Kayak loading with bed camper

I just recently put a soft topper on and already I want a fiberglass cap.

For those with a fiberglass topper and roll with a kayak, do you top load or run the bed extender and the kayak/canoe out of the rear bed?

Any concerns with running the kayak only strapped down to the rear of the bed extender?

 

I carry a 18’ Greenland II on top of the cab and shell on pads (dont have a Kayak rack), but you should be able to find a rack for the soft topper. Or maybe make one thats tempory?

 

I have a Yakima system on top of my ARE shell (access-cab w/ 6’ bed). The 17' sea kayak and my canoe get two straps as well as bow and stern lines, the recreational and whitewater boats get two straps as well as a stern/brake line. I’m not sure what’s changed, whether people just don’t know, don’t care or they just put more faith in their straps, but you don’t see as many people using bow/stern lines these days. Admittedly racks and cradles have gotten much better since the seventies when I first started paddling as a kid but it’s still an extra safety measure that I always use. If something were to happen it's far better for me to be dragging the boat than for it to fly off or go shooting forward. I'm not saying that would happen using good straps but a large percentage of boat damage is done out of the water and straps do occasionally loosen as you drive and the boat shifts due to acceleration/braking/bouncing/etc.; it's always a good idea to double check straps when you stop for fuel/food. Look at other people’s strapping when you see boats on their cars and you’ll start noticing that a lot of them do a piss poor job at best. I have carried shorter whitewater and recreational boats shoved in the back but they were under the cap and also had a rope securing them.

I'm not sure what you mean by secured only to the bed extender- if you have a shell and you only secure the boat to the extender it shouldn’t be able to come out but the end in the bed can potentially bounce up and possibly strike your rear window. Maybe not likely, especially if you carry it with one end pushed into a corner, but rear windows are expensive and a six-foot piece of rope or a strap is cheap. If you don’t have a shell and you’re only using a single tie down point I’d say that’s foolish. It doesn’t take but a minute more to add a strap near the front to make sure it can’t bounce up; again, I wouldn’t want my boat joining me in the cab. Also secure your paddles and pfds if your bed is open; I’ve given away several pfds that I’ve found on the side of the road and paddles, especially fiberglass and carbon touring models, usually don’t fare so well bouncing off asphalt.

And don’t use those POS Chinese straps from Harbor Freight, get some decent straps from some place like NRS or CKS; they don’t cost much more, especially when you’re talking about several hundred to several thousand dollars’ worth of boat.

ETA- With the longer, heavier boats I put a towel on the back of the shell to help prevent scratching while loading them.

 

My kayaks go on top of my shell/cab on a rack

 

I have a Leer topper with a Thule rack. I carry two kayaks (13' and 10') on the rack using kayak cradles.

 

I’m thinking about a setup very similar to yours....ARE MX or LEER 180 with a cab rack on my DCSB. Do you have any photos of your kayaks up on top? I’ve never had a mid rise topper and was curious how hauling longer items like lumber/kayaks/paddle boards would be. Thanks!

 

We have a 10' and 12'. They ride just fine with one like this.

https://www.discountramps.com/hitch...m_term=1100008096385&utm_content=All Products

 

Rhino Rack 2500 Aero $250 . Put on and take off as needed--super secure

 

That looks like a sweet setup....anyone with a mid-rise and long load up top?

 

I will get a photo this weekend. My kayaks are folding ones so we only transport them when the canvas skin is wet after use- that way they can dry in the wind on the way home. I have a front reciever hitch mount so put a couple holes in a Rhino reciever step to support poles for holding the bow of the kayak up. The rest of them lay across the Prinsu rack and shell roof like a floppy dead whale.

 

On top.

 

Canoes & kayaks ride up on top of my cap.

 

Got aa ful prinsu setup just for my kayaks. Stuffing my Jackson kraken 15.5 in the bed worked, but sticks way far out even with a boondocks tbone xtender supporting it.

 

Depends on the boat... My canoe and my lighter kayaks go on the roof/cap, by fishing kayak is way to big for me to load on the top. The Harbor Freight "goal post" thing works great for this and HD runs.

 

Thanks for the pics guys! Definitely helping getting some creative juices flowing before buying a topper.

I’m thinking a custom removeable “goal post” or “T-Load” style post mounted to the front of a Prinsu or similar cabrack would level up and carry some of the load sitting on the mid/high-rise topper rack.

It would need some angled support braces for lateral support for turns or off camber slopes.

If I come up with something I’ll be sure to post it up.

Cheers, -Turbine

 

This looks good- like how it tips down in front just a bit on the rack, seems more stable that way. It would work well for a hardshell, too.

I used to carry a single on my little BMW 1600, it was as long as the car and made a great luggage bin, too!