I have seen several people having doubts about buying a kayak because they dont have a truck or space for a trailer, and a few asked me how do I load my kayak. Its fine. You can rooftop basically any kayak on basically any car, and by yourself, without any human help.
It got late yesterday so excuse the super dark pics ha
This yellow kayak has a very average weight, around 33kilos? 70-ish pounds. My other one is on the heavier side at 43 kilos, 100ish pounds. It still goes up smoothly.
What do you need:
– cart/wheels or some sort of carpet on the ground
– a kayak loading assist
Pic 1. Starting position
Pic 2. My loading assist
There are different designs. I started with the 2-suction-cups one, but with the heavier kayak the cups they didnt always hold all the weight and it released twice. With the 43 kilo kayak once it goes down…you have to be quite strong or it will go down and scratch or dent what it hits. Happened twice and I bought this one with 3 feet. This one is stronger and holds much better, I think it would hold even if all 3 cups would release, at least in my car with the flat trunk.
Basically the load assist has a V-shaped bar with foam rollers that let you slide the kayak up to the car roof. It works on a flat-ish trunk like mine or on the rear glass of any suv, hatchback, etc.
You put it just to load and unload, and remove it to drive. And I'd advise to give a quick wipe to that trunk or glass before sticking the suction cups. Theres usually condensation, sand, dirt in general and you want it to stick well.
Press hard the cup against the surface before locking it with the lever. Grab it and pull/push. Be sure to mention "thats not going anywhere". Or it will.
Pic 3. Start loading
So lift one side of the kayak and let it rest on the load assist. If you use a cart like me, be careful or the kayak will roll down, you have to hold it while you move to the other end of the boat. For the pic I let it rest on the ground so it wouldnt fall.
Pic 4. Pick up the other end, pull up a bit and push it up.
Depending on the shape it will be easier or not. This one is narrow so it works better to roll it a bit to one side or it slides over the bare aluminium bar. The Predator 13 is wide and goes up smoothly with the 2 rollers.
Pic 5. Its up, now find the right position.
From the rear I grab and rock it up and down and move it to one side or the other, slide a bit to the front, a bit to the back. Its pretty easy.
Remember to put the red flag / long load sign if needed. Here in Spain thats if the load sticks out more than 10% of the lenght of the vehicle, which in my case it doesnt. So I dont have to put anything.
Pic 6. Store your cart, load assist…
"I carry just the basic stuff" lol
VERY CAREFUL when opening the trunk with the kayak up there. Hold it and let it go up gently. Or dont, and just throw the last things into the rear seats lol
Pic 7. Strap it to the roofbars/car
This is how i strap it for my most usual 5min 30mph drive. For longer drives, highway speeds, I add more straps.
For now, I use 2 long ratchet straps.
One goes over the kayak, under the rear bar, and over the kayak again but passing through the side handles (strongest attachment point available). The other goes over the kayak, under the front bar and over the kayak again passing through the same grab handles.
Dont tighten the ratchets too much. Be very careful here. The kayak needs to move a bit with the padding. If while you drive it bounces on bumps etc just an inch or so, thats perfect.
The straps that go through the handles will hold the kayak when accelerating or braking.
I generally prefer to put it stern-first. If it has a folding seat, the wind will keep it folded instead of trying to open it. If it has a rudder like mine, it will try to stay straight instead of turning around. You can always tie/strap those better, or completely remove them for a trip. Be sure to secure also any hatch or other moving parts that may require so.
For long drives or trips you want to add more front and rear straps, since there will be harder accelerations and brakings. What I do is passing one strap through the front scupper holes and another through the rear, to help hold it better. Or even to the front and rear handle.
I have always tested braking hard on a safe place before heading into the highway, never had a problem. Also stop from time to time to check the straps and re-tighten if needed.
There are specialized straps for kayaks: Those that you grab with the bonnet or trunk on the front and rear, some wider ones to hold it to the roof bars, with a closing that is hand tighten and cant be over tightened… you will want to eventually get those. But if you already have some straps like me, just use what you have and save the special ones for later when you know you will keep doing this. They make for good gifts 😉
Putting the kayak upside-down for longer trips
You put the kayak up as usual, then shift it to the side of the bars as much as you can. Tie a strap to the side handle and use it to pull from the other side of the car. I tell you, its tricky, its harder and requires more strenght. Theres probably some smart trick you can use, I havent got to that yet because my usual drives are 5-20min long and I just keep the kayak in sailing position.
I'd say if you dont see it as doable, just get some hull shaped holders for your bars, to distribute the weight better, and keep the kayak upright. We want to be smart and enjoy this, not break our backs.
Of course just with a little help from the wife or a friend, rolling the kayak is a piece of cake.
Posted by Khali_FC