Kayaks

[Kylesmith3021]

I have a tonneau cover on my truck and my dw was thinking about bringing a kayak with us..how does everyone travel with a kayak with a tonneau cover on.

[WNY Bullet]

What size kayaks?

[Kylesmith3021]

10ft kayaks

[WNY Bullet]

with 10' kayaks, you should be able to mount them on the cab of the truck.

[WNY Bullet]

Like this:

https://www.f150forum.com/attachments/f38/251315d1377638740-looking-kayak-rack-truck-truck.jpg

[Kylesmith3021]

My 2017 ram crew cab did not come with any roof rack or cross bars on the roof..I have not been able to find anything that would work like that in your picture.

[bfam5]

Thule and Yakima should have components that can mount to the top of your truck. Then it's a matter of choosing the attachments to hold your equipment to the rack. Good luck and have fun!

[WNY Bullet]

My 2017 ram crew cab did not come with any roof rack or cross bars on the roof..I have not been able to find anything that would work like that in your picture.

Mine didn't either. I installed Thule bars and mounts.

[JRTJH]

You should find the appropriate rack system here:

https://www.etrailer.com/roof-2017_Ram_1500.htm?furl=-pm-Thule

After getting the correct system by part numbers, I'd suggest shopping for the best prices. etrailer is not always the "lowest price seller".....

[FlyingAroundRV]

It also depends on the tonneau you have. On ours, the side holes of the truck bed are still accessible, so you could put a rack through them if your tonneau allows it.

[WNY Bullet]

Friends of ours has their 10' kayaks mounted vertically on the rear of their Class C. That could be another option too. But I like having them on the truck, so once we park we can still bring them to remote put-ins.

[08quadram]

Do like I do, roll the top up when hauling them. Let them hang over the back of the tailgate.

[WNY Bullet]

Here is a rear vertical rack being sold on Craigslist near Rochester>

https://rochester.craigslist.org/spo/d/mendon-vertiyak-kayak-carrier/7050054375.html

https://images.craigslist.org/00H0H_aRoTejjCIab_600x450.jpg

[Brantlyj]

Access makes racks that work with their covers. https://www.agricover.com/truck-bed-racks/?_ga=2.90332122.1953579132.1581050423-328580908.1581050423

[JRTJH]

Here is a rear vertical rack being sold on Craigslist near Rochester>

https://rochester.craigslist.org/spo/d/mendon-vertiyak-kayak-carrier/7050054375.html

https://images.craigslist.org/00H0H_aRoTejjCIab_600x450.jpg

I'd make an "educated guess" that the reason that rack is being sold on CL is because the current owner either "ripped the bow off his kayaks" on an overhead obstruction or "ground the stern off his kayaks" on the entry slope at a gas station.

That style rack is very prone to causing damage to anything loaded like those two kayaks are loaded in the photo.

[WNY Bullet]

I'd make an "educated guess" that the reason that rack is being sold on CL is because the current owner either "ripped the bow off his kayaks" on an overhead obstruction or "ground the stern off his kayaks" on the entry slope at a gas station.

That style rack is very prone to causing damage to anything loaded like those two kayaks are loaded in the photo.

I have good friends of ours that transport their two 10' kayaks like this on the back of their Class C for years without problems. Like any RV being driven or pulled, everyone should be aware of their height. Their kayaks mounted are not as high as many 5th wheels are...

[JRTJH]

I have good friends of ours that transport their two 10' kayaks like this on the back of their Class C for years without problems. Like any RV being driven or pulled, everyone should be aware of their height. Their kayaks mounted are not as high as many 5th wheels are...

There's a LOT of difference between a Class C bumper angle and most travel trailer bumpers. What works with a motorhome to carry kayaks may not be such a "hot idea" when used on a travel trailer. As you said, everyone "should" be aware of their height... That's not the greatest hazard with a rack that extends 2' behind a trailer bumper and hangs a foot below it.

Anyway, someone could take comments into consideration or ignore them and install this type of rack on the back of a travel trailer and learn whether it'll work or not, eh?

[Fourbtgait]

Access makes racks that work with their covers. https://www.agricover.com/truck-bed-racks/?_ga=2.90332122.1953579132.1581050423-328580908.1581050423

I use Access racks on my truck, haul 2 12’ sot kayaks laying flat upside down. Surprisingly help to direct airflow better with trailer there.

[gec49]

We pull a trailer, Keystone Cougar 21RBSWE. We put two 10’6” kayaks inside the trailer, stacked on top of the bed. We put a blanket on the bed, cardboard where the kayaks touch the walls or cabinets, and tie them together to make a solid package. It takes about 15 minutes to put them inside and tie them down. We don’t have to deal with dirt if we travel on dusty roads, or worry about theft if we make a long stop somewhere. We also put two folding Lectric XP bikes in the Tundra, under our tonneau cover.

[TK1]

I have a tonneau cover on my truck and my dw was thinking about bringing a kayak with us..how does everyone travel with a kayak with a tonneau cover on.
My DW loves to kayak and we found that an inflatable kayak was the best option for us. We chose a Sea Eagle 370 Pro (12' long) with upgraded inflatable seats. It's extremely stable, stows easily in it's storage bag inside the front compartment and so far has proven to be extremely rugged and durable.


TK1

2009 Montana 3400RL , 2009 Silverado 3500hd srw

[mlk1950]

There's a LOT of difference between a Class C bumper angle and most travel trailer bumpers. What works with a motorhome to carry kayaks may not be such a "hot idea" when used on a travel trailer. As you said, everyone "should" be aware of their height... That's not the greatest hazard with a rack that extends 2' behind a trailer bumper and hangs a foot below it.

Anyway, someone could take comments into consideration or ignore them and install this type of rack on the back of a travel trailer and learn whether it'll work or not, eh?

I had thought about mounting our kayaks that way, but as soon as I saw how far they protruded above the roof and below the bumper. Nope, decided not too. I have a fiberglass shell and installed Rhino racks with J-hooks.

[Ccrew]

Thule TracRac. These are 11' kayaks.

http://www.tsplace.com/cars/thule.jpg

[johnlewis]

Consider inflatable Kayaks. When we had a 5th wheel, we couldn't carry kayaks very easily, so we bought a Sea Eagle that holds 3 people, since we wanted to kayak together, and sometimes carry a third person. It is rugged, and has withstood scraping rocks occasionally, and carrying our dog.

[duh1]

Combo pvc, bike rack, double bumper mount and a wok worked for me for 10,000 miles and no problem. Keystone passport bumper is pretty beefy. Can’t figure out how to post the darn pictures though. My new trailer’s bumper won’t handle it and am going to have some welding to improve it.

[P&DZ]

We love to kayak and take two 10ft kayaks on most of our camping trips. I roll up the tonneau cover and tie them down in the truck bed with one end hanging over the tailgate.
The 10ft kayaks have plenty of clearance to the front of the trailer. Down side is you do loose the use of the truck bed, but we rarely need the truck bed for storage. The benefit is easy access to the kayaks for a quick paddle.

[slow]

Having a FW, we recently went the inflatable route as soon as the Advanced Elements AirVolution inflatable kayak was introduced. We have no regrets going this route after many years renting kayaks for short touring trips.

Inflated to 10 psi, it is rock hard and stiff like a hard shell. I am impressed with the drop stitch tech used in its design and in use on SUPs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo3xqNqh2JI
It is worth noting that under deck storage is very limited in height due to the air chambers, so for our short trips we added deck bags.
29499

And the cockpit is long enough to bring our toddler granddaughters along for rides facing us.

Here is a preview by AirKayaks.com that caught my attention: https://airkayaks.wordpress.com/2020/06/18/sneak-preview-new-12-psi-airvolution-dropstitch-inflatable-kayak-from-advanced-elements/

And here is my review posted on their website:

Just What We Have Waited For

Having a fifth wheel trailer has meant that we had to rent kayaks at our destinations since it is impractical to haul hard body kayaks. Some rental kayaks were OK, but most were not very good for touring.
We have been watching the introduction of kayaks with the drop stitch technology", but the early offerings were more canoe like than a kayak and reviews suggested they may not be very stable.
As soon as we became aware of the AirVolution kayak we requested to be added to the notification list. The next day we were able to place our order for two and a few days later and just prior to our vacation they arrived.
I was very impressed with the quality of the AirVolutions and the attention to details. One concern I had prior to receiving the AirVolutions was how difficult it would be to clean the interior of sand and gravel. Turns out the concern was not warranted given how the interior is shaped to funnel water to the drain "cup" area and the absence of hidden folds.
Inflating the two chambers did not take much effort or time and transporting the AirVolutions on kayak dollies was effortless. Their stability was immediately apparent once in the water. At close to 200 pounds, I was able to sit on the side, rinse my feet of sand and then pivot into the cockpit without taking on any water.
I cannot judge the AirVolution’s speed or paddling effort relative to other kayaks. But I did notice that my wife and I were touring further and faster than other paddlers in the area. Our longest excursion was approximately 3 hours.
The AirVolutions were also a big hit with our adult children and granddaughters. The large cockpit allowed our granddaughters to sit facing their parent. The parents appreciated the stability of the AirVolutions and enjoyed the experience with their daughters. My son was even able to use the AirVolution as a paddle board.
We are very happy with the AirVolution kayaks and look forward to many more paddling adventures.

[P&DZ]

Nice kayak, looking at the picture would have never guessed it was an inflatable. We have four Wilderness System kayaks. Two Aspire100 in Colorado and a Aspire 105 and Pungo 100 in Florida. Like them a lot, good comfortable seats, good tracking and quite stable for shorter length kayaks.

[slow]

Nice kayak, looking at the picture would have never guessed it was an inflatable. We have four Wilderness System kayaks. Two Aspire100 in Colorado and a Aspire 105 and Pungo 100 in Florida. Like them a lot, good comfortable seats, good tracking and quite stable for shorter length kayaks.

They draw a lot of attention at the beach when we launch and recover the kayaks. Many are surprised to hear they are inflatable.

[linux3]

Like this:

https://www.f150forum.com/attachments/f38/251315d1377638740-looking-kayak-rack-truck-truck.jpg

Hey, we live in Henrietta.
My wife has a 13' and I have a 14.5' Swift.
We've pretty much given up on traveling with kayaks.
Question... How do you get the boats on the rack?

[JBWardFamily]

We modified a hitch mounted rack for our 10 ft kayaks and fabbed up some supports attached to the ladder to keep them from bouncing. Works great. I figure if the ladder can hold my 200 lb body, it can take the leaning weight of two 50 lb kayaks. Also, since they do not bounce, the hitch mounted to the rear square bumper is more than adequate. We've towed it like that for 4000 miles + with zero issues so far and no bending of the bumper or ladder. We can't use the truck bed because there is always a golf cart of SxS in there.