Yet another pesty question from a yak wannabe.

Guys....I need some honest advice. I've been wanting to get into kayaking for a while now, and right now I could probably afford one of moderate expense. My problem is I don't have a truck or an SUV. I drive a toyota camry and will probably be doing so another year or so at which time I'm thinking about a small truck.

Are there any halfways decent cartop carrier devices that work with a small car that are worth a flip? Something that's not too pricy, but works. If so, where should I look for such devices?

Man I really want to do this....I ain't getting any younger you know.

But if you guys think I'd be sorry to try and tote one on my car I'll take your advice and go get me a tube....and shut up and watch yall glide by while I flounder around in the weeds.

Duck, maybe ditch the Camry early and get the truck? A buddy of mine used a cartop rig and his biggest challenge was getting the yak on and off the carrier when alone, trying not to scuff the car. He sold his car and got a used truck.
Or, Google kayak gear and you'll find a bunch of it.
I have a WS Ride Angler edition. A little pricey, but I've had it 6 years and it's great.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/119142.JPG

it depends on your yak i guess, im no pro but i can threo my feather lite onto to the top of a passat, all i do is throw a towel over the ends so i dont scratch the car, we use a modifed wind surf carrier that we got for fifty bucks, im no prow,(ive olny done this twice) but you shouldent have a problem if you get a lighter kay, but you should look at the kind of yak you need first then figur out how to get it on the car.

Thanks for the info guys. I really didn't know if it worked or not.
I'm a pretty big fella, and I'm not worried too much about being able to load one on top...and really Twotoes, after some thought I realize that a few scuffs on this car wouldn't bother me that much. It's been a great car, economical, runs great after many miles. But I've gotten my money out of it and then some, and it has an assortment of scuffs and dings already...courtesy of friendly parking lot folks who didn't want to bother me with repair hassles and insurance bothers. God bless em.

Why can't I just inherit a bunch of money from some lost uncle that I dislike? Would that be so wrong?

Guess I'll delve into this a bit deeper.
Anybody else got any opinions or ideas on this problem?
I'd bet I'm not alone in this prediciment.

I've not used one b/c I have a truck but academy sells a foam block and strap system and I think its less than $30 bucks. Should work fine and with a little sensible protection your car should be fine too.

I used the foam block strap system with a 85lbs canoe on top of a kia rio of all things. Very easy with two ppl, but dented the hell out of the car by myself. Also broke the drivers side mirror off when the wind decided to gust during lifting the canoe. But, I believe I probably could have taken greater care and avoided some damage. Also, a canoe is quiet a bit bulkier tham a yak.

Hey Dave,

No truck no suv, no problem. I am fairly new to kayaking also. I have two 13 foot wooden kayaks that I made. I completed the pair back in Oct 04. For their maiden voyage I threw them on top of my 99 Sentra and drove from Aledo Tx to Key West. On the nearly 4000 mile trip I never had a problem. I loaded the boats up with gear and luggage for additional storage room. When my wife had her Xterra I hated loading my kayaks on it, it was such a pain lifting the boats over my head. My boats weigh between 40 and 50 pounds each. I use a Sirus car rack that I bought from my neighbor; I just had to buy the “clips” so that it would fit my car. Sirus specializes in bike rack equipment but a little modification made it work. Thule and Yakima both sell racks for yaks that will fit your car. Go to their website and find out exactly what pieces you need then see if you can find them at eBay. Let me know if you want to see my rack system and I’ll post some pictures.

gober

Dave i have some help.

Thule makes a very good rack for a car.
All you need is the 400 universal feet, 50" bars and fit kit for your specific car. Fit kits = the rubber pads that go on the endof the 400 feet and the door clip clips that form to your car.

If you have a 2 door car, you will need the short bar adapter too.
I got mine for around 100 on ebay and you will need to shop the fit kit around. Message me and i can help you out.

Thule and Yakima do make specialized attachments for kayaks, but you do not need them. Go cheap. get some pads and straps to hold the kayak to the rack. you will need ropes that go to the end of each kayak though. This will stablize the kayak in the wind.

Today we had a 12' ocean 2 man kayak on my 2 door honda civic. Very stable at 70 mph.

craigs list: http://dallas.craigslist.org/for/279738910.html

ebay for thule rack: http://search.ebay.com/thule-rack_W0QQfromZR8QQssPageNameZWLRSQQsubmitsearchZSearch

Justin

Dave,
If you buy a used one, they are for the most part universal. Typically the only thing you need to worry about are the clips. This is the custom molded metal piece that clamps to your specific car. In other words you can buy any used Thule or Yakima rack then buy the specific clips you need. The clips for my sirus rack were about 20 bucks. Most rack systems have locks that secure the rack to your car.

gober

Thanks again guys. I am very encouraged by these post. Looks like it is definately do-able.

You made your own yak gober?
Cool, were you happy with them?

Yep Dave I built two of them, one for me and one as a gift for my twin that was getting out of the navy. I’ll post the link to a few pictures. I bought the plans from CLCboats.com and built them in my garage on the weekends. It was fairly inexpensive and with the stitch and glue technique you don’t need to be an expert wood worker.

My old ISP finally turned off my website that detailed the building process. I have been working on putting a new site together.

Unfinished
http://members.unitewireless.com/~michaelgober/images/P1030591.JPG
Bahia Honda Sate Park FL
http://members.unitewireless.com/~michaelgober/images/P1010240.JPG
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Maiden Voyage Me and My brother
http://members.unitewireless.com/~michaelgober/images/27547-R1-12-13A.jpg
Bahia Honda Sate Park at the Old Bridge
http://members.unitewireless.com/~michaelgober/images/27544-R1-19-6.jpg

gober

Dave, Yakima makes a terrific system called hully rollers. The whole system will easily set you back a couple of hundred bucks but if you don't mind spending the cash, they are well worth the money. I put them on my suburban and load and unload a 16' tandem ocean kayak by myself. I hauled the kayak from Montana to Port Aransas this year then all the way to California, Oregon and back to Montana without a single problem. They make mounts that will fit any vehicle. The only problem I had was someone tried to steal my kayak off the suburban one night. Fortunately I had the Yakima boat locker and the thieves only managed to cut the tie down straps. I know I sound like an add for Yakima, but I assure you I have no affiliation with them. I just found that though expensive, their products in my experience, are first rate

Nice work Gober. That's really cool. You plan on making another?
It would be fun to build one with all of the design features you wanted yourself.

I'll certainly check out the Yakima offerings Llama. I have been pondering on the use of rollers. Makes sense. Thanks.

Actually yes I do plan on another. I built one for me and one as a gift. When pricing out lumber I ran the numbers for a 3rd. It wasn’t going to cost that much more so I bought the lumber and cut all three boats out at once. The third boat, I wrapped all the pieces in black plastic and stored in my attic. I plan on building it this summer, that a way I don’t have to barrow my brothers boat when I go out with someone else.

I've a Liquid Logic Manta Ray 12 that I've been carrying on my little Kia Spectra 5 for the past 6 months - been working out fine and I've driven it fine beyond 70mph without front/rear tie-downs.
Started off just using the pads (similar to the ones that Academy sells), and only migrated to a Thule rack for convenience (faster loading/unloading). I think the pads can probably give better protection for the car, as you can place them pretty much anywhere on the roof, and then you can leave them on as you slide the yak off the roof.
I've the yak pads for the rack, however I've also considered ditching those, and putting on pipe insulation or pool noodle to the bars and carrying the yak upside for better airodynamics.

Anyways, the camry should be fine for carrying a boat, my recommendation would actually to keep the camry and use it as a weekend/boat carrying car and not care about getting dings/etc, and get another work vehicle when the time/money is right.

Good luck, and enjoy! its truely an addiction.

That's kinda the same way I've been leaning towards. Makes sense in a financial way for sure. Not only is it paid for...but it is fuel efficient as well.

Of course I'm trying to put together an idea of what I'll need to spend on getting the yak and outfitting needed to be able to have a safe and enjoyable time. It gets a little frustrating when you start pricing things like roof racks and the like that cost as much as the yak itself. I mean the sky is the limit for all of the gear I'd guess. so any advice on outfitting things like paddles etc, with reasonably priced-durable items will be gladly taken

Dave,
I was in the same dilema last year when I bought my yak. I live in Montana but planned on using it 90 percent of the time around Port Aransas. I went to a couple of kayak forums and was overwelmed with advice, most of it useless for my needs. The first thing I did was evaluate what would work for me. I wanted a tandem as my wife and I fish together often. I'm 6'4" and she's 5'2" and can't swim,so big and roomy and stable was the ticket. I also wanted a sit on top and as many features as I could get. What I looked for was lenght and width.For my needs Ocean Kayaks' Zest 2 was perfect. It is also self bailing and light (78lbs) I am going to buy a single for myself this year. It will be at least 12 feet long and 34" wide.When it came to paddles, everybody was recommending the high end cabon paddles blah,blah, blah. Being frugal(cheap), I opted for the inexpensive anodized aluminum Carlisle paddles at $59.00 each. They worked just fine. I installed Scotty flush mounted rod holders and 2-6", and one 18" hatch. The seats I ordered with my yak have a strap adjustment for the back, this is an important item as back position will determine back comfort, also I would suggest an additional cushion for the butt area. I would suggest life jackets designed for kayakers as they have more room around the armpit area. BUY THE VERY BEST LIFE JACKETS THAT YOU CAN AFFORD!!I did buy an expensive cartop carrier as it's 2000 miles one way from here to Port A. Otherwise I think the foam pads are just fine for trips of a shorter duration. I hope this helps. I saw lots of places around Rockport Aransas Pass and Corpus Christi that sell kayaks. You should be able to get 1st hand advice from any type of place like that.Good luck.Very few places around Montana sell sit kayaks so I had to order mine and try things that I thought would work.

Almost any roof rack system rated for a minimum of 100 lbs would do the trick.
Make sure you get the pads for the racks crossbars and then when you place the yak on the rack upside down use the flat straps that have the one way pull buckle at one end to tie it down.
Once you cinch it down tight to the rack it won't be going anywhere.
And remember, if you do not want it to sound on the freeway like a 747 engine is mounted on your roof make sure you put a twist in the strap, versus letting them lie flat between the kayak and the rack. If not twisted the flat straps will vibrate too much and put off a heck of a racket. One twist will cut that noise down by 75%.

Llama, and Jim, Thanks to both of you for good information. And yes...I've been freaking out kinda when pricing paddles online at the kayak sites and their vendors sites. Good Lord....that's a lot of money! Oh....also, Welcome to the forum Llama. I see you are a new member! Good to have ya.

Jim, That's some great advice about the straps. I would have fought that for years before figuring it out on my own!

Last weekend I saw a Mini Cooper hauling a yak, so I imagine a Camry will do just fine. Looks like you have plenty of hauling advice. Now tackle the next question. Do you have any preferences in a yak?

Davy,

I meant to post these back when you started this thread. Here are a few pictures of my yaks in transport. These are from my 4000 mile trip for their maiden voyage. My 99 Sentra hauls those kayaks every where. The boats are 13 feet long and my car is about 16 feet. I frequently run highway speeds 70+ with them on top. It will kill you gas mileage.


As for the price of paddles, I made my own. I spent less than 20 bucks to make both. The shafts are 1X2 cedar from Home Depot and the blades are 1x4 walnut, poplar and maple. I used left over fiberglass and epoxy from building my yaks. I am currently putting a site together on my build process.


~gober

Great setup...and really cool looking paddles.

Hey guys, I ran across this old kayak frame the other day at a business I frequent in Natalia (south Of San Antonio.} It appears to be pretty old and apparently a canvas or such material covered the outside. I dunno...just guessing. It appears to be in good shape with only a couple of pieces of wood in need of repair or replacement. Paddle was included. Don't know the price, but it's for sale.

If any of you enthusiast would like to have it let know and I'll give you the phone number. These guys are in the military surplus business and not in the kayak business. I'd bet it could be bought pretty cheap.

Sorry bout the carpy cell phone pics.