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Topic: Bringing kayaks camping
Posted By: RooDude09 on 07/24/16 04:39pm

My wife and I are thinking about purchasing kayaks to take camping as we are near water quite often. We have a short bed F-250 and a 27 ft tow behind trailer. My question to all of you who do this how do you transport your kayaks? We're looking in the 8ft range for my wife and 10 ft for me. Wil they fit in the bed? Will I need a rack? Thank you for any advise.

Posted By: camp-n-family on 07/24/16 04:45pm

They won't fit in the bed and still leave room to turn. We bring two 10.5' kayaks and a 14' canoe with us. We use a rack over the bed. Canoe in the middle and the kayaks on their sides in a J rack. The kayaks hang over the cab by 2' and off the back by another 2'. Works well for us but getting them up there can be difficult solo. I dropped a kayak onto the side of the truck this trip.

'17 Ram 2500 Crewcab Laramie CTD
'13 Keystone Bullet Premier 310BHPR
Hitched by Hensley


Posted By: flguppie on 07/24/16 04:45pm

8 foot and 10 foot yaks are pretty short. You might be able to put them in the bed, but I would buy a rack.

FL-Guppie "small fish in a big pond"
2014 KZSpree Connect 220rbk
2018 Ford F150 SuperCrew 3.5L Ecoboost, maxtow


Posted By: Oasisbob on 07/24/16 04:48pm

We are a 4 kayak family. 2 ten footers, 1 twelve footer and a 14.5 footer. We normally carry all four on a Thule rack atop the van. My kayaking friends who have ten footers and a short pick up box successfully strap then into the pick up bed. It only works if you have enough clearance between the bow of the yak and the trailer on turns. Amazon has a pick up rack that will put some of the boat over the cab. Around$90. Be advised a shorter yak will not track as straight as a longer one. All depends on what you are doing. Best of luck

Oasis Bob
Wonderful wife 3 of 4 kids at home. 1 proudly serving in USAF
2018 Ford Explorer
2001 Bantam Trail Lite B-19

HAPPY TRAILS">

Posted By: Flatfive on 07/24/16 05:08pm

We have two Hobie kayaks. 9.5 feet long. No place to carry them on our van or trailer as the roofs are high and curved. We bought an inflatable that we love. It's 12 feet long but when uninflated is a small lump in the van.

Posted By: Halmfamily on 07/24/16 05:19pm

We carry ours on the truck roof with a Yakima roof rack. Rack easily comes off when not in use.

2008 GMC Sierra 3500 SLT DRW D/A 4x4 (Big All)
2006 Ford F350 PSD SRW King Ranch 4x4 (Henry) (Sold)
B&W Companion, 90 Aux Fuel Tank, Scan Gauge II, Curt f/m hitch, Swagman XC
2015 Forest River Sierra 360 PDEK
DW Diane, DS Michael, FB Draco and Sabian

Posted By: patbac on 07/24/16 05:29pm

We have a single ladder rack from Harbor Freight. We mounted both halves right behind the cab. Our 12 ft kayaks ride propped up (one on each rack) with the back of the kayaks in the bed against the tailgate. There's still room to open the tool box and fit two bicycles in the bed also.
This was the least expensive method we found, and our old shoulders don't have to do quite as much lifting as a full rack would require. [emoticon]

Posted By: DutchmenSport on 07/24/16 05:34pm

Kayaks could be carried the same way we carried our canoe. Over the years:

[image]

Home made ladder rack I made myself, just for the canoe. Actually, this was made out of left over chain-link fence pipes and a few bolts. Worked very will for a long time!

[image]

[image]


Yup! That's me!

[image]

Posted By: dahkota on 07/24/16 06:14pm

We have a single inflatable two person kayak that fits in one of our storage bins.

2015 Jeep Willys Wrangler
2014 Fleetwood Bounder 33C
States camped: all but Hawaii
more than 1700 days on the road

Posted By: K-9 HANDLER on 07/24/16 06:19pm

17.5 foot kayak, 14.5 foot kayak and a 15.5 foot canoe on the roof rack.

Camping near home at Assateague National Seashore with our wild four legged friends


Posted By: Bucky Badger on 07/24/16 06:38pm

We have 2, 10ft kayaks. They fit in the 28ft camper one on the bed the other on the floor

2010 F150 5.4, 3.55, 4x4, Equli-z-er Hitch
2007 Forest River Salem 27RB LE
and
2009 Nomad 3980

Posted By: CavemanCharlie on 07/24/16 06:49pm

I have one "set on top" Kayak. I think it's 10 foot. I have a tool box in the bed of my short bed pickup. I can nose the Kayak under the tool box, put the rear of the Kayak on the top of the end gate, and then tie it down. It sticks out a couple of feet behind the truck but, I still have plenty of room to turn and it never hits the TT.

After you purchase one you can then do some looking to see where it will fit. Until you get one it is hard to say where you will like to put it.

Posted By: #1nobby on 07/24/16 07:00pm

RooDude09 wrote:

My wife and I are thinking about purchasing kayaks to take camping as we are near water quite often. We have a short bed F-250 and a 27 ft tow behind trailer. My question to all of you who do this how do you transport your kayaks? We're looking in the 8ft range for my wife and 10 ft for me. Wil they fit in the bed? Will I need a rack? Thank you for any advise.


I got a Thule roof rack for my RAM. It will take my canoe or my kayak and paddle board.

Posted By: danimal53 on 07/24/16 07:02pm

dont mean to hijack the thread, but seemed relevant: whats a good brand for an inflatable kayak and where would i find one? wife and i were looking at possibly getting one, not looking for super-premo top dollar, but decent.

Posted By: Mr. Camper on 07/24/16 07:25pm

danimal53 wrote:

dont mean to hijack the thread, but seemed relevant: whats a good brand for an inflatable kayak and where would i find one? wife and i were looking at possibly getting one, not looking for super-premo top dollar, but decent.


Mrs. Camper has Hobiecat 9' Mirage. Comes with everything but she added an electric pump rather than stick with the manual one. We toss it in the bed of the truck. Find a dealer near you at hobiecat.com.

Posted By: rbpru on 07/24/16 07:33pm

I use a top rack to haul a 17 ft canoe.

Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.

Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.


Posted By: Dennis Smith on 07/24/16 07:47pm

We use a rack for our 17 foot canoe, or 20 tandem kayak. Works great. Just make sure its forward enough not to hit the trailer

Posted By: BizmarksMom on 07/24/16 07:58pm

My 9.5' kayak rides in the bed of the truck, on a diagonal. It overhangs a bit, but does not interfere at all with the turn radius of the trailer. If I was hauling more than one, this arrangement would not work.

2019 F350 towing a Nash 22H

Posted By: nineoaks2004 on 07/24/16 08:00pm

I made a metal slide in rack that fits in the pickup bed, it holds my 18' canoe or my 12' solo canoe which ever I want to carry

By the time you learn the rules of life
You're to old to play the game


Posted By: DeanRIowa on 07/24/16 08:49pm

We have a Silverado 1500 Crew-cab with a short bed and we are able to carry 4 Kayaks, which are 10' each. We strap the front of kayaks down on bottom of truck bed and the back end of them on top of the closed tailgate, which allows just enough clearance for tight turns. We use 3 x 12' tie-downs.

We have been able to get 4 bikes on as well, 1 on each side standing up. One small bike along tailgate under kayaks, and one on top of kayaks with a blanket between. Also firewood tucked underneath.

Amazing what one can carry if you try.

Dean

2015 Summerland 2820 BHGS
2016 Silverado
DW Esmeralda, DS Mathew, DD Natalie


Posted By: NanciL on 07/25/16 04:59am

I carry two 18 foot sea kayaks and one 17 foot canoe on the roof of my pick up.
I have a cap on it and have two Yakima cross bars on it and one on the cab roof.
This lets me slide them on from the back, but then I can put them with the overhang in front over the hood so they won't hit the trailer on turns.

Jack L

Jack & Nanci

Posted By: mbopp on 07/25/16 05:18am

I picked up a set of Yakima Outdoorsman rack & bars off Craigslist. We haul a 17' canoe but two short kayaks would also fit without having turn clearance problems.
Some people make their own racks.

2017 Grand Design Imagine 2650RK
2019 F250 XLT Supercab
Just DW & me......

Posted By: dahkota on 07/25/16 05:33am

danimal53 wrote:

dont mean to hijack the thread, but seemed relevant: whats a good brand for an inflatable kayak and where would i find one? wife and i were looking at possibly getting one, not looking for super-premo top dollar, but decent.


We bought the Sea Eagle 370 from Amazon. So far we have used it on lakes, slow rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. Works well and inflates and deflates easily.

Posted By: wowens79 on 07/25/16 05:43am

I bought a ladder rack from Amazon for under $100, and 2 pairs of J racks for about $40. We put 2 yaks flat in the middle, and 2 on the outside in the j-racks, and it fits great. Also it leaves your bed open for other stuff. We have a bike rack that sits on top of the bed rails, yet below the yaks. We can carry 4 yaks, 4 bikes, and still have room for coolers, and firewood underneath.

If y'all are paddling flat water (lakes), I would get at least a 10ft yak, if not 12ft. We borrowed a 8ft before we bought ours, and they will turn on a dime, but they don't like to go straight. My wife and kids have 10ft, and I have a 12ft, and you can really tell a difference how they track.

2022 Ford F-350 7.3l
2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD 6.0l 268k miles (retired)
2016 Heritage Glen 29BH
2003 Flagstaff 228D Pop Up

Posted By: Jim_in_OKC on 07/25/16 06:55am

Regarding inflatables...... check out the Advanced Elements line. I've been pleased with mine and they have a good general reputation as well.

Posted By: chuckbear on 07/25/16 07:34am

dahkota wrote:

danimal53 wrote:

dont mean to hijack the thread, but seemed relevant: whats a good brand for an inflatable kayak and where would i find one? wife and i were looking at possibly getting one, not looking for super-premo top dollar, but decent.


We bought the Sea Eagle 370 from Amazon. So far we have used it on lakes, slow rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. Works well and inflates and deflates easily.


This is the same inflatable we have an are very pleased with it. Chuck

Posted By: hawkeye-08 on 07/25/16 07:44am

We use a rack, two kayaks in years past, 3 this year. Two on outside flat in kayak saddles on rack, middle one on J-racks. Bikes on front carrier on truck.

Posted By: WolverineState on 07/25/16 08:06am

We own a single and a double stearns inflatable. Have taken them on many trips over the years with no issues. The single I've owned for around 15 years and it's still working great. The saltwater (I've used it in the florida keys) fades the fabric somewhat, but I wasn't too anal on washing it afterwards, so that may be avoided. It's very comfortable, takes me 10 minutes to inflate manually, and weighs under 30 lbs.
Here's a link I found that may help...

http://www.allinflatableboats.net/stearns-inflatable-kayaks.html

Posted By: Cdaddy on 07/25/16 09:03am

Can't you just put them in the trailer? Wrap them in moving blanket or something so not to scratch up stuff

Posted By: wowens79 on 07/25/16 09:09am

Cdaddy wrote:

Can't you just put them in the trailer? Wrap them in moving blanket or something so not to scratch up stuff


I wouldn't want to have to try to get it through the skinny door, and worry about scuffing up the inside of the camper. If you have one of the big doors in the back maybe, but a ladder rack I think is much easier.

Posted By: harley4275 on 07/25/16 09:22am

I have in internal mount tonneau cover so the stake holes are exposed. I made a "ladder rack" out of 2x4's that go into the stake holes and put 2 -10 ft kayaks on top.

2013 Sunset Trail 25RB TT
2015 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0 l gasser.
Equilizer 4 pt
From Belle River, Ontario
2003 Mountain Star 890sbrx Truck Camper

Posted By: STANG23L on 07/25/16 09:28am

I recently had my 10' kayak in the back of my truck while towing our TT. Tailgate was up and it gave me about a foot of clearance. Did a quick jack knife test before I left the house and didn't see a problem.

Set up is not ideal and is kind of a pain if you want to haul any thing else in the bed. Will be looking into a roof rack for my truck to make life easier.

As far as the kayaks them selves. What is the purpose of getting here a shorty? We have found that length is not much of an issue. But width can greatly increase stability.

2014 Ram 1500 Eco Diesel

Posted By: Kafn8td on 07/25/16 10:02am

I have 2 inflatable Hobie I9s and a 10' Native Slayer Propel. The Hobies fit in the bed of the truck deflated with all of the other Yak gear. Luckily I have a toy hauler, but even so I have to angle the Native as my garage is a little over 9'.

Posted By: Merrykalia on 07/25/16 10:50am

We have two SeaEagle kayaks (inflatables) that we love and they store under the bed in the master. The lifejackets and oars also store in there with plenty of room for other stuff. There are 4 of us and we all needed a seat to boat in, that was our solution.

2017 Ford F350 Crew Cab 6.7L 4x4 DRW

Posted By: rexlion on 07/25/16 02:57pm

OP, have you tried paddling kayaks in that size range (8'-10')? I bought an inflatable 9' kayak last year and it tracks poorly. A longer, 2-person kayak would be easier and more fun for the two of you to paddle IMO. With an inflatable, storage and transport are really easy.

Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
photo: Yosemite Valley view from Taft Point


Posted By: #1nobby on 07/25/16 05:16pm

#1nobby wrote:



I got a Thule roof rack for my RAM. It will take my canoe or my kayak and paddle board.


[image]

[image]

Posted By: Rangerman40 on 07/25/16 11:16pm

I have a two person inflatable that's 11.5ft long. Fits in a bag that I toss into the bed of my truck.

Posted By: sky_free on 07/26/16 12:44am

rexlion wrote:

OP, have you tried paddling kayaks in that size range (8'-10')? I bought an inflatable 9' kayak last year and it tracks poorly. A longer, 2-person kayak would be easier and more fun for the two of you to paddle IMO. With an inflatable, storage and transport are really easy.


Completely agree. Paddling speed is also affected by length. Longer is faster.

For portability, other than inflatables there are foldables like Feathercraft, Folbot, and others. These are as light as you can get for a kayak, and pack down reasonably small. Expensive, but you get what you pay for.

As alway if you can, try before you buy.

2017 Escape 17B, 2012 VW Touareg

Posted By: OBSPowerstroke on 07/26/16 11:39am

This was the setup on my old truck for hauling two kayaks and two bikes. My new truck has a rack on the canopy, but the crossbars are shorter, only allowing me to haul two items at a time, so it's either two bikes, two kayaks, or one of each. Eventually I'll get some Thule towers for the roof of the new truck so I can haul all four again.

[image]

Josh
'16 Ford F350
'11 Komfort Resort 240RK
Portland, OR


Posted By: danimal53 on 07/26/16 12:53pm

wow those folding ones are pricey! As another option, there are modular hard-sided kayaks as well. Also pricier than inflatables, but not as much as the folding ones: link to an example

Posted By: jake2250 on 07/26/16 01:16pm

Craigslist!! Look for a used ladder or lumber rack in your bed size! Also,, I have seen two lumber racks at garage sales so far this year,, Only thing was they were 5.5' and a 6.5',, to small for me,,one was going for $50 and the 5.5 had a $25 sign on it!
Also had a kayaking friend make a rack out of square tubing and U bolts!

Or,,spend the big bucks on Thule racks,, I have one on my camper shell that holds 350 pounds!!

Posted By: Mark and Linda on 07/26/16 06:04pm

I have a Chevrolet Silverado...got a set of RacTrac's. Easy to put on truck..Kayaks sit on top. Easy to load....

Posted By: jake2250 on 07/26/16 06:31pm

If you want something really slick,,, A friend of mine sent me this,, he has it for hauling his Sea Going Kayak:

Hullavator!!

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