Hauling a Kayak ??

tbs · Feb 14, 2013

I have a Heartland North Country with the pullout bumper / bike rack. My wife wants to get kayaks to take on our camping trips. I think it would be a lot of fun but I can’t figure out how to haul them with the camper. I thought I could put a rack on top of the camper and put one on either side of the AC unit but there are no rails on the top to mount crossbars and a rack and I am not going to damage the roof. I have looked at standing them up on the bike rack and strapping them to the back, but again there is nothing to tie to.<o

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So have any of you figured out how to connect & haul kayaks on your camper. I am open to suggestions and solutions….pictures would be great.<o

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Speedy · Feb 14, 2013

There has been some discussion on this subject here and the best solution has been a rack on the tow vehicle. I'll do a search for pictures.

bobw · Feb 14, 2013

I'v beed taking my canoe with me for years, all you need to do is put a front reciever hitch on the truck and use a goalpost in that and one roof rack and your good to go.

DuaneG · Feb 14, 2013

You can always get inflatable kayaks.

brianharrison · Feb 14, 2013

I have seen one kayak strapped to vertical RV ladder - but not done it myself; nor do I have any pictures. Saw it in a Rest area parking lot so went and took a look at it.....

1. A strap with a loop to fit over lower end of the vertical Kayak with a small enough loop to preven it from sliding up the Kayak,
2. Appropriate straps around the body of the kayak will keep it attached to the ladder,
3. Appropriate size foam pipe insulation and cut to size to put around the rungs and ladder sides to prevent scratching the kayak.

Brian

DougS · Feb 14, 2013

Have you seen these modular kayaks from Camping World.[h=1]Portable Tandem Kayak[/h]Catalog Item # 67450This kayak comes in three pieces and can be broken down to 2 pieces. Saw it in their store, looked interesting.

truknutt · Feb 14, 2013

tbs said:
I have a Heartland North Country with the pullout bumper / bike rack. My wife wants to get kayaks to take on our camping trips. I think it would be a lot of fun but I can’t figure out how to haul them with the camper. I thought I could put a rack on top of the camper and put one on either side of the AC unit but there are no rails on the top to mount crossbars and a rack and I am not going to damage the roof. I have looked at standing them up on the bike rack and strapping them to the back, but again there is nothing to tie to.<o></o>
<o></o>
So have any of you figured out how to connect & haul kayaks on your camper. I am open to suggestions and solutions….pictures would be great.<o></o>
<o></o>
Thanks<o></o>

What is your tow vehicle? Truck with a cap? SUV with cargo racks? There are numerous ways to haul your kayaks if you provide a little more info.

Owenfamily · Feb 14, 2013

I do this all the time with a fifth wheel. You can do this so easy with a bumper pull. Go get two yakima roof racks. That is what I have. I carry my 14ft and 10ft kayaks on top of the truck then my fifth then my bikes on the bike of the fifth wheel. I also have a two inch reciver on the front of the truck if needed. I will take a pic sometime next month when I head up to Arkansas to kayak.

tbs said:
I have a Heartland North Country with the pullout bumper / bike rack. My wife wants to get kayaks to take on our camping trips. I think it would be a lot of fun but I can’t figure out how to haul them with the camper. I thought I could put a rack on top of the camper and put one on either side of the AC unit but there are no rails on the top to mount crossbars and a rack and I am not going to damage the roof. I have looked at standing them up on the bike rack and strapping them to the back, but again there is nothing to tie to.<O></O>
<O></O>
So have any of you figured out how to connect & haul kayaks on your camper. I am open to suggestions and solutions….pictures would be great.<O></O>
<O></O>
Thanks<O></O>

caissiel · Feb 15, 2013

DougS said:
Have you seen these modular kayaks from Camping World.[h=1]Portable Tandem Kayak[/h]Catalog Item # 67450This kayak comes in three pieces and can be broken down to 2 pieces. Saw it in their store, looked interesting.

To much work for the quality of kayaking. Nothing better then a really kayak with proper design and much lighter. Work on carrying it on the truck with all the accessories in a box in the truck box. Works for us with 5th and 16ft tandum complete with a rudder that makes our experience a breeze.

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk 2

lmcclure · Feb 15, 2013

I have a Ocean Kayak Trident that I use for fishing when in Texas and home. It is 13'6" long and I carry it on top of the TV with the goal post in a 2" receiver on the front. Rides great. If you are towing a pull behind you have more options than I. Look at the Yakima and Thule site for more information. I have a Yakima Bar on the truck with a Harbor freight bed extender on the front.

Miller0758 · Feb 15, 2013

Nice set-up Lee. I'll be looking to do the same set-up soon. Can't believe how expensive roof racks are! Looks to be around $700 - $800 by the time you buy a receiver, goal post, roof rack and the kayak holders/supports you need.

floridarandy · Feb 15, 2013

Have a look To our blog (see link in signature below) to see our yaks and carry solution.

Randy and karen

tbs · Feb 18, 2013

Thanks for the replys. I may be being picky but I really dont want to carry the kayaks on the TV. I have a new F-250 King Ranch and I am kind of protective and dont like strapping things to the roof. I am trying to figure out how I can extend the bicycle tray at the back of the camper and carry the kayaks standing verticle on the back of the camper. The bicycle tray can support the weight of the kayaks and I can strap the bottom of the kayaks to the bottom frame of the trailer and bike tray. How do I strap the top of the kayaks to the top of the trailer. There is nothing at the top of the camper to strap teh kayaks to. I thought about putting eye hooks on the side of the camper at the rear corners but I dont know what is behind the camper siding to anchor the hooks into.

lmcclure · Feb 19, 2013

Question TBS How long are your yaks? Mine is 13'6" and if I sat it on the ground and pointed it up it would hit some low trees and such. My rig is 12'9" from the ground to the top of the satellite. The rig I have is expensive but functional. They also make a brush guard that you can mount on the front that has a 2" reveiver built into it. Don't know the price but my receiver cost me almost $500.00 installed, bed extender was $126.00 and then had a Yakima tower system installed on the TV one crossbar with towers that are removable and when on the TV they lock, were over $400.00 installed.

KerryD · Feb 27, 2013

Randy,

I too have same issue with Yaks'? I went to your blog, could only see picture of the Yaks', not the system to carry?

Kerry

KerryD · Feb 27, 2013

Lee,

Your set up is exactly the answer I was seeking. Would you pls. forward the MFG's of Yak set up you are using.

Thank you for your help.

Kerry Dean
Northern Illinois
North Trail 32 BUDS

Hauling a Kayak ??

tbs

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Speedy

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bobw

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DuaneG

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brianharrison

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DougS

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truknutt

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Owenfamily

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caissiel

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lmcclure

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Miller0758

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tbs

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lmcclure

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KerryD

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