Hello, was wondering if it is o.k. to transport my kayak directly on my vehicle’s rack deck down and if so how to go about it or if I need to invest in one of the systems by Thule or Yakima, also I’ve seen something about “oil canning” what is this, and my boat is a plastic old town otter tandem, thanks for any advice as I am new to the sport
Transporting
The issue with carrying your boat directly on a factory rack is how well the rack will hold the boat. A purpose built kayak rack will hold the boat more securely. As for oil canning, it’s been reported that keeping a plastic boat on a roof rack in the sun for long periods of time will cause oil canning. If that’s true, and it may be, I’ve been very lucky because I keep plastic kayaks on roof racks in the sun for hours at a time. So far no oil canning and no worries.
A good roof rack is a smart investment that you’ll amortise over years of use.