overhead and reach the bars? I’m thinking you need help getting it up there. Maybe the bar extension trick described by Bakerman would help. If that won’t work you could try saddles like Thule Dockglide or Glide 'n Set. The rear set of such saddles have a slippery surface. You get the kayak bow up on the rear bar and then lift the stern and slide the kayak up onto the roof. These saddles can be set on the bars to the exact width you need to accommodate the dimensions of the kayak. The front saddles are curved to engage the chines and coated with a grippy material that does a good job of securing the kayak I used these saddles before switching to Seawings and I don’t need mine anymore–hint, hint.
If you can get the boat up there, upside down on the bars will be effective and inexpensive (free!). If not, sliding the boat on from the rear of the vehicle is a good approach. Good luck with whatever you decide. Kayaking is a great sport, but you’ve got to get the boat to the water!
Booztalkin -
You are entirely correct. I do think the Seawings are just not the right carrier for the shape of the Caribbean. And you are right that I DO need help getting the boat up there! The weight isn’t the problem so much as the width of the boat (29 or 30 inches, I forget exactly). I find it cumbersome to lift very high. I like the leverage of the solution Bakerman described, but it seems like it still won’t give me something I lack - height! I’m 5’5" and the campershell top - not counting the crossbar height - is 68". I even considered the $$$ Hullavator, but that also looks to be designed for a narrower hull.
I like the idea of getting the boat up there cockpit down, but I can’t work out how to get the boat up to the top of the camper shell without scraping the boat up on it’s way up to the top of the shell.
So, about those dockglide carriers! If you’re looking to part with them I may well be interested, if they mate to my Thule aerobars. I think a rear ‘push’ method is the only way I’m getting the Caribbean up there.
The older style Hullavator (which you can find used) will accommodate the width of your Caribbean. I have an even wider SOT (32 inches) that I sometimes carry in mine. Not sure of the specifications on the new version of Hullavator, but you can check online.
FYI.
