Hi, for those of you who paddle a tandom how do you transport it,trailer or car top?? I’m looking
at boats 20 to 23 foot long. Any one have an
easyrider 2 or 3 pc tandom? are they any good?
I am picking up a 23 foot long one
in a couple of weeks and I’ll be carrying it different times on a Ford Escape with a little less than four feet between the bars and other times on a Ford F-150 pickup with a cap on the back.
Right now the truck bars are on the cap only and their spread is about five feet, but I am adding another bar on the cab roof which will give me several options.
Cheers,
JackL
Car top
For simplicity, I use Thule Hullavator on a minivan. Trailer should work. More expensive, takes up space and a hassel to park.
Car Top
Transport my Seda Tango on the roof of my CR-V. Use Thule saddles and ALWAYS bow and stern lines. The worst part is getting it up there, but I have a roller that pinches in between the liftgate when loading/unloading and you remove when not to ease this Olympic lift. It looks almost comical when up there.
What is your bar spacing ?
I am curious.
I figure I’ll break down and start using bow and stern lines, since the side torque will probably be so high.
JackL
Bar Spacing
Jack,
My mid-generation (2004) CR-V has a short roofline and the fixed mounts are at 33", quite narrow. I prefer the older Thule saddles over the ‘adjustable detent’ ones as they form fit to the contours of the hull more readily. The plastic adjustables never hold their position, especially under the 95+ lbs. of the tandem. Stay away from the Hydroglides; they allow the boat to slide side to side and they deform under any weight. The bow and stern lines greatly reduce torsional twisting, in addition to providing extra insurance should the rack mounts pull loose or some other catastrophic scenario.
Your Bullitt should be ready soon eh? Exciting. A friend’s picking up his brand new EFT this week; I’ll tell him to look for your new baby in the shop.
MC
Car Top
We’ve carried our Necky Nootka + and Current Designs Crosswind tandems on our Honda Element (one at a time). We use the roof racks with saddles in the front, rollers in the rear, plus a Yakima Dry Dock installed in the hitch with a set of rollers. Then we strap down the kayak to the front & rear bars, and use front & rear tie downs. Works great! We also put a small ladder in the Element to make it easier to tie down the straps.