What's your kayak rack setup?

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I did a brief search and didn't see anything specific, so thought I'd start a new thread.

I just purchased an 11.5 ft kayak, and was hoping to get some info on what rack attachment folks use, and how they secure the kayak when driving. Looking at just getting those J shaped ones, but was seeing if folks had any tips.
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Before we had the topper. Yakima racks on the cab with J-cradles.
IMG_20190610_213111450_HDR.jpg



After the topper. Yakima racks on the topper with lay-flat cradles.
IMG_20200606_154345012_HDR.jpg



Or there's also this way, but that takes a bit more money since you have to buy the camper and everything. haha
IMG_20190816_092151026_HDR.jpg
 
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Before we had the topper. Yakima racks on the cab with J-cradles.
IMG_20190610_213111450_HDR.jpg



After the topper. Yakima racks on the topper with lay-flat cradles.
IMG_20200606_154345012_HDR.jpg



Or there's also this way, but that takes a bit more money since you have to buy the camper and everything. haha
IMG_20190816_092151026_HDR.jpg
Thanks for the pics, looks like a sweet setup.

Question: Why'd you switch from the J cradles when you got the topper? I have a topper where I'd put the kayak, so just trying to understand pros/cons.

Also, looks like you no longer tied the 'yaks down to the front of the truck when you switched to the lay-flat cradles. The lay-flat cradles easier to tie down?
 

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Before we had the topper. Yakima racks on the cab with J-cradles.
IMG_20190610_213111450_HDR.jpg



After the topper. Yakima racks on the topper with lay-flat cradles.
IMG_20200606_154345012_HDR.jpg



Or there's also this way, but that takes a bit more money since you have to buy the camper and everything. haha
IMG_20190816_092151026_HDR.jpg
Hey Matt, It sure is nice to have options.
 


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We have matching 10' sport Kayak's. I have a ReTrax cover. Made my own crossbars and front mount bar, then have a riser that mounts in the trailer hitch for the back. Nice and secure, low profile and barely catch any wind. I also have mountain bike mounts, Kayak's mount right overtop of the bikes when going on a trip.
IMG_1737.JPG
 

khyros

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I bought my Ranger with the retractable tonneau, knowing I was going to buy the Yakima Overhaul for my kayaks. At first, I used my old Malone vertical stacker, but it was really awkward to load/unload. It requires a side load, and my wife isn't tall enough to reach from the ground. As such, the loading was for her to hold the stern and put it on the tailgate. I had the bow 12' behind the truck. Then she got on the tailgate and raised it up, and I had to walk 180deg in a 12' circle with the bow to the front of the truck, step into the rear seat area, and raise it up. It worked okay in the driveway, but was awful at the river as there were always cars around preventing me walking around like that. Seeing as you're thinking about the J hooks - they would be a side load variant, and would potentially struggle with this concern.

20200503_165409-jpg.jpg


As such, I ended up splurging some more to get the Yakima SweetRoll kayak carriers. This setup is awesome! Since they are rear loading, I carry the bow and raise it up to the rear crossbar. The wife holds the stern. Once in place, she walks forward a few feet, and then I finish it up. You have to hold down on it as you push the last bit forward (raising the bow high in the air), but then you set it down on the pads and its steady.

inked20200525_184500_li-jpg.jpg

inked20200525_184539_li-jpg.jpg


Either way, I ended up tying the bow lines to the bottle opener tie off area on the front crossbars of the Overhaul (the picture was the first time out, and I hadn't figured that part out yet), and I installed eyelets at the back of the rails for the stern lines. I have full access to the bed and tailgate, including putting my RockyMounts SwingAway bike rack in the hitch.


Bonus coverage - I have the paddle holders as well. When I had the vertical stacker, they fit on top of the rails, but then with the SweetRolls, I had to move them to the underside. This required me to raise the overhaul height (and it took a lot of fine tuning to get it JUST high enough for the paddles to clear the rear door, while still fitting in the garage), and to make a custom bracket to hold them. If I had to redo the setup, I would have bought the 66'' crossbars for this reason (instead of the 60''). Of course I could get the sidebar and potentially get out of that situation (which may be a future thing anyways).


PS. It seems like people who like to have a good time on the river also like Saber Rangers!
 

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No pics but I have a 12FT Old Town AutoPilot and I just slid it in the bed with a bed extended. Easy Peasy!
This is a HUGE improvement over car topping on my Focus ST.
 

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And here's an 18" on a Ranger! You can do something like this and with the Kayak Mounts, it would clear the cab.

136094374_165451825348745_145967877420586040_n.jpg
Do you have retractable tonneau cover rack mounts?
 
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The lay-flat cradles result in less of a "sail" type of affect. So the kayaks aren't being pushed around in crosswinds as much. Once driving through North Dakota, the wind was hitting me just right that it actually made the kayak shift/slide along the crossbars, no matter how tight I cranked it down. I don't think I'd get that affect with them laying flat.

They're also easier to load, in my opinion, onto the topper with the lay-flat setup since I have rollers as the aft cradle for each. So I basically just slide the kayak forward from the back to load and unload it. Much easier to do by myself especially with how tall the truck is and how high I'd have to lift the kayak to set it into a J-cradle.

As far as tying the nose down, I took this picture just after we loaded them up again from being out on the water, so I hadn't completed that yet. That said, they are much more stable in this setup so I don't necessarily feel I have to. In fact, I've gone quite a ways without the nose guy line in place without issue.

Tying down in general isn't necessarily easier with lay-flat than J-cradle. But it isn't more difficult easier. Pretty much the same amount and type of work involved.
Thanks for all the input. I went with the lay-flat cradles.
 

afewgoodfingers

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I bought my Ranger with the retractable tonneau, knowing I was going to buy the Yakima Overhaul for my kayaks. At first, I used my old Malone vertical stacker, but it was really awkward to load/unload. It requires a side load, and my wife isn't tall enough to reach from the ground. As such, the loading was for her to hold the stern and put it on the tailgate. I had the bow 12' behind the truck. Then she got on the tailgate and raised it up, and I had to walk 180deg in a 12' circle with the bow to the front of the truck, step into the rear seat area, and raise it up. It worked okay in the driveway, but was awful at the river as there were always cars around preventing me walking around like that. Seeing as you're thinking about the J hooks - they would be a side load variant, and would potentially struggle with this concern.

20200503_165409-jpg.jpg


As such, I ended up splurging some more to get the Yakima SweetRoll kayak carriers. This setup is awesome! Since they are rear loading, I carry the bow and raise it up to the rear crossbar. The wife holds the stern. Once in place, she walks forward a few feet, and then I finish it up. You have to hold down on it as you push the last bit forward (raising the bow high in the air), but then you set it down on the pads and its steady.

inked20200525_184500_li-jpg.jpg

inked20200525_184539_li-jpg.jpg


Either way, I ended up tying the bow lines to the bottle opener tie off area on the front crossbars of the Overhaul (the picture was the first time out, and I hadn't figured that part out yet), and I installed eyelets at the back of the rails for the stern lines. I have full access to the bed and tailgate, including putting my RockyMounts SwingAway bike rack in the hitch.


Bonus coverage - I have the paddle holders as well. When I had the vertical stacker, they fit on top of the rails, but then with the SweetRolls, I had to move them to the underside. This required me to raise the overhaul height (and it took a lot of fine tuning to get it JUST high enough for the paddles to clear the rear door, while still fitting in the garage), and to make a custom bracket to hold them. If I had to redo the setup, I would have bought the 66'' crossbars for this reason (instead of the 60''). Of course I could get the sidebar and potentially get out of that situation (which may be a future thing anyways).


PS. It seems like people who like to have a good time on the river also like Saber Rangers!
Thanks for sharing pics and your experience with this rack system. Do you think the dual SweetRoll setup would work on 55" crossbars? Our kayaks are similar. Looks like the 60" is the minimum. Thanks!
 

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Thanks for sharing pics and your experience with this rack system. Do you think the dual SweetRoll setup would work on 55" crossbars? Our kayaks are similar. Looks like the 60" is the minimum. Thanks!
It'd be tight. IIRC my kayaks are 31'' wide. There's about a 2'' gap between the two, and about an inch from the mount to the end of the bar. The kayaks can also sit a bit more on the top of them. I *think* you could make it work if you really wanted to. Note though that you might have to raise the overhaul a bit more - you'd have to mount it on the outside of the overhaul, which means it needs to be high enough to allow the sweetroll to fit.

All that said, I wish I had gotten the 66'' version (or even the 72'') myself.
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