How to carry a kayak?

Scott B.

Adventurist
Obvious, but....

The kayak weights 95 pounds. I am sure the shell can handle the weight, and pretty sure the Yakima bars can handle it.

However, I picked up a set of SweetRoll cradles, and the instructions say the weight limit is 80 pounds. :(

Assuming that is hard and fast number, do I just get some pipe insulation for the bars and carry the kayak upside down? Seems reasonable - except for putting it on the roof and taking it off. While my truck only has a mild lift on it, the top of the shell is pretty high.

Thoughts and/or ideas?
 
We're going to have to pull your "Man Card" for a week for reading instructions. If you didn't know that little tid-bit of info it would never have been a problem, now that you know it, you can't forget it. Other than a tongue in cheek smart alecky answer, I'm little to no help. I was born in Albany, GA, if that's any consolation!:confused:

I'm super jealous of your new boat as well! I want to get into paddling so bad, we just don't have the water ways on the left coast other than the ocean...there's creatures in the ocean!:eek:
 
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing....

Looking at the cradles, they certainly appear to be stronger than the 80 pound load rating.
 
I don't think it's a problem. My only concern would be downward forces when off-road that might damage the brackets, which is unlikely.

-Andy
 
I talked with the guys at the shop, and they said sit-in kayaks are usually carried upside down directly on the load bars.

Simple and cheap - maybe someday I will quick overthinking things!

I need to get some pipe insulation for padding, then I am good to go!

kayak1.jpg
 
Nice looking boat! Can you add a roller to the rear cross bar to load from the rear?

-Andy
 
I added a Yakima Boatloader. It fits inside a bar (I am using the front bar) and extends about 2'.

Pull the loader out, put the front of the boat on the bar (leaving the stern on the ground) move to the back of the boat, lift, slide onto the racks. The system works pretty good - should be even better with practice.
 
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So did you ultimately agree with "the guys at the shop" that it carries upside down best?

We just picked up a used tandem sit-in are messing with the best way to carry it.

(Yes, I know I dragged this thread up from the dead -- referred to as thread necromancy. This isn't Facebook, threads hang around for reference and for more than a day or so.)
 
So did you ultimately agree with "the guys at the shop" that it carries upside down best?

We just picked up a used tandem sit-in are messing with the best way to carry it.

(Yes, I know I dragged this thread up from the dead -- referred to as thread necromancy. This isn't Facebook, threads hang around for reference and for more than a day or so.)

Ha! I forgot all about this thread.

I don't know if I agree or not, but I do carry boat upside down when it's on the truck. I carry it rightside up in my utility trailer (with a cradle I made to carry the kayak.)

I built a set of rails that carry the kayak on the Yakima rails. I will post a picture. In essence, these are 2x4s running most of the length of the kayak (perpendicular to theYakima bars). These carry the weight of the boat, rather than have the weight on 4 spots.

You could put some rails on your shell, and slide the boat on from the back (rightside up). Mine is too tall to do that.
 
After doing some more reading and figuring, I have a conclusion.

Yes, it is better for the boat to carry it upside down. It also better for the boat to support the hull with long runners rather than 4 tiny spots (crossbars, etc.)

The plastic that hulls are made from is pliable - which is good and bad. Good, because when you hit a rock in the river, the hull will flex instead of crack.

Being pliable means the hull can change shape when forced. Such as, when you crank down on the straps holding the boat on your truck. To prevent unwanted shape changing, the hull needs to be supported to spread the load over a larger area. Which is why long runners are preferred over bare crossbars or similar carriers.

In use (on the water), the entire bottom of the boat carries the load. Large surface area, low load per square inch. On a rack, the load is carried by only a small area of the hull. High load per square inch. Load gear in the boat, and the load is increased even more.

So, right side up or up side down, more surface area of the carrier is good for boat life longevity.

That being said, the shoulder of the boat (intersection of side of hull and deck) is probably the strongest area on the boat. The raised rail around the cockpit, not so much.

I built a cradle to carry my boats upside down. Unfortunately, I had to build a second cradle when I got the second boat. The boats are different enough that one cradle does not fit both boats. And, you really need 2 people to get the boat on and off the truck. But, taking it on the road for 5 hours to ARV, I don't worry about anything happening to it.

Here is a photo of the cradle I built for my new, smaller boat.

cradle1.JPG


The runners are 2x4s, with 1x2s sitting in rabbits along each side (the raised lip.) The inside is curved, matching the boat. The aluminum strips just maintain the spacing - they don't carry any load.

Here, you see the cradle sitting on the boat.

cradle2.JPG


The cradle attaches to a set of Yakima bars, which attach to the truck.

Here is shot of the cradle for the tandem, attached to the Yakima bars.

cradle3.JPG


I've been rambling - I hope this makes sense. If not, just ask.
 
After doing some more reading and figuring, I have a conclusion.

Yes, it is better for the boat to carry it upside down. It also better for the boat to support the hull with long runners rather than 4 tiny spots (crossbars, etc.)

The plastic that hulls are made from is pliable - which is good and bad. Good, because when you hit a rock in the river, the hull will flex instead of crack.

Being pliable means the hull can change shape when forced. Such as, when you crank down on the straps holding the boat on your truck. To prevent unwanted shape changing, the hull needs to be supported to spread the load over a larger area. Which is why long runners are preferred over bare crossbars or similar carriers.

In use (on the water), the entire bottom of the boat carries the load. Large surface area, low load per square inch. On a rack, the load is carried by only a small area of the hull. High load per square inch. Load gear in the boat, and the load is increased even more.

So, right side up or up side down, more surface area of the carrier is good for boat life longevity.

That being said, the shoulder of the boat (intersection of side of hull and deck) is probably the strongest area on the boat. The raised rail around the cockpit, not so much.

I built a cradle to carry my boats upside down. Unfortunately, I had to build a second cradle when I got the second boat. The boats are different enough that one cradle does not fit both boats. And, you really need 2 people to get the boat on and off the truck. But, taking it on the road for 5 hours to ARV, I don't worry about anything happening to it.

Here is a photo of the cradle I built for my new, smaller boat.

View attachment 53673

The runners are 2x4s, with 1x2s sitting in rabbits along each side (the raised lip.) The inside is curved, matching the boat. The aluminum strips just maintain the spacing - they don't carry any load.

Here, you see the cradle sitting on the boat.

View attachment 53674

The cradle attaches to a set of Yakima bars, which attach to the truck.

Here is shot of the cradle for the tandem, attached to the Yakima bars.

View attachment 53675

I've been rambling - I hope this makes sense. If not, just ask.

Looks like a well thought out solution.
 
I forgot to mention weight.

My tandem weights about 120 lbs., while my single weights about 60 lbs. (Both are fishing kayaks.)

While what I wrote applies to all boats, a lighter boat is less likely to flex/stretch on its loadpoints compared to a heavier boat.
 
Well thought out (as expected) and makes sense in terms of spreading the load over the maximum area to minimize impact. We're still playing with finding the ideal for us. Our situation now usually includes a cheap sit-in single that we picked up as a "guest" boat that frequently finds us carrying both boats instead of just 1.
We most frequently have both on the rack with crossbars padded and being carried upside down for the 6 miles each way to the local lake. DSCF1133.JPG
Not shown in this pic is that we usually have a line from the bows to the front of the truck even on the short trips.
We also don't leave them loaded for more than a couple of hours at each end of the trip.
 
For short trips like that, just make it convenient for you. The boat won't get damaged from a few minutes in a high-low situation. Long-term loading is when issues develop.

I would certainly rather have a roller on the top of my shell - it sure would be easier.
 
My plan includes adding some type of roller on the rear bar, probably just going to be a PVC or corrugated pipe that's slightly larger than the round crossbar.
This will be useful for the 'yaks and for loading/unloading/mounting the Maggie.
When the time comes when both the Maggie AND the 'yaks go up, then the fun begins!
 
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