Kayak storage on a 22 Cruiser
- Thread starter C-Pelican
- Start date
Hi Les,
I think hurly rollers on the bowrail would not work out. I pull the kayak up while standing just where the bowrail comes down to the deck. With my fiberglass kayak I try not to let the kayak slide against the boat but with my plastic kayak it is not such a big deal.
Once I ge the kayak up high enough to reach the cockpit I have better control. I then either lift the whole kayak or slide the bow on the bowrail until I get the kayak across the bowrail. I can then rest a second and position myself for the next move.
I then either lift the kayak off the rail and turn the stern aft and side it on the rack or I let the bow rest somewhat on the bow rail as I turn the kayak and then slide onto the rack.
My fiberglass kayaks are fairly light (40lbs or less) and my plastic kayak is probably almost 50lbs. My dink is also less than 40lbs. If you have a heavy sit on top plastic kayak you could be looking at over 60lbs. I am not a real muscled person so I try to be very careful about how I lift and move when doing this.
Steve
I think hurly rollers on the bowrail would not work out. I pull the kayak up while standing just where the bowrail comes down to the deck. With my fiberglass kayak I try not to let the kayak slide against the boat but with my plastic kayak it is not such a big deal.
Once I ge the kayak up high enough to reach the cockpit I have better control. I then either lift the whole kayak or slide the bow on the bowrail until I get the kayak across the bowrail. I can then rest a second and position myself for the next move.
I then either lift the kayak off the rail and turn the stern aft and side it on the rack or I let the bow rest somewhat on the bow rail as I turn the kayak and then slide onto the rack.
My fiberglass kayaks are fairly light (40lbs or less) and my plastic kayak is probably almost 50lbs. My dink is also less than 40lbs. If you have a heavy sit on top plastic kayak you could be looking at over 60lbs. I am not a real muscled person so I try to be very careful about how I lift and move when doing this.
Steve
mark&diana
New member
I have been looking for a better system to either carry my Kayak (17 foot Perception Eclipse) or Dinghy and like the look of the Thule Crossroad (450) - but am concerned about one of the comments above that it doesn't have a high enough profile to clear the roof -
Has anyone installed a Thule on a TomCat 255?
Thanks!
Has anyone installed a Thule on a TomCat 255?
Thanks!
Jim,
Just about ready to order the 1A raingutters and accessories.
It seems it will be close to hitting the roof racks that run parallel from bow to stern, but will give it a try.
Do you mount the kayak straight on the two perpendicular support bars or did you buy some of the kayak saddle mounts or holy rollers?
Lastly, the stern-most support bar...did you mount it as far back on the cabin top as possible to sort of lean the kayak on as you lifted the other end to hoist it on up the cabin top?
Steve,
I think I will try your bow rail kayak pick-up maneuver next time; sounds good.
Thanks for your time,
Jeff
Just about ready to order the 1A raingutters and accessories.
It seems it will be close to hitting the roof racks that run parallel from bow to stern, but will give it a try.
Do you mount the kayak straight on the two perpendicular support bars or did you buy some of the kayak saddle mounts or holy rollers?
Lastly, the stern-most support bar...did you mount it as far back on the cabin top as possible to sort of lean the kayak on as you lifted the other end to hoist it on up the cabin top?
Steve,
I think I will try your bow rail kayak pick-up maneuver next time; sounds good.
Thanks for your time,
Jeff
Jeff,
I wonder if this might work for you:
www.rackattack.com/product-pages/produc ... ctions.pdf
By attaching a bowline to the kayak a single person could lift the bow up to rest on extended bar, tie off with the bowline, bring stern of kayak up to rack and then back to bow to slide kayak completely on rack...
It may also be the ticket to easily getting the kayak off the rack and into the water.
Of course, the process would be greatly facilitated with two people...
I don't have a kayak, but if I did I would much rather do the loading / offloading from the side versus bow or cockpit where there is not much room to work and too many things to step over. Just thinking out loud...
I took some photos of the Yak rack on my boat and I will get them into my folder after a short break from the computer....
Jim
I wonder if this might work for you:
www.rackattack.com/product-pages/produc ... ctions.pdf
By attaching a bowline to the kayak a single person could lift the bow up to rest on extended bar, tie off with the bowline, bring stern of kayak up to rack and then back to bow to slide kayak completely on rack...
It may also be the ticket to easily getting the kayak off the rack and into the water.
Of course, the process would be greatly facilitated with two people...
I don't have a kayak, but if I did I would much rather do the loading / offloading from the side versus bow or cockpit where there is not much room to work and too many things to step over. Just thinking out loud...
I took some photos of the Yak rack on my boat and I will get them into my folder after a short break from the computer....
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for the pictures, they really helped me out.
For one thing, I was imagining the mounts hooking to the very edges of the cabin top, not the parallel hand rails on top. That's why I wondered if they were "tall enough" to rise above those very same roof rails your towers are mounted on!
My roof rails are the older wooden ones and I already wonder if the towers would work with them?
Also, I have a radar dome and light on top in the centerline of my roof so I would need the bars to extend out to the edges of the cabin sides. Measuring last night, that would mean the 78" length bars.
Can one presume to put the molded plastic kayak sit-on-top on the outside edges of the support bars insted of bewtween the two towers, and still have the strength necessary to support them?
JEFF JLASTOFKA,
Did you also mount your towers to the parallel roof rails vs the outside edge of the cabin roof?
Are your roof rails also metal?
Does it look like Jims pictures in his album?
Just when I thought I had found an answer to my problems.... I get a curve ball, lol.
One gentleman here though had an idea with the vertical support in the stern that may rescue me yet, if the towers do not fit on my wooden hand rails.
Thanks,
Jeff
Thanks for the pictures, they really helped me out.
For one thing, I was imagining the mounts hooking to the very edges of the cabin top, not the parallel hand rails on top. That's why I wondered if they were "tall enough" to rise above those very same roof rails your towers are mounted on!
My roof rails are the older wooden ones and I already wonder if the towers would work with them?
Also, I have a radar dome and light on top in the centerline of my roof so I would need the bars to extend out to the edges of the cabin sides. Measuring last night, that would mean the 78" length bars.
Can one presume to put the molded plastic kayak sit-on-top on the outside edges of the support bars insted of bewtween the two towers, and still have the strength necessary to support them?
JEFF JLASTOFKA,
Did you also mount your towers to the parallel roof rails vs the outside edge of the cabin roof?
Are your roof rails also metal?
Does it look like Jims pictures in his album?
Just when I thought I had found an answer to my problems.... I get a curve ball, lol.
One gentleman here though had an idea with the vertical support in the stern that may rescue me yet, if the towers do not fit on my wooden hand rails.
Thanks,
Jeff
Aha. I looked at Jim's pictures, as suggested, and I see that he used REAL raingutter mounts, and mine are really rooftop mounts with hooks that would reach under the rooftop next to where the door closes and seals with a weather strip. I may have confused others with my terminology.
I think I might like the real raingutter mount even better, but mine are working fine and they were surplus in the garage anyway.
Again, mine are similar to the ones pictured in Jim's album, but mine have flat bottoms with rubber pads and they sit flat on the raised fiberglass roof just inboard of the metal handrails, which are mounted through the lower part of the roof. The metal straps from the Yakima rack reach down under the handrails and pull up from underneath. I put a wooden block between the plastic Yakima tower and its rubber pad.
If I were buying a new setup I'd probably get the actual raingutter mounts. It looks like they work without needing the wood shim blocks. I won't bother now, because I want to make an entirely new roof rack setup to integrate Radar, kayak mount, running light, etc. Maybe even a light duty davit crane gizmo for kayak lifting.
Jeff
I think I might like the real raingutter mount even better, but mine are working fine and they were surplus in the garage anyway.
Again, mine are similar to the ones pictured in Jim's album, but mine have flat bottoms with rubber pads and they sit flat on the raised fiberglass roof just inboard of the metal handrails, which are mounted through the lower part of the roof. The metal straps from the Yakima rack reach down under the handrails and pull up from underneath. I put a wooden block between the plastic Yakima tower and its rubber pad.
If I were buying a new setup I'd probably get the actual raingutter mounts. It looks like they work without needing the wood shim blocks. I won't bother now, because I want to make an entirely new roof rack setup to integrate Radar, kayak mount, running light, etc. Maybe even a light duty davit crane gizmo for kayak lifting.
Jeff
One thing you could do is buy the Yakima bars and kayak mounts separate and forget about their car towers. Make some wood or plastic towers of your own. A simple hole for the Yakima bar and an undercut round base to rest on top of your wooden handrails. You could put a hole through the tower halfway up and use a long stainless hose clamp to go from there down around your handrails and back around to form a loop and hold it all down. You'll need to clamp or pin the Yakima bar to the tower to keep if from rotating, too.
One of the previous posters mounted his flat wooden roof platform in a similar fashion.
It doesn't take a lot to hold a kayak. They're not awfully heavy and they're fairly aerodynamic. No great forces involved. Be careful to not tighten straps enough to damage the kayak when it softens up in hot weather. I've seen them damaged by lying on a flat dock in really hot sunshine. I'm talking about the plastic sit-on-tops here.
Jeff
One of the previous posters mounted his flat wooden roof platform in a similar fashion.
It doesn't take a lot to hold a kayak. They're not awfully heavy and they're fairly aerodynamic. No great forces involved. Be careful to not tighten straps enough to damage the kayak when it softens up in hot weather. I've seen them damaged by lying on a flat dock in really hot sunshine. I'm talking about the plastic sit-on-tops here.
Jeff
nordicstallion
New member
I have yakima roof rails attached to the raised portion of the cabin on my 19 angler.Previous owner used theyakima cross bars to carry crab pots or ice chest. I am in the process of putting 1 in. ss bars in place of the yakima bars whitch entails cutting 4 two in. pcs. of ss tube, cutting them lengthways on 1 side, spreading the tube open on my anvil then driveing them onto ss crossbars to fit the yakima towers. the plastic coated yakima bars are larger than 1in. ss tubes,& ss rod holders wont fit them. with me so far? Ok, theres more. I am also mounting radar dome on ss crossbars using removed rod holder clamps to attach a piece of old foam core rear seat from transom. I also picked up 2 more sets of towers to use yak.bars to carry kayak inverted over dome, or raised platform to carry pots or ice chest above dome when not in use. Vern , C-Dog
For my front rack I used a redwood 2x4 as the crossbar and homemade towers that attach to the SS handrails. I prefer the foam block kayak saddles to any of the thule/yakima rollers/saddles. They are cheap work for most boats and can be taped or strapped to the 2x4.
I like the 2x4 vs the thule or yakima crossbars because you can mount anything to it and make it as long/short as you want and low cost.
For the rear crossbar I installed a SS bar on my high radar arch with a pool noodle around it. The kayak just fits on this bar under the top of the arch.
I think any of the bars would be strong enough for placing your kayak on the outer ends. The only thing to watch is if it would be in the way if you want to walk down the side of your c-dory.
Steve
I like the 2x4 vs the thule or yakima crossbars because you can mount anything to it and make it as long/short as you want and low cost.
For the rear crossbar I installed a SS bar on my high radar arch with a pool noodle around it. The kayak just fits on this bar under the top of the arch.
I think any of the bars would be strong enough for placing your kayak on the outer ends. The only thing to watch is if it would be in the way if you want to walk down the side of your c-dory.
Steve
I just posted a few pics of how I made my kayak rack. The homemade towers for the 2x4 are shown in the pics.
I used 1in anodized aluminium tubing from OSH cut with a tubing cutter. The clamps on my rail are from West Marine and I don't remember but I think you can buy them in a package but I may have got them from a boathook holder package.
The white material is polyethylene I think. I got it from TAP plastics and it is like cutting board material but not as soft. I drilled a 1in hole through 2 layers for the tube to fit in and it is pinned with a small bolt. The white plastic is bolted to the 2x4 on the top and to the clamps on the rail ends.
Hope this helps for any that want to do the same.
Steve
I used 1in anodized aluminium tubing from OSH cut with a tubing cutter. The clamps on my rail are from West Marine and I don't remember but I think you can buy them in a package but I may have got them from a boathook holder package.
The white material is polyethylene I think. I got it from TAP plastics and it is like cutting board material but not as soft. I drilled a 1in hole through 2 layers for the tube to fit in and it is pinned with a small bolt. The white plastic is bolted to the 2x4 on the top and to the clamps on the rail ends.
Hope this helps for any that want to do the same.
Steve
colin_arisman
New member
Hey guys,
I'm intrigued by both the Thule and Yakima options. Also, see you guys are in Alaska. We are bringing our boat up to Sitka and trying to put a cargo box on the C-Dory for transporting skis.
Curious if the Thule 450 system puts all the load on the bars or if any is transferred to the roof? Do you know how much weight the bars can support?
Here is the Thule model I'm looking at - does that look right?
https://www.rackattack.com/factory-roof ... crossroad/
I'm intrigued by both the Thule and Yakima options. Also, see you guys are in Alaska. We are bringing our boat up to Sitka and trying to put a cargo box on the C-Dory for transporting skis.
Curious if the Thule 450 system puts all the load on the bars or if any is transferred to the roof? Do you know how much weight the bars can support?
Here is the Thule model I'm looking at - does that look right?
https://www.rackattack.com/factory-roof ... crossroad/
Peter & Judy
New member
We have Yakima racks on our boat. They came with the boat and we routinely carry our two 13 food Seaward Kayaks with us. The kayaks alone are about 100 lbs and we probably load another 25 lbs of gear into each. There has never been a problem with this, whether we have been on the water, or road. We have carried our kayaks on the boats roof from the Yukon to Lake Powell and to Vancouver Island and home to Alberta. Either the Thule or Yakima racks should work well for you.
easy does it
Member
We did it really well with roller bars in back. Think this gives you our pictures
For our roof rack, I used Thule load bars that I had sitting in my garage, attached with Scotty rod holder rail mounts. Pictures in our album here:
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php
We selected the Scotty mounts to avoid corrosion/dissimilar metal contact. They also allow load bars quick removal/install -- and provide 4 bases for other Scotty accessories (like rod holders).
We run 2 lightweight sea touring kayaks/paddles on the rack - less than 100 pounds. Excess weight on the C-Dory bars may be 1st visible in area where the bolts extend into the cabin, through the roof.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php
We selected the Scotty mounts to avoid corrosion/dissimilar metal contact. They also allow load bars quick removal/install -- and provide 4 bases for other Scotty accessories (like rod holders).
We run 2 lightweight sea touring kayaks/paddles on the rack - less than 100 pounds. Excess weight on the C-Dory bars may be 1st visible in area where the bolts extend into the cabin, through the roof.
steffenebersbacher28":13o363qi said:
Veering away from racks and answering your sustainability question; we decided to move from diesel to an EV tow vehicle. With a year's experience with an EV car; we decided it is time to make the move to an EV truck--a Rivian R1T-- to tow our C-Dory 22. The R1T towing range gets us where we boat -- the WI Lake Superior south shore and the MN north shore.
This is the best towing vehicle we have used--for local towing. Local, for us, means 150 miles. The truck's towing capacity is 11,000 lb; supported by 835 hp, 908 lb-ft torque. Here is the spec for our towing, so far:
cedricwilsom1990
New member
double post =(