Kayak rack?

Ok hoping you guys could help me or point me in the right direction at least. I've got a 03 extended taco v6 4x4. I wanting some kind of rack that can support my kayak. Instead of having it stick out of the bed pretty far. And plus if I have two kayaks or more on my truck it really begins to look like an unstable mess . So basically, just fishing for some ideas, on what I could possibly build or buy, but as everybody else on TW we all wanna do it cheap as possible . Thanks in advance

 

Options are, use the bed and maybe a strap or two,
or, mount a canopy on the bed and then Thule racks on that for watercraft transport.
Or, even more simple, build a light weight bed rack. Height on the rack is totally up to you.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bed-racks-for-1st-gens-where-to-find.127959/

 

When I used to travel with a canoe I used my backrack in conjunction with a hitch mounted holder.
I cant remember the actual name but it looked just like this:

Dont know if that kind of setup would work with a kayak or not, just an idea.

 

I made one of those when I first got the truck and it worked great. I didn't have the bar on the cab so just used foam blocks. When I got the canopy I went with the Thule racks, expensive but they have held up for several years now.

 

Try browsing the boating and fishing forum for some good options https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/boating-fishing.76/

Or the kayaking thread https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/official-kayaking-canoeing-thread.164033/page-49#post-9586518

I carry 2 15' Scupper pros in the bed with no issue, and they don't even touch each other. Pics in #976 of the kayaking thread above

 

I dont have the bar on the cab either, I have a homemade backrack and I just dropped a "T" shaped post into the uprights on it (they arent capped).
My hitch mount was actually a bed extender that I flipped so the long part went up and the short part went in the hitch. Got it at Princess Auto, which is about the same as Harbor Freight.


It worked great, only issue was it was a pain to load when it was windy and a heavy canoe

 

I made mine to rotate at the top. Loaded from the side and then swing it up and over the cab.

 

I was too cheap to buy a high-end rack so I went with a generic rack that can be used for hauling wood/ladders. I looked at the bars that go into the hitch, but with the 13 foot kayak and my short bed the kayak would have stuck out further than I liked. $100 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Buffalo-Tools-Cargo-Truck-Rack/19240182 The downside is you have to drill into the the bed lip and removal and installation takes 15-20 minutes after you get good at it. The upside is I used it to carry a bunch of lumber when I built a swing for my daughter and it is very stable.... can drive twisty mountain roads and it doesn't move.

 

After loading my 13 foot kayak on my roof with Yakima bars.....I bought a cheap 300 dollar trailer from harbor freight. I rigged it up with my kayak holders and it works great. It will hold 2 kayaks with ease. I would take a pic but its dark outside

 

Thanks, I was sitting around doing some other projects around the house and had a brainstorm on how I wanted to do this. After looking at many pictures, I took off to Lowes and spent $40. Almost got it finished, I'll add pictures when it's complete.

 

This is what I modeled my trailer after

 

Nice I like that. Defiantly something possibly in the future

 

Actually found a pic..

 

Thats exactly why I swapped mine around so it was tall rather than long. So the canoe went on top of the roof.

 

Yakima stuff, like a previous post stated its not cheap but great quality. I use regular mounts when the shell is on.

Building a trailer is next on the list.

 

I use the factory roof rack with thule yak holder and use my cart upside down by the bed to help me get my yak up on top. I believe there is plenty of room on top for two yaks.

 

Made this for less than $40. Pretty solid for what I needed