How are you mounting your kayaks?

I have 4 of these
https://www.relentlessfabrication.com/products/05-tacoma-bed-rail-mount-tab

Then I used some 1x1 box tube cut to length with a rivet nut inside. I then just bolt the box tube to the mounting tabs and its good to go.

Much cheaper than buying a premade bed rack, and its only 4 bolts to quick remove it (leave the tabs on, and remove the bars)

 

I originally posted my mounting solution in post #138 (p. 7). Since then, I mounted a GFC SuperLite RTT on my Front Runner rack. At 80 lbs and 90" long, this barebone tent is the lightest hardtop RTT on the market. The downside with this design is that a flexible solar panel is about the only item you can mount on it. In fact, GFC was designing a surfboard rack for it, but ended up scrapping the project. As a result, I haven't been able to take my kayak out while the tent has been on my truck.

I finally came up with a design that incorporates my existing kayak mounts and allows me to place them fore and aft of the RTT. Since my kayak is 16' long, there is 4' of overhang in front and in back of the mounts. A shorter kayak would probably not work well with this setup.


The braces are made of 2" x .25" aluminum bar stock.

The tent can expand, depending upon if my inflatable sleeping pad is inside of the RTT. To allow for this thickness variation, I had to make the mount adjustable.

The next 2 images were tests to see the best bolt placement, in case I needed more space between the mount and the RTT when opening or closing the tent. By removing the bolt with the thumb nut, the braces can pivot away from the tent.

The 1.5" x 2" main tube is secured to the Front Runner rack with 2" square U-bolts and a 5/16" aluminum plate on the bottom. A 1" x 2" rectangular tube is between the main tube and the cross-member to provide clearance of the rack's rail.

For the front mount, I secured a Thule crossbar with a low-profile clamp onto the OEM cab rack. Yakima Mighty Mounts attaches the 3" x 2" rectangular aluminum tube to the crossbar. Two 1/4"-20 screws w/nylock nuts connects the 1/4" aluminum bar stock to the tube. Finally, two 5/16" screws with eyenuts attaches the aluminum ends to the wooden kayak mount. The center bolt connects all 3 pieces together for a very secure attachment.

 

Yakima roof rack and kayak rack. Mounted to existing holes in roof. Holds two 14 foot kayaks nicely plus does not interfere with camper.

 

There's no shortage of solutions - choosing the right one for you is the key. Answering a few questions should help guide you.
1. What type of kayak(s) will you be transporting? $99 Walmart ones or 17-ft sea kayaks?
2. Do you anticipate having help loading/unloading them, or do you see yourself working solo?
3. How far will you travel with your yaks to get to water? Roads trips too?
4. How often do you paddle?
5. Do you have a roof rack or attachments? Do you participate in other sports or construction projects for which you might use one?
6. Are looking for store-bought or DIY?

 

Martin OR rack, Sherpa RTT brackets, and 70" 15 series extrusions. About 180lbs worth of kayaks (when stripped). Thankfully the truck isn't lifted more than 2/1.5. Shoulder press both up top and slide them on, then 2 1" straps each, then another pair of 1.5" straps over both. Pretty sure I could roll this over the edge of the grand canyon and they wouldn't budge.

 

Nice! that's what I want to do, I have a storage box behind the cab and the long box. I got the J cradles, but what cross bar system are you using?

 

I had these custom made from a local fab guy. @Brian422 hooked me up with him.

 

thanks, seems that is what the best solution is, local fab guys

 

I paid my guy $150 to make these. Fairly simple and they have carried my kayaks on long trips with no problems.

 

I just load them in the bed. When we go kayaking, that's all we do...I don't have any room to bring anything else such as camping gear.

 

Nice, that's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking. Incorporating the cleats that already run in the track. Thanks for posting the details, I'll see if I can find a "my guy" here that will do it.

 

Caliraised offers a similar set-up. Not going to be as cheap as having someone fab a pair for you, but its a drop-in solution. Be sure to click 'flat bars', as there are 2 designs available

https://caliraisedled.com/products/...KK_6nb9Q3XR7F6GMJ4Wz7cj5H9n6Kt9vIwuLs0JL6cQY0

 

From behind

 

Cool thanks! that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm in Canada, so it might cost more here. the local rack shop had a solution that was 1 part for the brackets and extra for the bars, almost $500 for each, so looking at $1000! no way I'm spending that kind of $$, but these are more reasonable considering how perfectly they address what I want.

 

Just did a quick search, and the Cali Raised has a link to a place in BC here that is a dealer, perfect Thanks for posting this.
https://overlandoutfitters.ca/collections/3g-tacoma

 

Hopefully the bald eagle to maple leaf conversion plus import fee isn't too awful on you!

 

found them on the website, but they are sold out? not sure if that's a permanent thing or temporary... $476.99
https://overlandoutfitters.ca/colle...cts/cali-raised-2005-tacoma-overland-bed-bars

 

KB Voodoo VRS Kayak Rack

https://www.kbvoodoo.com/vrs-kayak-racks-for-toyota

 

I've used a Boonedox Groovy T-bone bed extender for the past few years but recently switched to a roof mount setup to make some room in the bed and take advantage of my 'new' shell's storage space on long trips. Not too much of a MPG drain on a couple 2-3 hour trips around Texas.

I picked up two sets of Rhino Rack folding J hooks on FB marketplace and mounted one set to the shell rack and another set to the cab rack. I mounted the hooks directly to the extrusions using t-slot nuts instead of the included wing nuts because the wing nuts were too close to rubbing the cab.

I plan to move both sets of J hooks to the cab before our next trip because I'd rather have them more forward so I can open the shell and wrap straps around the boats' bows/sterns instead of through the handles. I didn't notice any issues from having one one on the shell and one on the cab though. I figured it would be okay since the distance was great and the kayaks are semi-flexible.



Bed extender