New kayak owner here! As you can see from the picture below, I am in need of a way to haul on the rack. (TE Rack w/ factory crossbars)
I have decided to run Yakima Mako Saddles, but I am unsure how to load this thing over the spoiler with damaging. The yak is a little too long and awkward for me to muscle up and over. I am looking for any suggestions. (Preferably cheap)
What does everyone else do? I will be loading alone 100% of the time.
My Options thus far:
1) Fabricate a hitch mount setup using hulley rollers
2) Yakima Showboat System
Or on the 3/4 priuse rack?Does anyone put two kayaks on 3/4 bajarack?
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Or on the 3/4 priuse rack?
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Clean and jerk for the win. It's kind of awkward at first but once you understand how to balance the kayak it's pretty easy. Obviously having two people to load is ideal.
I have the Yakima J-Low. You want to make sure you get the folding down type J-cradles if you don't want to take them off after each use.
If you can afford it, Thule Hullavator. They are pricey but trust me if you plan on kayaking a lot, they are worth every cent. You will definitely be able to load that boat by yourself without any fear of scratching or denting your truck. They are rock solid too as I have no drama at all driving at highway speeds with both boats on the truck.
With Hullavators you only need to lift the boat 3 feet or so to get it into the cradles. Once there you strap them in and lift them to the top of the truck. The arms have struts that help carry the weight of the boat.
You can check ebay and save a few bucks that what I did. Note sometimes there are none listed, but if you keep checking sooner or later someone will post one for sale.
Here are some pics of my truck and our yaks. Note these are 15' Ocean Kayaks, one is a Trident 15 and one is a Prowler 15 (basically the same thing). These boats are heavy and this wrack has no problem handling them. Note you will need to get Thule crossbars that are long enough, so the wrack can hold the boat far enough away from the truck. I love them.
if you do a lot of kayak like I do (at least once or twice a week) the hullavator is a life saver!! The plus is that when I'm not using it, it comes off easily so I can park in the garage.
Did you use the 58" base rack?
2014 4Runner
Sprint booster, URD Y pipe, magnaflow exhaust, SCS stealth 6, BFG KO2 275/70/17, 35%tint all around including windshield, TRD intake, Xenon depot Low beam HID, LED XD high beam, XD LED Fog w/ laminx yellow, Aidanjames LED fog housing DRL,vintage Toyota shiftknob, scan gage, Toytec 3" lift, bilstein 5100 shocks, Zaino bros protected.
I hauled two ocean Kayaks on my 4th Gen for 5 years when I was living on the east coast. This was the best and easiest I had found. Requires what essentially amounts to a clean-and-jerk weight lifting move of sorts and you just whip it right up onto the cradle, strap em on and you're set. If you're either short or unable to lift your Yak over your head, then you'd need two people of course. VERY stable and I am insistent on 100% locked-down safe carrying (I ride a motorcycle 50% of the time).
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They fold down easily too.