Kayak racks options.

My son had a guy pass him doing about 80 mph on SPID going from Corpus to Padre Island with a kayak on a roof mount. About 100 yard past him the from rope came lose on the kayak and was hanging on by the rear rope. He said by the time the guy shut it down that kayak had destroyed the side of his truck. He said it was ugly. Moral of the story, rope and tie downs are cheap, use em.

 

That handle setup is slick! Trying to move a longer boat on a cart, especially over uneven terrain can definitely present a challenge. Being able to walk closer beside it vs. using the bow handle has to be much easier as well as keeping the stern from digging in as much.

 

My thought was to stay ahead of the yak and allow more leverage while traversing large roots and rocks. Without the handle I found that using the original rope handle, the yak kept wanting to run into my legs while descending a hill which was really annoying. Using the handle gave me a solid connection to the yak and eliminated that issue. When we get to the launch point I merely remove it from track and lock it up in the woods with our carts.

I made it from schedule 40 aluminum pipe (I forget what diameter). I had the end turned down on a lathe so the end handle would fit properly, the opposite end welded closed, added a rubber cap to it. put a slight bend in in so that it matched the bow of the yak and added a clamp on handle in the middle. Powder coated it then wrapped it in camo tape. In an emergency it can also be used as a crutch when removed from the yak.........

My yak is a 10'er but with all the gear I carry for fishing, it's heavy (at least for me). I wouldn't be surprised if it weighs 80#'s or more and the cart, with the larger wheels must weigh 20#s.