Official Kayaking/Canoeing Thread

yea call thule and ask them. they switched from everything being square clips to everything being "fat mouth clamps" so its all universal now for thule, yakima, and factory racks. should be able to sell you what you need

 

awesome thanks for the info. I have always had Yakima so I assumed thule only used those square clamps. Maybe I will get to use those saddles after all!

 

Very stable, and tracks pretty well. I float mostly rivers (smallies). Some strip mines. Want to get down to OBX. The seat is a selling point. Mine weighs 53lbs

 

Here's my kayak that I've had for about a year and a half. Its a dimension typhoon. Stable enough to fish out of when I go to the beach. Im looking to get one that is more white water friendly though. My parents wont let me get a playboat or a sit-in because they still want a kayak that I can use at the beach, so Im looking at an OK yak board. Anybody ever used one of those?

 

I've finally figured out a system for transporting my 17ft kayak that I can also load and unload by myself. Some tweaks are still needed, but it's functional and costs very little in materials. Here's how it works:

I made a support out of 2x4s that sits in the bed. The top flips around so one one side has rollers to load the kayak onto the OEM roof rack and the other side has a notch to hold the back end of the kayak once it's on the roof. In loader mode it rests at the front of the bed and leans forward with hooks that attach to the moveable d-rings in the bed rails. The rollers are some replacement wheels that fit a 1/2 axle (in this case an aluminum rod bent into shape and affixed to the loader).



The dolly is a plastic crate with a cradle made from 1"PVC pipe zip-tied inside, an aluminum tube for a axle and some wheels I purchased on ebay for cheap. I stole the idea for the dolly from a youtube video someone posted. With that attached I just walk the nose up the bed and rest it on the rollers. Then I push it onto the roof rack from behind. The crossbars have foam blocks attached that the kayak sits on.





next step is to unhook the loader from the d-rings, flip the top around to the notched side so it can be used as a support (there are pins that hold it in place in either orientation) and slide it to the rear of the bed. The support is anchored to the bed with straps thru the eye bolts and the back end of the kayak is strapped to the support. The notch is cushioned with pipe insulation.





Run straps through the eyelets on the roof rack to secure the front and mid-section and it's ready to roll. Did a test run on the freeway today and it performed beautifully!

 

not bad! nice work on building that system!

 

Yea look back a page and there's a pic of mine. It's fun. Definitely get a good seat back and thigh straps if your trying to surf with it. White water boats are a ton of fun in the surf too though.

X2 and the boat if you built that as well. It's beautiful. I'm planning on building a chesapeake light craft kayak kit when I have room/time

 

thanks. It was the perfect project for my skill level and I learned a lot along the way. I'd build another one in a heartbeat if I had the space to store it. As it is I can barely fit this beast into my garage.

 

Went fishing in a yak for the first time yesterday....what's a good yak you can piss from? Didn't work so well in the one I was in

 

Mine is ok. I have the perception rhythm 11. I doubt you can stand in it but if you keep your weight low and move slow, I just got good at getting out and pissing in the water then lifting myself back in the kayak. Looks like im having sex with the drin plug up front but... it gets the job done

 

oh...so yak = getting wet. Didn't know this...will be more prepared next time Broke one pole, lost pliers, lost $10 crank bait, killed truck alarm key fob, and was wet with no change of close shit was floating every where!

caught this before hand tho...

 

Sit on top kayaks definitely means getting wet, sit inside you can stay dry

 

I have a dry storage compartment on my yak but I still keep a dry bag with all my crap in it and secure it to the yak. I don't normally get wet in the sit in unless I push it and roll it over.... then I have to find a way to drain it. You definitely get wet with the sit on top though.

 

have fun! How do you like those Thule holders?




Today I got the kayak out of the shed, doing a 10 mile paddle on the river tomorrow which should be fun. Also built a little rack for it to sit on it's side behind the shed so I don't have to struggle getting it put away in the shed (have a bunch of crap in there and it is a pita until I put a system to hang the yak in there). I will post some pics of that tomorrow.

 

couldn't you get some thule or yakima cross bars and the mounts that lock in to the door hinge for the taco and attach the thule rack to the cross bars? My crossbars on my mazda are about 40" apart and don't give me any issue with an 11' yak on there.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/5238-double-cab-roof-rack-access-cab.html

See mjp2's post.

 

I know what you mean. I have to take mine on and off when I don't use it because the clips slide around and have worn the hard plastic coating off the yakima round bars in some areas.

 

.......
Thule and Yakima bars (when installed properly) will not slide around and damage the paint. I am a certified thule and yakima installer.. been doing it for over 5 years now, and as long as they are installed correctly and are removed atleast once a year to wax where the foot sits on the roof, there will not be damage.

look at mine next time you see my truck. BGR's messed up his truck... everything he does messes up his truck

 

One of my friends just got a Field and Stream 12' sit on top fishing kayak at Dick's Sporting Goods today. $700 kayak but they had a sale and he got $300 off. pretty sweet deal

 

Tell him to get, and wear a pfd. If he plans on floating rivers, it might be a good idea to take a river safety course. It can be a fun thing. Sounds like he got a good deal.

 

just got back from my 10 mile paddle. Had a great time. I had my anchor up on top of my dry storage lid so I could stop when I wanted and chill out in some shade if there wasn't a good area to stop. Well... I was going through some rapids and the thing fell off, the back of the yak dipped down and let water come rushing in the cockpit. Sunk the yak in about 5 seconds. lol. All I could do was sit and laugh sitting in 2 ft of water as my friend floated on by laughing at me. Karma got him though. He was floating real close to shore trying to pet this little 4 lb terrier dog. The thing turned evil and started chasing him in the water. lol

Overall.... it was an awesome day. Going to try and hit the water again this weekend.