I bought the Jeep Sahara Unlimited Altitude Wrangler that we discussed last spring. I love it and I smile all the time that I drive it. Yes I am a Pavement Princess.
Great vehicle.
Now I have a conundrum.
I want to buy and transport a kayak. I have wanted one of my own for years, and heck, it is my birthday this week.
I smile when I kayak.
I went out and looked at them and I can get a 10 foot 38 lb injection molded cute kayak at a decent price to paddle around the lakes and streams in my area.
Problem. It is too long for my vehicle so I cannot stuff it inside. I cannot remove the spare to have it hang out the back, for that cannot happen. It is too heavy to remove, and it looks cute back there.
I am way too short to put the kayak on the detachable roof. It will never get up there. That is a fact.
I have a trailer but transporting the kayak in the big trailer that my son uses to transport big things like snowmobiles, lawn tractors etc. seems like overkill...and I cannot back up with a trailer. It is encoded in my female DNA to be unable to back up the trailer.
I have been looking at some of those little trailer-ettes that hang off the trailer hitch. They are little platforms that hang there and they stick out a bit. I am trying to see whether I can somehow strap a kayak to the back of the vehicle standing upright sitting on that hitch platform. Would this be a good idea. I would not be going on highways, just back roads here in the area. Never more that 50 mph.
I don't want to harm the Jeep, the kayak or anyone else.
Your technical advice would be appreciated.
Thank you!
chickensoup
“I drive a Jeep Compass which is higher than an average car and at 5’4” getting an awkward item like a kayak up and over my head is a challenge. This bar has definitely made getting my boat up on the racks easier. It’s helpful in guiding the boat where it needs to go up top and taking some of the weight off. I hated to spend any more money on this rack system than I already had but truthfully it has been money well spent.”
Put it on the roof.
Do you have the keys? Is it turned on? And, what Is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Stop at your nearest U-Haul center and ask to see an AO trailer. Rent one, you’ll do fine:
https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/5x8-Utility-Trailer-Rental/AO/
You’ll hang out the back a couple of feet, so tie a pair of your bright red panties on the end of your kayak, as a warning flag. Your kayak will be easy to load, unload, and tie down. Your Jeep MUST have a hard top to rent this (or any other U-haul trailer). Depending on your Jeep’s wiring harness (where the trailer’s wiring plugs in), you may need to purchase a 7round-to-4flat wiring plug adapter (less than $10)
This is useful:
https://www.harborfreight.com/step-stool-working-platform-66911.html
Get on their mailing list, then wait until it goes on sale for $20
Here's one from Yakima:
Here's another from Malone. Check out rackwarehouse.
Bungee cord it to the Great White.
I had a Wrangler and took my kayak down to La Paz. This is hwo I did it:
1) Put the front rack of a surfrack over the front door, as close to the front windshield as it’ll safely go.
2) Get a T-bar rack that goes in a trailer hitch. It’s a big “L” shaped bar with a “T” on the top. It goes into the hitch (full size, not the small size for bicycles).
3) Strap the kayak upside down between the two. It’s pretty heavy but I did it alone, taking it down at night and during the day to fish.
I bought mine from Thule.
You will be accused of cruelty to kayaks and never hear the end of it.
Get a kayak trailer. Get it as clos to the water as possible. Lift kayak and slide it into the water. Easy.
well, first i’d make sure the conundrum doesn’t break.
2nd, you used cute twice and that reduces your options, which pretty much means, I’m sorry to say, that there is no help for you.
Two words: duct tape
And one thing besides the rack you’ll need are a set of wheels:
Those go inside while you’re in the water.
Here is the kayak holder I got (for the back support - one surf rack for the front):
To expand:
Kayak trailer or flat bed trailor. Kayak transporter which is basically a light dolly made with pvc. A small diy project.
Park anywhere and use the dollyto get it to the water. Easy.
skyhook and shoreline
Here’s my crazy idea. You get a single crossbar roof rack. You get a t-rack into the hitch receiver. Then you put an electric winch with a remote control on the front bumper to help you drag the kayak up there. And probably a folding step stool to get up and tie it down, but the winch does the heavy lifting.
I’m sure there are some details to work out, like how to have the winch rope/cable wrap around the top of the nose, assuming the winch mounted on the front bumper, but something to think about . . .
Here’s a cheapie baby winch.
https://www.amazon.com/Superwinch-1130220-LT3000ATV-fairlead-handlebar/dp/B0034ZUZM6/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1507607271&sr=1-11&keywords=12v+winch+remote+ATV
This is soooo easy; FedEx either the Jeep or the boat to where u want to go and use the other for transportation until u get to the final destination.
Problem solved!