kayak racks

J

Jake B

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C Dory Year
1989
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
PLUS 3
so I have been looking throughout all the old post on rack options for getting a kayak up onto cabin. we have been dingy shopping for a while now and I think we are going to switch it and get two kayaks instead. we think we will use them more than a inflatable dingy. I was wondering has anyone tried or attempted to just put J mount holders on each end of the tie down bar on the roof and only use that? I am trying to KISS this project and not over do it or have a bunch of stuff to take off when not using kayaks. Also we have a low mount radar on the front of the cabin roof and a low rocket launcher (rod holder) on the back. so I am trying to get the kayaks more on the outside edges. the kayaks we are looking at are the wilderness 100.
 
I have not tried it but I think it will work. I decided to use the two cross bars for a car mount rack because I use kayaks on some trips and dinghy's on others. My dinghy is wide enough that it over laps the grab rails on either side of the roof. I could not use j bars and still get the raft on at the same time.

I have thought of mounting longer cross bars that reach out past the rails another two ft on each side. That way I could use j bars on the out side and still fit the dinghy in the middle.
 
yeah and i am not against the roof type bars also would give me an area or possibly a flat area to tie more gear onto. for those that have seen the J mounts as well as the roof brackets will they fit around the wood tie downs? the SS ones are completely round outs are more oval shape...
 
We like simple as well. So for our kayaks which are 17ft and 14 ft, we use canoes straps and those foam blocks you can get from REI or Mountain Equipment Coop.

I was worried about wind but we have not had an issue. Mind you we do watch our weather.


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like a foam yoga block? and just set kayak on those? then just strap to roof rack? if you have a picture of this I would like to see it.
 
I have used foam pool noodles for tying kayaks and canoe's to cars and boat roofs for a long time and it works really good. I just use ratch tied down straps and have had no problems.
 
I have kayaks at home, they are light and fun to explore with. I find them tippy enough just getting in and out of them on the beach! So I have held off on the idea of running the C-Dory with kayaks on top. How do you guys manage, getting in and out of them along side the boat?
When I get into my inflatable, I park my butt on the gunnel, swing my legs over the side, then half fall half lower myself into the boat. About as graceful as a baby gazelle (I think not) :lol:

Martin.
 
i found the kayak blocks on REI thanks for all the help i will just need to kick around what the easiest and best option is going to be
 
We use the Thule racks because we already had them. We are also considering kayaks instead of the dingy. I can see where there are situations when they would be more fun than the dingy. Our dingy weighs 53 lbs. and is not all that much fun to hoist on top. We are looking at the new Aquaglide Klicitat one person kayaks at 37 lbs. that we saw at the SBS.

http://www.buyaquaglide.com/buy/pc/Aqua ... 34p231.htm
 
We did the J-racks on top of Wild Blue - had to go with cross-beams because the J-racks could only be mounted that way (i.e. couldn't turn them 90º). They worked fine, but it takes two people (at least it does for us) to lift the kayaks up on the roof, without them banging into the side (or the windows) of the boat.

I can put the inflatable dinghy up there by myself. Just one more thing to consider.

You can see the kayaks on top of the boat in this photo...

WBOut9e.jpg

In that image, we had taken the J-rack off for the red kayak... it is a Hobie Mirage Sport, and is about twice the weight of the blue and white kayak (a Pelican). We found it rode better with the Hobie laid flat on the cross-beams (with the beams covered with foam insulation). We trailered the boat all the way from south Texas to Anacortes with the kayaks up there - did fine. Then, south to Lake Powell, then back to Texas.

Hope that helps.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
wild blue never thought about not being able to turn 90 to mount them so may have to go with the cross bars after all. we are not 100% sold on the kayaks were just looking for the best option we thought it would be nice to anchor up and go explore around in a kayak beach them what have you. The idea of a dingy sounds more appealing when just wanting to get to land and back. essp. when we have the kids on board. mine and my wifes concern is having an inflatable dingy and beaching it on the sharp rock areas around here. as well as the way we desighned the roof top a dingy I feel would be more of a PIA than a convenience.
 
kennharriet
Those are pretty nice looking inflatable kayaks. Thanks for posting that link. I"d be interested in hearing how you like them.

JakeB
Jake, there are other options, I like the kayak idea for getting around on the water, much more fun that on my inflatable doughnut, and looks like they might be lighter. Getting into a kayak form on board seems to me to be a challenge to do it safely. My aft cockpit rack is easily removable if I need it out of the way. I can easily get the inflatable up and down by myself. Does add some stern weight though.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.sized.jpg
 
hardee I have seen your set up that you posted and i like it. my concern there is that i have a low rocket launcher that will be hard on a inflatable. and My concern about getting the wife into and out of a kayak from the boat side could come with a learning curve. I really don't want to redo my radar or the launcher as i use both year round and like them just how they are. my new thought is getting a Achilles LT-2 i read someone here mentioned in a old post about being a decent inflatable. and keeping it stored most of the time.

my new question is when we are on a weekend trip or summer cruise. can one inflate the Achilles and put over the radar and mount? I have read that the radar will still work? and if thats the case I could put it further towards the front and have it end before the rocket launchers and just tie down to the roof that way.

we are not wanting a motor at this time for it. it will be human powered. and if this option (going over radar) is in fact do able. that may be a safer less wet way to go with the kiddos too.....

and another question how would that set up tow? the main tow would be less than 50 mph and less than 10 miles?

were still weighing options but would like to figure one or the other out before spring is here.
 
Jake,

There are many variants on kayaks, from recreational to touring boats, lengths from 8 or 9 feet to 17 feet in singles. As well as ones made from rotomoulded plastic aka polyethylene, thermoformed boats made of ABS, and composites made of fiberglass. For your purposes, likely something in the 10 to 12 foot range, rotomoulded is a best choice. The others scratch more easily and run a lot higher in cost.

Look for integral flotation forward and a bulkheaded compartment aft. Get a couple air bags for flotation in case you swamp. And, sit in the cockpits for a while, making sure the seats are comfy, and that your knees and or thighs can be locked under the forward deck for best stability. A sprayskirt is Important, for keeping slop off your lap,, especially when it gets a little rough.

I would guess a beam of 26 inches or so would be about right, for good stability, especially since you will be boarding them from over the rail.

If you want a little better rigidity in a plastic boat, consider ones made by Prijon. More bucks, but worth it.

Have fun in them. They really open up a lot of cool shoreline.
 
then there is the ls2-ru model vs the lt-2? on defender they are about $200 price difference...

again just weighing the options and getting the most feed back we can. we have been kicking around the option of dingy kayak for well over a year now but each has its perk we just need to decide on one or the other....
 
I would also throw into the mix the West Marine RU 260. This is a little larger, but will hold 4 people. The disadvantage is that it is a PVC boat vs the hypalon of Achillies. The slat floor works well for rollup, and is not separate (I have had one slat break out of 3 boats I have owned--the slat was easily repaired with fiberglass, and after that, I coated all of the other slats with a light weight glass cloth and epoxy.

The transom boats tend to motor a little better than the round transom boat--I have owned several of the round transom boats, before the transom ones came around (going back into the early 60's.

I would be very cautious about a 4 to 5 lb inflatable--for durability, something designed for back packing will not hold up to the shores of the PNW. As for the bottom, I have used both a RIB, and a fabric bottom boat. (we have dogs who have to go ashore at least 4 times a day) With the fabric bottom one has to be more careful. We include a pair of good gum rubber or deck boots (Mine were purchased in Spain 30 years ago, are are still good to use) Just stop the dinghy in a few inches of water step out, and then carry the light weight dinghy up the beach.

We have put the inflatables over the radar dome. We have always been able to bring the inflatable easily on the top of the C Dory--and have carried it there both inflated and deflated.

The kayaks are a lot difference. In a sit on top is more likely to get wet, but if you get water in it, the water drains out rapidly. With a sit in the boat, you need to use a spray skirt, and learn to be able to do a roll recovery. The longer the boat, the easier it is going to be to paddle. We have gone with the Hobie Mirage drive, since legs are both stronger and the boat can be peddled faster and for a longer distance. But the mirage drive are more expensive and heavier.
 
To KISS, lash two (2) 2 x 4's athwartships to your cabin top pilothouse SS handrails, about 5' apart or so. Afix, with lashings, the kayaks fore and aft on the 2 x 4s. Done.

Aye.
 
So I was gonna wait until I had a whole palooza project ready, but you guys got me all riled up......

Here is my partially-complete kayak rack solution. I will add final pictures later (when the weather warms up!!) - a few more tidbits to complete.

I had a local aluminum welder-guy bend some 1" tubing into an approximate shape and then weld on some end-loops and a plate that I approximated (and measured) to be where I would want the rail attachment to be. They were about $100 for the four of them.

1200p_kayakbars.sized.jpg




I bought four Magma grill mounts on ebay and took off the grill parts.

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I drilled some holes in the "J" tube plates and some matching holes in the Magma grill mount plates.

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Here are the grill mounts bolted to the "J" tube plates.

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The clamp of the grill mount wasn't going to be enough to keep the "J" tube up at an angle for the kayaks, so I made some Starboard wedges to distribute the weight.

1200p_starboardblockpieces.sized.jpg




Here is the completed wedge mounted to one of the plates. Screw holes were tapped into the Magma grill mount plate.

1200p_wedgeonrack.sized.jpg




I slid some pool noodles over the 1" tubing for cushioning of the kayaks.

1200p_noodlesonrack.sized.jpg




Here is a close up of one of the "J" tubes mounted to the rail.

1200p_rackmount.sized.jpg




And here is the set of four almost ready to go.

1200p_rackson_nocovers.sized.jpg

I have tested everything with our heavy SOT kayaks and it looks like they will be plenty strong.
Lisa has made some Sunbrella covers for the pool noodles in a more appropriate color with cinch ends on them. I don't have a picture of those yet.
The Magma mounts work really well (albeit expensive - even on ebay!) and are easy to put on and take off.
Again, I'll post a few more photos (in a full palooza project posting) when we get back out on the water with the 'yaks, hopefully in a few weeks!

Ray
 
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