Transporting your Kayak
 

Going to get a rack for my 3 Door Focus instead of driving the 15 passenger Van gas hog. Is there any difference of carrying it upside down or right side up? Going to throw a Stealth 14 up there and I figure the Kayak is about as long as the car. Any Thoughts?

Oceanside Dive and Kayak suggest that I transfer my yak upside down.

What is the kayak sitting on? Contour shape foam pads or pool noodles?

I used both types of pads/noodles and like the pool noodles more. With the pool noodles, you can mount the kayak either up/down side. With the foam pads, you can only mount it right side up.

IMO, as long as you strap it down tight, it doesn't matter which way you mount the kayak.

btw, my kayak is an x-factor.

any suggestions for good storage with out having to fork out a shit load

They travel just as well upside down or right side up. Just make sure you attach the Bow and stern lines to anchor it from moving forward or back.

pvc rack( if you have multiple) or make your own pulley system if you have one...there was a post in the innovation thread i think

if i had a choice it would be upside down......but i don't think it matters much for transportation....for long term i definitely do upside down

I was actually thinking about making my own
what gage pvc should I use?
Cause right now i have my PA upside down in my garage

I use the Thule SlipStream 887xt and it wants the kayak in the up position for transport. As noted, proper bow/stern tie down lines are more important than orientation. With a small hatch that the OP is referencing, the cheap way out would be foam blocks for the kayak and plenty of straps from harborfreight.
http://fishingfiend.smugmug.com/Cars.../DSC1606-M.jpg

I like this set up, good fuel economy, and with the Outback positioned, stern forward, a good bit of down force for those canyon roads...nice setup

Nice catch on the stern forward. I figure it would keep the rudder and seat from being an issue during longer trips. As others have noted, these expensive hobies require an appropriate racking system. I made sure to factor that into my budget. :)

I am working on putting a Thule rack on the roof. I have the glide feet on my van. The problem with a 2 door is the bars would be close together. So I found a "Short Roof Adaptor" to spread the bars apart. Next are the clips and a wind visor. Here we go, Happy hunting on Craigslist.

not necessarily cheapest route but it works for me.....
 

well i've tried a lot of different ways to haul my yak to the water. tried loading it on top of my sequoia (too tall) and my wife was no help with loading it.
used my crv; worked well but car got into an accident so no longer around but it too was a two person job for me to load it and unload it.
bought a prius for the obvious reasons and tried to use the roof to transport the yak a little easier to load than the crv but still more troublesome than it was worth. the worst part with transporting it on top of the roof, noticed a big drop off on my fuel consumption (from 45 to 34 mpg). :rolleyes:
so now i have turned to this......:D it also doubles as my storage rack.

Nice.. You can just man-tow it to the beach.. lol

Whats in the fridge??

smores.

1st Can I have the "Grey" wheels hanging on the wall? I mean you have the steroid version so you won't be using them anymore. 2nd, did you put a hitch on the Prius? Like the set up though, but driving at 55 you are going to have to get up and leave a little earlier or you will miss the am bite.

tagyak, nice setup! With a killer trailer like that you should upgrade to a Pro Angler!

I've seen countless threads about a PRIUS and a rooftop rack. The hobie site had a good thread on using a prius as a base vehicle for a PA.
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewt...=20078&start=0

http://media.share.ovi.com/m1/s/2195...fd1adf6f8d.jpg

I used to use top of my Explorers...
But it is getting harder...which means I'm getting older...:mad:
Now I use back of my pickup bed

Do you have hooks inside the bed of your truck to tie down too?

Yes I put 2 hooks bottom of truck bed to tie down
Stronger than stock hooks (too high position)
I also use stock hooks to prevent kayak sliding down too

You didn't need a trailer, you only needed straps

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1332557732