So I will be getting a kayak in a week or so and was wonder how to haul it around. My truck bed is 8 feet with tailgate down and I'm looking for at least a 12 foot yak. I dont want a trailer. Thought about a ladder rack or just hual it around sticking out the back with a red flag on it. What do you use? Show us what you purchased or build to hual yours. Include photos if you got them.

What truck do you have?

I have a 14' 3 panel kayak and I just throw it in the back of the Chevy S10 with a pad under the part that sits on the tailgaight. S10 bed is about 6' but over 7' with the tailgait down. Tie it up, put a flag on and I am good to go.
When I had a Cobra Navigator (12'6") I hauled it the same way.
I know a guy that hauls a Hobie Revolution the same way I do.
If your truck bed is 8' with the tailgait down you don't need anything but a red flag for most any kayak under 14', except maybe a pad to keep from point loading the hull.

http://www.harborfreight.com/250-lb-truck-ladder-rack-66187.html




I got it on sale for $79 as well.


It doubles as a shelter to sleep under with a tarp thrown over it.

I drive a Kia Spectra 5, which is pretty much a small 4 cylinder 4 door hatchback and i am able to put my Hobie Outback on top of it with no issues. Even though my kayak is about the same length of my car is still works out great.

I use the Yakima Mounting racks, (http://www.yakima.com/) and they have i think pretty much any type of mounting system for any type of vehicle i can think of for pretty much any kayak/canoe or anything like camping gear.

Only down side is they are a tad expensive but i am very satisfied with mine. A plus side to them is, at least on the car, once you have them installed initally they pop on and off in about a minute each, so you can conserve some gas when you dont need them.

bed extenders are nice too. i still use a red flag (plastic)





or just leave the yak n truck in the water

I built mine out of 2x4's that bolt into the stake slots on the bedrail cap. Cheap, simple, easy to remove AND it works.

F150 and I just drop the tailgate down load it in the back and tie down with rope. I also have heavy duty cable and lock for long trips. Sticks out about 3'. Bright yellow OK Drifter. If I put a red flag on it the red would mute the yellow! My yak has about 30k miles on it riding in the back! Been to Florida 3 times and never had a problem.

2005 GMC Canyon extended cab.

This is what I was thinking.

i recently switched to these. called quick draws i think?
got mine at ACADEMY. like em because they are tuff, fast, SECURE & easy to undo. think most hardware stores have them now. maybe Walmart as well

LOL! I think I will leave my truck on the bank. This looks great. Where do you get these.

cheapest i found was harbor freight. got mine for under $30

+1

Thanks guys You're awesome! Can't wait to join the club!

you'll want to get somthing like this for when your away from the truck. run it threw your scupper hole then to the bed. got mine at walmart.

"LOW LIFE Deterant"

LOL FZ, you really like posting pics.

I use the Python lock from Master lock. But honestly, if they want to steal the kayak, they'll steal it.

I have a Tacoma and right now I just throw mine in the back with the tail gate down. I tie it down good and it doesn't move at all. It sticks out 4 ft but I just tie a red flag on. My main concern carrying the yak like this is idiots who may slam into the back of my kayak.

However, in a perfect world, I think getting it up and out of the way is the best solution. Neumie's self made rack looked pretty good IMO. I have a few 2x4's laying around and might have to make one myself.

I have a 5.5' bed and I can transport my 12' kayak with the tailgate down just fine. I normally just use a bed extender I got at harbor freight though.

On the roof of my 95 pathfinder, or in the bed of my truck.

My son's F-150 has a camper so we set up the yakima bars on top of the camper. When I had my Ford Ranger I used the bed extender thing. Now I have a Tundra and just slide it in the back. Tarpon 120. My concerns early on for the proper way to transport a kayak added up to more expense and hassle which for the most part were unneccessary.

Yeah I'll back Zombie on these. I use them on the bow and aft of my kayak and they are beyond worth there weight in gold for transporting my kayak on top of my car. They take about 10 seconds to hook up and secure and you can hang off them, they are some tough stuff.

93 F150 with an 8 foot bed. 14 foot Heritage Osprey. When I get ready to go I carry the yak out to the truck and slide it in the bed with the tailgate down, I lift the yak with one hand and close the tailgate. Then I put two bungees in a cross pattern from the yak to the bumper. I toss whatever else I'm using that day in the bed along with the paddle and I'm loaded and gone in about 10 minutes...See ya..

throw my minix x in back of my suv and done gone in 1 minute, takes a minute to unload

In the back of here.


With one of these under them.


That I bought from these guys.
http://www.harborfreight.com/truck-bed-extender-45830.html
I did get mine on sale for $40 though.

with any tie downs or straps remember keep them out of the sun when not in use. this will increase their life. a little 303 will help too.

Bed extender.

Thanks for all the great info. I'm going to use an extender but first I'll just throw it in the bed. I was curious and didn't want to be the idiot that pulled up to the fishing spot and the experienced guys be saying "Hey look at the newbie damaging his yak". As long as I don't let my truck roll into the river like in that truck in the photo I won't be the idiot.

small trailer from harbor frieght cause i drive a honda civic.

FYI, it's advisable that you use some sort of padding, like a pool noodle on the cross bar. Without padding you can cinch the kayak down to hard and cause a dent to form in the kayak.

I see people talking asbout using a red flag is that just for safety of your kayak or a legal thing?

Depending on your over hang it is both.

Thank you!

.

HHHHHHmmmmm......That could get interesting.

That's a cool ride gutcheck. But I don't know how far I could peddle that thing.
I do like the simple cart he made.

I used a bed extender until now. I bought a 16 foot yak so it sticks out almost 9 feet past the end of the tailgate down. I am looking for a rack solution. I don't know how everyone got their bed extender for 50 cents but every time I looked they were $75 and never got cheaper so I bought one. BPS wants $129 for theirs.

Harbor Freight will run sells a couple times a year.Last summer was when I bought mine on a weekend sale.They are right at $75 right now though.

http://dealspl.us/harborfreight-coupons/215288p

http://dealspl.us/harborfreight-coupons/215699p

http://dealspl.us/harborfreight-coupons/212835p

your welcome (smile, thumbs up)

That Harbor Freight ladder rack looks like just what the doctor ordered for a Ford Ranger that I use when I'm in the US.

Thanks for posting all this info!

I had a thule rack and i would put the front of the yak on the tool box. Now I just put it in the back of the truck. Its alot easier!

Zombie-you own a Magna? Or just know someone who does? I used to have one just like that, without the yak that is

no sir. but i am a stars fan. just wanted to show that the possibilities are numerous.

small pickup & big yak delima. IMO, you'd want to transport more more like this:

i see 4x4 with these a lot more at the coast. "salsa" & "yaknyota both have nice setups.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q...922&bih=535

He is no true kayaker... where is his paddle?

in the hatch so it won't fly out probably...

I designed this hybrid rack system for my camper shell.

It consists of a Garvin Industries Wilderness roof rack base, Yakima loadbars, Yakima Landshark saddles and a amalgamation of Thule/Yakima/Home Depot hardware keeping it all together.

The camper shell roof has been reinforced by adding two sections of angle steel that run the inside length of the roof. The base of the rack is mounted through the roof and angle steel, fastened with six 2" stainless steel cap screws and washers.

The camper shell itself is attached to the truck bed rails with ten equally spaced 2" sst cap screws and washers.

I utilize Ocean Kayak models that are stackable and this rack system can transport up to six kayaks or two Old Town 169 Discos and two kayaks, in variable types of terrain.

Zombie is that first picture yours? I really would love to build one like that to pull behind the jeep.

no way! the tires are way too small

+1 That would be cool!

GMC Canyon extended cab. Open the gate and tie it down. Tie the nose down and tie down near the the gate. No problems.

I use an bed extender with my Honda ridge line. Works great.

But I would like the bar to go a little deeper into my receiver hitch so it's a little more solid. But I would need to get another hole drilled in the bar. Anyone know a good place to look into getting something like this done. Would be a quick job for a machine shop.

I drive a Nissan Frontier Extended Cab. I paddle a Native U12, so I just throw it in the back with the gate down, throw a tie down through the hooks in the bad and around the cross beam, then another tie down under the frame and over the yak between the gap in the tailgate. Never had a problem with it this way. My buddy had an 8ft toon that we would just wedge into the bed and never tied it down. Transported that sucker a few hundred miles like that and never budged.

I drilled a pilot hole and then used one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-91616.html

I just strap a 10 foot Pelican to the roof of my Toyota Corolla. Never had any problems. Sure I could put it on the Yukon XL but that beast drinks a lot more gas.

I had a Chev 2500, long bed. I just loaded the Hobie at an angle with the tail gate down and them secured it all with ratchet straps. No flags and had no trouble carrying the yak. With truck now gone, I'm waffling on a roof rack or trailer. Not sure I want to be picking the yak up and loading it on the roof, getting a loading/unloading device or jumping on a trailer (and all the overhead that entails). I'm seriously looking at a Mokai and have about 60% of the funding available. It's 35 lbs heavier than the hobie, and adds another dimension to the loading/unloading dilemma.

Thanks CRR, I may give that a try.

At The Giant Retailer.

Look at the work load rating!

Truck bed extender if just one or two...



Trailer if I take more or want my truck bed for camping gear...

Pure Genius

I bought the truck bed xtender from Harbour Freight and if works great!

That is awesome!

my honda works just fine!!

Now I load it on the trailer and go.

If I'm hauling 3 or more, I use a trailer like Joe's above...with 2x4 braces across the top..two yaks upside down across the padded braces and another one or two on the trailer bed below. Lash them in and go.

For one or two yaks, I throw them on top of the yak rack on the pickup...lash and go. Built and painted mine like Neumie's old 2x4 setup with an additonal brace front to rear for stability. $30 or so, including paint.

FM

These are the ways I've carried, plus I occasionally just toss my Pescador on top of my Rover with pool noodles to cushion it. Did not want to heft that fat Fish n Dive up there but the Pescador goes up easy.



Trailer is also handy for hauling oversized stuff, like my son's treehouse/play-swing thing, and makes a handy platform for banking it.

Another option:
http://soggybottomoutfitters.net/easy-roll-removable-truck-rack-double-version/

I put mine in the bed of my truck on top of soft pool noodles front and back and strap it down. It's 12' long. Never had a problem. Don't forget the 15' cable with padlock in case you need to go into a store or restaurant and leave it all by its lonesome.

So I'm thinking about buying a kayak. The kayak I've used in the past was my dad's and I just used my truck with a bed extender to transport it. If I get one, it will be mostly used while visiting my parents or in-laws which means I will probably be transporting it with my wife's Durango (2013).

It has a roof rack and I'm trying to decide if it would be worth spending $100+ on a cradle system from Thule or Yakima or just putting some pool noodles over the roof rack bars (kayak would be transported upside-down if using pool noodles). I don't mind spending the money on a rack system but if pool noodles over the roof rack bars works just as good, I don't see the point in getting cradle system.

What do you guys think?

The kayak I'm gravitating towards and have test drove is the Native Slayer 14.5.

That's a load to get on a roof. Best kayak I've ever fished from though

I plan on getting one of suction cup rollers to help load/unload.

The first couple of years I owned my Native Ultimate 14.5 Propel, I carried it on the rack on top of my truck. With the Propel pedal drive, it needs no registration, so was a cheap, low maintenance fishing setup, which is what I wanted my kayak to be, figuring that once I retire, I may not be able to afford getting out my big boat as often as I'd like.



But, my shoulders are so cratered, loading and unloading it was a bit more of a chore than I want these days. Plus, it would take so long because of having to take every single thing out of the kayak and put it back in. So, I finally bought myself a Harbor Freight trailer, added a 10 foot hitch neck, and built this.



After that photo was made, I added this v-roller to the front of the trailer.



It really tows nice, and makes launching and loading much faster and easier, so I live with that annual license plate renewal fee.

I like that idea for when I have room for storing a trailer!

Right now I do not and my wife's Durango doesn't have a receiver hitch on it. It would sit pretty low, but that wouldn't be a problem with that trailer. I'm hoping to find her next vehicle with a towing package of some sort but that's hopefully 5+ years away.

I put a frame hitch on my wife's 2014 Durango, and it works fine. It's not too low, and tows great with the 300 hp V6 and 8 speed automatic. We towed my 6x10 flatbed trailer with kayak racks, 2 kayaks and 2 bicycles around east TX for a couple of days and got almost 18 mpg.

I bought a hitch and wiring harness from etrailer.com to put on my wife's Hyundai Accent. I think the motor in my bike is bigger than the car but the Accent pulls the 4x8 harbor freight trailer, two yaks and gear pretty good.

It's something we'll try in the future.

So, Thule/Yikima cradle or pool noodles over factory roof rack bars?

Cheap and easy
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cbdsi1mbwygntwo/IMG_20140310_131922_379.jpg?dl=0

A Durango should be able to tow a small trailer loaded with any kayak (and equipment). The whole thing can't weigh more than 300-400 lbs or so.

It's not a question of weight, it's that I don't have any way to store the trailer. The kayak can be hung from the ceiling in the garage but we don't have anywhere to even put a trailer that folds.

Time to clean that garage out.

Sorry. I wasn't thinking about storage. I store mine in the garage on the single jet ski trailer I converted to transport.

For a second there, I thought there'd been a tear in the time/space continuum, and we'd gone back in time to when Todd was a noob.