Mounting Kayaks on an AT Chaser

[DavidEllzey]

Well I finally got around to building out a kayak mount solution for the Chaser that allows me to keep the tent. My wife an I end up at a lot of great mountain lakes during the summer and although the hiking is great we've always wanted to sprinkle in a good dose of kayaking.

So this is what I came up with:

The rear is supported by a Thule Goalpost on a hitch extension.

The front is a 2x4 piece of extruded aluminum held down by a 3" ratcheting strap using assorted Thule pieces to mount the cross bar.

Here's a close up of the ratchet.

Pros:
1) It works!
2) You get kayaks and the tent instead of either/or
3) 2 14" kayaks stay clear during heavy articulation

Cons
1) Raises the COG
2) Adds considerable length to trailer
3) 1 + 2 above = easy off roading only
4) Can only access through Chaser's tailgate while kayaks are on
5) Increases the trailer's cross wind profile

If anyone wants more detail let me know, I'll be happy to provide it.

Oh, and least I break with my tradition, here is another photo of Zach. It's his first time riding in a kayak.

Dave

 

[adventureduo]

Awesome. When we had our Horizon i was thinking along the same lines as what you did, but never got around to doing it. Nice work! That's great your dog seemed to like the water... our dog isn't so used to the water.. and we are still working on it.

 

[Nuclear Redneck]

I'd be a little concerned about chaffing on the strap where it goes into your aluminum crossbar. Other than that I think it looks great!

I'm going to go with a ladder rack on the Tundra for kayak hauling once I upgrade from the Folbots to a "real" kayak.

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[Ursidae69]

Cool dog in a kayak picture! :lurk:

 

[boknows]

Very Cool; innovative thinking.

 

[Carlyle]

Sweet set up! I'm still working on a way to my our double kayak off the roof of the Alaskan and this has me thinking again.

 

[Curtis in Texas]

Congratulations.

I built a Kayak carrier for my old pop up camper and used the heck out of it.

I had a Sheltie Dog back then and he loved to ride in my Jocassee Kayak.

He would get all excited when he saw me hitching the the camper on the back of my Rodeo.

Then when I would grab his dog box to load he was ecstatic.

I was single then so we got to do a lot of camping.

He loved to kayak. Even did some whitewater with me. When he'd hear the water he's slip down in the nose until it was over. Then once it was all quite, he's pop his head up through the front spray skirt and look around. What a fun dog! FYI the Jocassee is a long single hole boat with a two part spray skirt with three holes.

The Ladies I dated always found it funny that he would get so excited about going camping.

Too bad that was before digital cameras.

One question.
Where do you put your mountain bikes?

Curtis

 

[articulate]

This is fantastic. I don't think the higher COG and longer load is that big a deal when looking at the major benefit (you get to bring your kayaks) and the subsequent amount of joy derived from it.

I've rubbed several holes into the cover of my Eezi-Awn from lashing a bike trailer to it for trips, but so what? That's replaceable. The experiences are worth it. Anyway, that's my way of giving you a thumbs up.

 

[Dave]

I built a Kayak carrier for my old pop up camper and used the heck out of it.

When you put a carrier on your pop up roof, did you simply run bolts all the way through the roof to secure it?


Sorry for the thread hijack...

 

[DavidEllzey]

I'd be a little concerned about chaffing on the strap where it goes into your aluminum crossbar. Other than that I think it looks great!

I'm going to go with a ladder rack on the Tundra for kayak hauling once I upgrade from the Folbots to a "real" kayak.

The strap is so much overkill for this I can't imagine it won't outlast the aluminum. That said, I did take and smooth the edges as much as I could.

I personally consider a Folbot a "real" kayak, but then again I have a thing for folding boats...

Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

Sweet set up! I'm still working on a way to my our double kayak off the roof of the Alaskan and this has me thinking again.

Speaking of folding kayaks have you considered a folding tandem?

I personally love both the Klepper and Long Haul tandems and am looking forward to ordering a Long Haul Mark II Expedition this winter.

Dave

 

[DavidEllzey]

One question.
Where do you put your mountain bikes?
Curtis

Now your talking! Unfortunately, having the dog ruled out bikes. He goes where we go and mtn bikes would just have us waiting on the downhills then treating worn out, bloody paws. Trust me though, the trade off is worth it.

If you were determined, I bet there enough room in the back, under the kayaks to do something.

Dave

 

[TheGillz]

I have never used a kayak, but with all the talk about them on this site, i'm wanting to check it out!

 

[rickc]

Hi David:

A great looking and very practical mod. How much flex is there with the front mount on the tent. I would guess very little.

I have an old, bright orange cotton vest that I loop over a rudder to dangle down/wave about behind a kayak when it's up top. I'm a little paranoid about someone driving too close when parked/waiting at a light.

Carlyle: my double's 22' long. Towing it behind me is not an option as it would stick out too far behind a trailer to still get full articulation. I use Hulley rollers right at the very back of my roofrack to help guide and move the thing up onto the roof. Easier when the boat is wet!

 

[DavidEllzey]

Hi David:

A great looking and very practical mod. How much flex is there with the front mount on the tent. I would guess very little.

I have an old, bright orange cotton vest that I loop over a rudder to dangle down/wave about behind a kayak when it's up top. I'm a little paranoid about someone driving too close when parked/waiting at a light.

Carlyle: my double's 22' long. Towing it behind me is not an option as it would stick out too far behind a trailer to still get full articulation. I use Hulley rollers right at the very back of my roofrack to help guide and move the thing up onto the roof. Easier when the boat is wet!

No flex that I could discern visually. The 3" strap is taunt enough that nothing seems to give. Actually one of my worries is me over cranking that huge ratchet and crushing the tent. The strap is quite capable of doing that and the ratchet has so much leverage it would be too easy.

You could tow your 22' tandem with a Rack and Roll trailer and optional tongue extension. Very sweet little trailers if you don't need serious off road performance or much load carrying capability.

Dave