roof top Kayak Carriers

[Hacker James]

Against sound judgement, I am getting the bug to maybe getting back into Kayak Fishing.  My car is a 2013 Toyota Prius. Rhino Racks have a carrier designed for this car. The kayak I have in mind is a 12.5 ft Tandem.  I am wondering how well this setup might work, pitfalls, e.t.c.  Also....I might attempt a BTB ocean entry, but last time I tried that, I ended up flipping 300 yards offshore  in February waters off California Coast, Great White territory. I am probably better loff confining my adventures to the bay or inland waterways, still the thought of 30 pound Yellow Tail, caught off the submarine canyons of La Jolla is appealing.

[rehmwa]

We just have normal racks and J-mounts on my car.  The other car she uses cradle mounts (claims it's easier to load/unload).  But I like regular racks since I can get mounts for anything including my yaks.

good luck

[Hacker James]

1 minute ago, rehmwa said:

We just have normal racks and J-mounts on my car.  The other car she uses cradle mounts (claims it's easier to load/unload).  But I like regular racks since I can get mounts for anything including my yaks.

good luck

The Rhino (from etrailer) is a regular rack, very similar to Thule and Yakima and of course all sorts of mounts such as the J mount. The kayak is fairly heavy and might be difficult to raise by myself to fit into a J rack. They do have a mount that pivots and would be easier to do a side-lift , otherwise the saddle mounts would be easier to use an inverted kayak tote on the rear window/hatch. My biggest concern is the roof is not all that long (nor is the car, for that matter), Car measures about 12 feet bumper to bumper.

[rehmwa]

OK - yeah, we have Thule racks.  Thule J-mounts and Yakima cradles.  The Rear cradle has rollers making it a little easier.  I just pick the things up and put it in place from the side.  the wife isn't strong enough for that apparently so she hoists the yak from the back onto that roller cradle and then pushes it forward.  Her kayak is a 12 foot lake style (it really cruises), Wilderness brand I think - set up for tracking on calm waters.  I'm not a fan of the J-mount attachments/clamps, it's just stupid little wing nuts.  the Cradles are nicer with big easy to operate twist handles.

Mine is a 10.5 Dagger Axis with that drop skeg.  Love it, but if I want to go to higher skill white water, eventually I'll have to spring for a real river yak instead of just the adaptable one.  But, this is just fine for lake, most rivers, and fishing.  Probably fine for calm and medium ocean too.

With the shorter car, IMHO, just making good front and rear tie downs might be a bigger deal than the type of rack or mount.  I tend to ignore them completely unless I'm going highway speeds.  But I'm a bit cautious as we don't get out often..

Edited June 12, 2017 by rehmwa

[Hacker James]

@rehmwa Thanks for the insight. The Prius does have good mount points for the front/rear tie downs. The front has a removable panel on the front bumper which accommodates a screw hook which is part of the spare tire/jack assembly. The rear has two tabs under the frame near the muffler. Never thought about NOT using tie downs, but might be okay for short trips if mounted in suitable rack mounts.

[No Mulligans]

I do it the same way a Hawaiian Kayak rental company put a Kayak on my rental sedan.  Two pieces of a Morey Boogie board and two tie down straps.  You cut the old Morey Boogie board (maybe you have one) and make two pieces about 6 inches wide and the length of the Boogie Board.  Those go under the Kayak, the tie down straps run over the Kayak and through the door jam and through the car.  It's pretty much bullet proof and cost about $8. https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Premium-Lashing-Straps-Vault/dp/B01IW1UJKE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1497294138&sr=8-11&keywords=tie+down+straps

If you don't have a Boogie Board you can use pipe insulation or some other foam padding (boogie board pieces are perfect though).  https://www.amazon.com/M-D-Building-Products-50144-Insulation/dp/B000FPDPDY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497294161&sr=8-2&keywords=Pipe+insulation

I found this pic, not boogie board pieces but the same idea.

The La Jolla fishing grounds are pretty hearty and kind of dangerous... 1 mile out in the Pacific among fishing boats that can have a hard time seeing the Kayaks.  I've been out there, it's too scary for me.  You might consider the San Diego harbor and catch bay bass, that's what I do.

Edited June 12, 2017 by No Mulligans

[Hacker James]

@No Mulligans, well, I can tell you from personal experience, that I would never use anything other than hard racks as opposed to inflatables or soft padded ones. I had used them on a Hyundai and ended up denting, having mal-formed roof. This was a result of the pads being not enough, and also the stretching of the web straps through the door jambs caused the roof to bend out of shape. Not saying it does not work on every car, just my experience with a Hyundai.

[Hacker James]

@rehmwa, in case you are curious, here is what the "pivot" carriers look like as opposed to the "saddle" which is one piece.

https://www.etrailer.com/Watersport-Carriers/Rhino-Rack/RR570.html?feed=npn&gclid=CPWbjpa3udQCFQsKaQodDw4M4w

[iacas]

I have a Yakima rack on a CR-V with a set of the J hooks and a set of the rollers. It works out well. I put a 12' and a 14' SOT (sit-on-top) each. It works really well, and I probably over-tie them down, and all that.