kayak car roof loader

[Jonny250]

you know after those all-day sessions it can sometimes take every last effort to 'clean and jerk' the yak onto the car roof...
I decided i'd like a backup option with the minimum amount of fuss and bother, so have adapted someone else's really great idea to suit me. Using my C-Tug trolley as the roller, held in place with one of those glass lifting suction cup thingies:


Taken from the original idea here:

I need to make a set of roofrack saddles next, any ideas? this sort of thing: http://www.outdoorplay.com/Malone-Saddle-Up-Pro-Kayak-Roof-Rack?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=2003&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=373239

 

[Mr. X]

Neat!

I made a pull-out bar for the roof bars on our taller vehicle, based on a product from Yakima or Thule - as suggested by an article on the web. It's just my brother's old telescopic landing-net handle and a couple of large stainless-steel U-bolts holding it to the front roof-bar,secured in place with wing-nuts. Pull it out to load & unload, push it back & secure with wing-nuts & a mini-bungee when driving. Using the bar, I can load & unload our 2-seater OK Malibu 2 single-handedly - BUT, if there is another healthy adult available, it is quicker & simpler to just lift the darn thing off the old fashion way (brute force).

A couple of things to be careful of:

1) Make sure the pole is strong enough & stiff enough for the job (the telescopic landing-net handle is only strong enough because the top section stays inside the bottom section, doubling its strength, & making it stiffer).

2) Lift one end of the kayak onto the pole, then lift the other onto the rear roof bar - be very careful not to let the front end slip off the extended pole while doing this. It is probably worth adding some kind of stopper bracket to the end of the pole but I couldn't find anything suitable and you'd need to lift the yak over the stopper bracket.

Our other car is much lower and I can lift the kayak on quite easily myself but, again, its safer and easier to get another healthy adult to help out.

Essential kayak accessory: kayak trolley/cart - preferably one that will fold up so it can be carried securely on board. I see new kayaks increasingly include a wide wheel at the back (inc. the rather expensive French Bic kayaks). However I noticed somebody with such a kayak this week also had a kayak cart, which he was using - so perhaps a supplement/compliment to, rather than a replacement for a kayak cart.