How are you mounting your kayaks?

I ended up making a 2 channel groove for my kayaks to slide into and matched the channels to the bottom of the kayak. 3 2x4's and some screws.

 

circa 1970 -

 

But the factory roof bars have cross bars.

 

My bad. Then you would be good.

 

We do a LOT of kayaking - and have quite a few kayaks (8 Kayaks and one canoe), we can get 4 in the bed of the truck easily...whitewater kayaks, being smaller are easily just put in the bed and strapped (we use NRS Padded Straps and or Thule Load Straps - to protect from over pressure/stress of ratchet straps). We use Jackson Fishing kayaks and while the 10' Kayaks are easy in the bed the 12' ones hang out a lot. However we run the straps through the scupper holes and the kayaks are very secure. We usually only travel long distances with the whitewater kayaks as we use the fishing kayaks on or near our farm (our farm is on a small river were we usually fish). Lots of great ideas on this thread and if we lived in a city and not on a farm we might look into other options but the truck bed works for our lifestyle. There are 4 kayaks in this photo - though they were not strapped in as we were just driving to the end of our property to launch.

 

Loaded up to fish tomorrow, the thule saddles I have on there would fit the factory rack but I have another set sized specifically for the thule bars, these are basic as hell but work the best for different shaped kayaks.

 

Here's another endorsement for the Boonedox T-Bone Extender.

 

+1 for the Boondocks T-bone bed extender. Works great for kayaks over 10 ft. Radiused so you don't hang up on stuff. And with some finagling you can fit two average sized kayaks in the bed. If I need the bed for camping gear, I have cradles and j hooks for the rack. I also have Thule exporter bed racks I can use. I've carried 4 kayaks on my '15 using the full setup, and could have carried 2 more if I stacked them.
I regularly haul my 17 foot canoe on my prinsu rack with Malone canoe saddles.

*** Side note: dont use ratchet straps to secure your kayak as they are easy to over tighten and can damage your boat. Cam lock straps are the way to go.

 

Excellent advice. Don't use the ratchet straps. Use the cam lock straps. I got the NRS 1.5" straps in 9' and 12' and they work great.

 

I have bed extender from hitch. Put canoe rubber foam taped it to top of T-bar put kayak across. Reason for that is the heat will dent kayak if put there for long periods. Most kayak stands I don’t like, better for it to sit flat. Your kayak expensive? Do it my way!

 

I've got a utility trailer from Tractor Supply. Took the ramp off the back (since it stored vertically) and flipped one of the hinges around so I could put it back on pretty easily. Then I ran some Thule bars across, using old mounts from a Subaru that I had laying around. I can easily fit 4 kayaks on it. Added a locking box from Harbor Freight for collapsed paddles, pfds, etc. I built the trailer between my 06 and 16 Tacos when I was driving a something else. Yes, those were dark times...

 

Tracrac from Home Depot. Cut to cab height and dipped.

My old Prerunner had a bed bar rack that I made out of gas pipe and some hardware from Home Depot that was only $60. Found the idea on a forum and could make it work for a 3rd gen.

 

Recently acquired some second hand Yakima racks for my shell so I can carry my boats and still keep stuff in the bed. My old man also let me have his Yakima rollers/cradles that he no longer uses for easier loading.

 

4 of em. Like this, no extras needed

 

What aftermarket cross bars are people using with the factory bars ? I want to rig up sonething like this with kayak J mounts and then i can just remove these crossbars when not needed. What crossbars mount well onto the factory?
Or would it be easier to mount and unmount J mounts on the factory cross bars before and after each use.?

 

The factory rails unclip and rotate 90 to become cross bars! They’re not the most sturdy for a tent, but for some kayaks and j cradles you should be fine.

 

Ok but the bars will not clip back into position with j mounts on them and i hear they have a lot of wind noise. Getting my hands under to mount the j mounts everytime seems like a pain in the ass ....? But i have never mounted any ...i assume u need to get underneath also.

 

Ahh gotchya you want the J bars to be removable completely. I’m assuming Yakima or Thule or rhino has a solution!

 

Thats wjat i was trying to say lol