Overlanding with a Kayak
- Thread starter Pazuzu1991
- Start date
Advocate III
I have a kayak, a canoe, and an SUP, Tons of fun on the water and an excellent companion to overland!
Enthusiast III
Here is an old picture of my 2007 JKU with the Body Armor Rack. I truly enjoy kayak fishing to the fullest. My wife hated the whistling of the rack going down the freeway.
Looking for a means to transport my two Wilderness Tarpon 14 & 16....rack or trailer on my new JKU?
Traveler I
Member III
Long time yaker here.
My wife and I really enjoy multi day trips. We have kayaked the entire length of the FL Keys in 2015 and last year we circumnavigated Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica. We were going tokayak in Nova Scotia in September but the weather was a little rougher than we liked!
Anyway, here's a pic with our kayak / exploration trailer..
My wife and I really enjoy multi day trips. We have kayaked the entire length of the FL Keys in 2015 and last year we circumnavigated Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica. We were going tokayak in Nova Scotia in September but the weather was a little rougher than we liked!
Anyway, here's a pic with our kayak / exploration trailer..
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Enthusiast III
So I recently got a Yakima Sweetroll to mount to the top of my stock FJ rack. This is the first time I have tried transporting my kayak on top of a roof as I have always had a truck and could just throw it in the bed. The question is, there seems to be a lot of room from the front mount (basically even with the side handle) to the front end of the kayak, does the matter or should I try to get the mount further forward some how? Will the narrow spacing of the mounts be a problem with the kayak possibly flexing with the wind and pulling the rack off the roof?
Not at all, but I would put some pool noodles on the front and rear cross bars for padding. Then strap it down so it won’t dent the yaks bottom. You could even flip it and transport it upside down.
Like your Subaru, love ours. We are considering getting kayaks, what model is your thule? Any suggestions and tips. Right now we have a 12’ Carolina Skiff w/ a 25hp Yamaha for exploring, need something for the shallower water, plus being in Fl. duh! Thanks!After retiring, and after finding I needed a stent, I needed to stay active, so Deb and I bought kayaks for exploring streams, still rivers, and lakes around here. I went with a touring model because I'm very comfortable getting away from shore. Deb has a smaller boat for easy maneuvering, 'cause she can't swim and not comfortable going out in anything but dead calm.
Jackson Journey 14 and Dagger Axis 10.5
Considering inflatables, any tips or suggestions while shopping? Thanks!Finally bit the bullet and got a kayak!
Advanced Airframe Convertible DS series. Up to 6psi, drop stitch floor, the whole enchilada, but shrinks down to a nice small bag that goes on top of my James Baroud tent. Perfect for transit and city apartment living/storage.
Traveler III
I used the Thule 450 Crossroad 4-pack, and wrapped them around Subaru's OEM rails. If you have a post-2009 Outback, this might not work for you due to their horrible stow-a-way rack system. I used a variety of load bars, but the 50" worked fine for the two kayaks. https://amzn.to/2K6PYcB
I have the Thule Hull-A-Port Pro kayak racks https://amzn.to/2KcqH0D (It appears there's a newer version: https://amzn.to/2KanpLt) but if you only have one kayak, I'd suggest a flat loading kayak mount due to ease of loading.
Thule stuff is expensive, but very nice quality.
Thanks for the great info, one more question, what about wind noise and turbulence at highway speeds.
Traveler III
