Kayaking, Diving, Skiing, & Surfing Forum. - Transporting your kayak..

Looking to get one of the 10' sit in yaks at bass pro in a few weeks. i have a GMC envoy and was thinking about the best ways for transporting this thing. I have the factory luggage rack with surf board pads on them. couldnt i just sit it on top (upside dwn or right side up?)and strap it dwn with front/rear bumper straps or do i need to go get one of the $150 carriers (which means i loose my pads)? I would have about a 5mi transport to my local creek so what about opening the rear window hatch and putting dwn rear seat and strapping dwn to the rear bumper? Any suggestions, reviews on carriers, or pics of your set up? If all else fails i have a open utility trailer . Thanks!

The regular luggage racks are just fine. If you are worried about padding they sell the foam blocks that clip onto the rack for about $30. The bitch is jacking the kayak over your head to get it on the truck. I am 6'4", 230 lbs and it was not easy putting it on top of and taking it off of the old car (Ford Explorer) and even more of a pain in the ass on the Suburban. Not overly heavy but awkward as hell if you are loading it by yourself. As you mentioned - bow and stern straps are a must as with most racks up-lift is the enemy. I have used both a thule rack and the OEM luggage rack,. The thule rack made it a little easier because I purchased oversized bars and didn't have to reach over the top of the car so far.

I bought my SOT from bass pro last week.
I put it on the luggage rack upside down and bungeed the side carry handles to the luggage rack. Roped the front and rear to the bumpers.
I took a big peice of styrofoam and a steak knife with me, its a simple matter to cut the foam to fit the bow to the roof.
I drove 70 mph on the way home, didn't budge.

Getting it up on the rack is a matter of standing it up and sliding it on, they're awkward but thats life. The foam block I cut worked well enough that I kept it, no need for anything else.

A thule type rack would only be usefull if I wanted to carry more kayaks than one.
I think I'd opt for a trailer before spending money on a rack, I don't need no stinkin racks.

Easy way to transport is two foam blocks with strap at bow and stern.

Why are you getting a sit in??? For me, salt water is sit on top and fishing is sit on top.

If you want to paddle in CALM fresh water a sit in is OK otherwise I would ask around before buying a sit in.

Easy way to transport is two foam blocks with strap at bow and stern.

Why are you getting a sit in??? For me, salt water is sit on top and fishing is sit on top.

If you want to paddle in CALM fresh water a sit in is OK otherwise I would ask around before buying a sit in.


Thanks for the replies guys, keep 'em coming. I live on a fresh water lake/creek do most if my travels will be out back also if i take it out in saltwater it will be in the inlet(calm waters) not out in open ocean or where waves/other boats are a concern. I dont plan on using it for fishing, just recrerational/excersize. Also, anything really to look for when selecting a paddle other than weight? looking for a decent one but dont want to drop a ton of $. thanks!

...Why are you getting a sit in??? For me, salt water is sit on top and fishing is sit on top.

If you want to paddle in CALM fresh water a sit in is OK otherwise I would ask around before buying a sit in.

Don't have much experience w/ sit-on-tops, but I've toured some big lakes in the Adirondaks (multi-day camping trips), and played in a little whitewater and the surf with sit-ins (do they even make sit-on-top whitewater boats?). The sit-ins are very stable, since your weight is resting on the bottom of the hull, making your center of gravity well below the water line. Since they sit pretty low in the water, they also don't get pushed around by wind much. If you do flip, unless you know how to roll, they are a bit tricky to get back into, especially if the water isn't calm. Not really sure how that compares to a sit-on-top...just stating my experiences with them.

If you plan to do any fishing, do yourself a favor and get a SOT. I have fished from both and a SOT is hands down a better fishing platform.

I use surfboard pads like you have on bars for my Hobie kayak. Works great. Get decent straps and wrap them around each bar at the base of the kayak and back to itself. Tighten those down to keep it from sliding sideways. The bumper lines are only for additional protection then.

http://www.kayarchy.co.uk/images/01equipment/142%20kayaks%20on%20roofrack.jpg

So i love my new kayak, i will just use the straps and existing pads i have now for transporting on the Envoy. should it be carried upside dwn on the rack? I have found it not to be the lightest thing to get from the vech to the water alone. Im not a big guy so i was thinking of getting or building one of those 2 wheelie carts ive seen some use at the boat ramp for rolling around the yak back to the car or parking area. any ideas/suggestions?

So i love my new kayak, i will just use the straps and existing pads i have now for transporting on the Envoy. should it be carried upside dwn on the rack? I have found it not to be the lightest thing to get from the vech to the water alone. Im not a big guy so i was thinking of getting or building one of those 2 wheelie carts ive seen some use at the boat ramp for rolling around the yak back to the car or parking area. any ideas/suggestions?

Lots of DIY video on Youtube for different design kayak carts, I built one like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaQaUGBlscA&feature=related

Use fatter wheels, harbour freight has cheap wheels.