The goal is to haul as many kayaks as I can

[maverickboater]

...or the occasional canoe. I'm mostly hauling whitewater boats, so they tend to be pretty short.

This was the starting point: January 2023.

The first steps:

spray-in “Flak Jacket” (Oak Ridge) bed liner

floor mats

front seat covers

Pre bed liner:

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[maverickboater]

Next big upgrade: trailer hitch

 

[maverickboater]

And finally, Yakima "Overhaul" bed rack.

That's five ww kayaks comfortably (there's a white one behind the blue one).

For the canoe, I'm using a "soft rack" that straps through the doors, like this product: https://www.rutabagashop.com/collections/crossbars/products/sea-to-summit-traveller-soft-racks

We have yet to figure out a good bow line (a line at the front end of a long boat to keep it centered), but will have to figure that out before hauling a canoe longer distances.

The rack is very quiet on its own, but I heard some wind whistling with the canoe up top.

Stay tuned for further fine-tuning of the system.

 

[Hardening2753]

And finally, Yakima "Overhaul" bed rack.

That's five ww kayaks comfortably (there's a white one behind the blue one).

For the canoe, I'm using a "soft rack" that straps through the doors, like this product: https://www.rutabagashop.com/collections/crossbars/products/sea-to-summit-traveller-soft-racks

We have yet to figure out a good bow line (a line at the front end of a long boat to keep it centered), but will have to figure that out before hauling a canoe longer distances.

The rack is very quiet on its own, but I heard some wind whistling with the canoe up top.

Stay tuned for further fine-tuning of the system.

This looks like a ton of fun! Where are you normally going for a weekend trip?

 

[maverickboater]

This looks like a ton of fun! Where are you normally going for a weekend trip?

More often than not, the Wolf River up by Langlade. If you want to kayak/canoe it though, get some whitewater training; lots of rocks to pin a hard-shell boat on.

 

[Montana]

If that's the goal, you can fit a lot more kayaks in a box truck lol.

Jk, looks great! Soft rack is a great idea.

 

[Silverado90]

Great pics and interesting subject. I plan on couple of kayaks. I did not know about hauling in the bed so I just ordered an aluminum bed rack. I noticed mostly sit in kayaks. Any preference to sit in or sit on top and good brand and length?

 

[iWayner]

What length are your crossbars. I ended up ordering the 68" but was wondering if the 60" would work. I put a lot of toys on top too. My Outback/Impreza racks were 66"

 

[maverickboater]

What length are your crossbars. I ended up ordering the 68" but was wondering if the 60" would work. I put a lot of toys on top too. My Outback/Impreza racks were 66"

I have the 68 inch Yakima HD Bars.

Initially we held a 60 inch bar above the bed; it spanned across the bed opening, but did not surpass the outer dimension of the truck bed in width. My preference was to go wider (to haul more kayaks), so I decided to buy the 68 inch bars. The 68 inch bars are wider than the cab, but not wider than the side mirrors.
The 60 inch bars would also fit just fine. With the 68 inch, I have about 10 inches of bar extending out from the tower on each side.

 

[maverickboater]

Great pics and interesting subject. I plan on couple of kayaks. I did not know about hauling in the bed so I just ordered an aluminum bed rack. I noticed mostly sit in kayaks. Any preference to sit in or sit on top and good brand and length?

Oh man, you've got me started on kayaks.... brace yourself (heh).

Kayaks are like golf clubs.... different shapes are optimized for different purposes. So boat selection is based on your goals, the location you're paddling, and the appropriate characteristics for that situation.

Every boat design balances many different characteristics. In general, longer = faster, shorter = more maneuverable, wider = less tippy, more rocker = tighter turns, and so on... Sit-on-top are easier to get in and out, which is great for purposes like fishing.

I primarily do whitewater kayaking with sit-in kayaks. The whitewater kayaks in the photo are designed for maneuverability on rivers and to interface with moving water. They are fairly short in length and the shape of the hull is made to carve into turns; they don't like to go straight on flatwater.

The longest kayak in the bed in this photo is the green one, which is 8 foot 8 inches (Liquid Logic Remix 69).

Assuming you want something that will glide well on flatwater, a typical recreational kayak, including a sit-on-top, may be more in the range of 12 feet. So it would overhang the bed quite a bit more. In that case, a rack (or maybe an extender on the trailer hitch) would be better. I have tried hauling a 12 foot kayak in the 63 inch bed of a Dakota before, but it was definitely not as stable as I wanted.

I will absolutely talk your ear off about boat selection if you want to hear it.... Let me know! I also recommend visiting a paddlesports store to test-paddle different options and reading the manufacturer's description of what the boat was designed for.


Also, creating a safe hauling system for boats is one of the topics I'm most interested in discussing here on the forum. I have rescued a boat from the edge of the highway after it fell off someone else's car; that was a dangerous situation. I am all about promoting boat-hauling safety.

 

[Silverado90]

Oh man, you've got me started on kayaks.... brace yourself (heh).

Kayaks are like golf clubs.... different shapes are optimized for different purposes. So boat selection is based on your goals, the location you're paddling, and the appropriate characteristics for that situation.

Every boat design balances many different characteristics. In general, longer = faster, shorter = more maneuverable, wider = less tippy, more rocker = tighter turns, and so on... Sit-on-top are easier to get in and out, which is great for purposes like fishing.

I primarily do whitewater kayaking with sit-in kayaks. The whitewater kayaks in the photo are designed for maneuverability on rivers and to interface with moving water. They are fairly short in length and the shape of the hull is made to carve into turns; they don't like to go straight on flatwater.

The longest kayak in the bed in this photo is the green one, which is 8 foot 8 inches (Liquid Logic Remix 69).

Assuming you want something that will glide well on flatwater, a typical recreational kayak, including a sit-on-top, may be more in the range of 12 feet. So it would overhang the bed quite a bit more. In that case, a rack (or maybe an extender on the trailer hitch) would be better. I have tried hauling a 12 foot kayak in the 63 inch bed of a Dakota before, but it was definitely not as stable as I wanted.

I will absolutely talk your ear off about boat selection if you want to hear it.... Let me know! I also recommend visiting a paddlesports store to test-paddle different options and reading the manufacturer's description of what the boat was designed for.


Also, creating a safe hauling system for boats is one of the topics I'm most interested in discussing here on the forum. I have rescued a boat from the edge of the highway after it fell off someone else's car; that was a dangerous situation. I am all about promoting boat-hauling safety.

Super thanks, very good info, exactly some of the info I was looking for.
I am retired and thought the sit on top would be easier to get in and out and like the way they look. The rivers in SE Georgia are calm with tidal flow. I am surely interested in safe secure hauling. I also play golf so I get your gist

 

[iWayner]

I have the 68 inch Yakima HD Bars.

Initially we held a 60 inch bar above the bed; it spanned across the bed opening, but did not surpass the outer dimension of the truck bed in width. My preference was to go wider (to haul more kayaks), so I decided to buy the 68 inch bars. The 68 inch bars are wider than the cab, but not wider than the side mirrors.
The 60 inch bars would also fit just fine. With the 68 inch, I have about 10 inches of bar extending out from the tower on each side.

Thanks so much for the info! That is what I suspected but wanted to hear from someone that had experience with the 68 inch crossbars. That is definitely what I will go with.

If you ever want to do some whitewater paddling in the southeast, I'm just 15 minutes from the Nantahala River and centrally located to several other whitewater rivers of different difficulties.

 

[Ellebob]

I will be using my Maverick for hauling Whitewater Kayaks as well. Build week 8/28. I've done the Nantahala and some others in that area. Great rivers! I am in the Northeast and spend a good amount of time every summer up on the Penobscot, Kennebec and Dead rivers and Deerfield, Millers and West other times of the year. So many great paddling spots in this country. I love going to different rivers.

 

[Dignam]

One of those pics look very suspiciously Madison downtown/campus, say Observatory Dr.-ish

Also very cool set up, makes me want to get back into kayaking.

 

[iWayner]

Have you been to the whitewater course in Wausau?

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