Kayak on top of camper

I recently purchased a Hobie Compass fishing kayak. One question: FWC in Woodland said I could change my front 40 lb struts to 50 lb and i could probably lift my camper top without the on-stage ss8800 system??? My Hobie compass weights 68 pounds. Second question: Any recommendations on the easiest way to get the kayak on top without further back injuries? I saw the Rhino system on the internet, pretty nice, but I already have the FWC alum. rack and also a Thule 2 bar rack on top. Thanks for any experiences, suggestions or recommendations you may have. Tim

I don't have an answer, but I'm interested in the subject. I'd like to be able to carry my kayak on the camper top without dismounting it each time I raise the roof.

Tim, Mark: one inexpensive way of getting a kayak on a rack is to use a bar extension that extends out from the roof top about two feet. Lift the nose onto the extension, then go to the stern lift and push the boat onto the racks. You’ll have to then get the boat into the saddles. Yakima did make this product, I’ll post a link if I can find one.

A more expensive method is the Thule Hullavator that drops over the side. It has gas struts or springs to help bring the boat up the side and onto the bars.

We have carried our wood kayak and rocket box that likely weigh in about 100 lbs or so and use the speaker stand to crank up the roof easily. to load the boat, I bought a regular boat roller (rubber roller with steel brace) mounted that to a piece of plywood and attached it with U bolts to the the Yakima rack bar. Just have to lift the keel of the kayak into the roller, then lift and roll it forward. Hully rollers also help if your bar is far enough back towards the rear of the camper roof. I have a friend who also attached a river rescue pulley to the front bar and uses a length of rope to help pull the kayak up and forward ( he has hully rollers on both bars).

I use a kayak trailer; much safer. Falling off the camper roof can be devastating!

It takes two people to do this safely.



Our camper actually came with a Hullivator, but I found it to be awkward and a bit dangerous, so I sold it.
We've got rollers in the back and saddles in the front. Our boats are 50# and 12' long.

I use a wide-step ladder to boost the bow of the 'yak up while my wife pushed the stern towards me. I can then balance and roll it forward into the front saddle. With cam straps we can load or unload both boats in under five minutes.

However, lifting the top with 100# of boats up there is something we avoid. We have done it, but it's scary to bring back down with all the weight. So, we tend up unload the boats, like we did a few years back at the WTW Gathering.

Carried two 17' sea kayaks for years on a Gem Top metal shell on a '87 Toyota Long Bed 22R PU...put thousands of miles on this combo, both boats are handmade fiberglass Greenland style and weighed about 45+ lbs each.

Used both saddles and rollers over the years [actually did a 'Beta' test for the then new Yakima roller system when they and I lived in Arcata; my conclusion was that the roller did not not have sufficient surface area to support the weight of the boats] ...carried boats keel up to lessen UV damage to thinner top sheets of boats since boats 'lived' on the truck. Still prefer and use saddles.

Problem I had was trying to hoist the boats up to the rollers to roll them into saddles [height much, much lower than up onto a Hawk] in a stiff wind....you could get it done but it was very precarious and can injury you or damage the boat/vehicle...I paddle and load alone so I need to do this without help....even with two persons loading in a strong coastal wind look out. Hiking the kayaks up onto the top of my Hawk using a ladder would for me be very sketchy indeed.

Since my Hawk is a 'permanent' mount on the Tundra; I now have a substantial but light weight custom aluminum trailer [15" wheels] made in Canada...serves both kayaks and dirt bikes [motorcycles].... yes, I hate towing a trailer but no real option...for me, putting sea kayaks over my solar panels [2] and vents [2] with the additional up high weight and wind drag will not cut it...besides putting them on and off to raise top does not work for me, nor stressing the top roof end panels even if I could raise the top with a jack and kayaks on top...also the paddles and associated gear need to go somewhere and trailer fits that need...can also carry that equipment inside the boats.

My 2cents and that is what it is worth....

Phil

I have two 100 W solar panels on the roof that weigh together with frames and cable about 45 pounds. I also have two Pygmy ligtweight wood kayaks that weigh around 40 pounds each that I occasionally carry on the Camper. We have full length Yakima rails with Hully Rollers on the back cross bar and Yakima Kayak saddles on the front crossbar. Total weight is probably around 150 - 160 pounds.

I have inside lift struts for the front and no lift struts in back. I have an on-stage speaker lift that I use when the Kayaks are on. It works but that is the maximum weigt I would put up there. I do have a concern about the risk of injury or damage to the camper if the speaker lift failed while using it. So I prefer to offload the Kayaks before opening the top. With the hully rollers it is easy to load/unload the kayaks.

Normally I carry the Kayaks on my truck when the bed cap is on in place of the camper. The bed cap has full length Yakima rails too.

I used to carry my 12' #60 Old Town canoe on the top of the camper.
I made special rails with a stop at the front.

For many years I carried it without any issues.That was before I added
the 2nd solar panel. With 2 panels it's not the weight but the canoe blocked
part of each panel.

There are several reasons I stopped carrying the canoe.
Age/safety,not using it enough,being stopped at check stations
and paying a fee even though I was just traveling through.
Mainly taking the canoe along for the ride and not using it.

I went with a inflatable 2 person kayak which I can carry inside the rear of the truck.

Lifting wasn't much of an issue I have #40 struts that worked well.

It's doable but can be hard to load/unload.

Frank

At first I saw the challenge as 'how to raise the roof without removing boat?' I was considering the kind of trip I've been doing lately with lots of travel, lots of stops, but not paddling every stop... And so, not wanting to dismount the boat every stop.
But I now see the other factors: 1)boat covering solar panels and 2) hefting my 48-lb, 13-ft Eddyline up up up...to stow it.
I'm more-or-less ok getting the Eddyline mounted on top of my pickup canopy, but the roof of the camper is significantly higher than the canopy.
So, say I made another trip to Baja and, this time, I wanted to kayak in some of that beautiful Sea water. I would take my FWC camper - not my travel trailer, so how to conveniently bring my kayak? I think the answer for me would be to bring my Advanced Elements inflatable. I had plenty of fun with that boat on my late-2019 trip to Deep South waters. Unless a trip - with the FWC camper - was going to be all about kayaking, the inflatable is a good compromise for me.

Mark I found that answer also.
I have the 2 person Advanced Elements model.

I can plan the trip and if a "boat" is needed I just
adjust the rear storage area of my Tundra AC to fit the kayak.

Frank

For those with inflatable kayaks, do they track well? My only experience is with whitewater-style "duckies". They're great when the current is doing the work but I wouldn't want to paddle any real distance under my own power.

anthonym said:

For those with inflatable kayaks, do they track well? My only experience is with whitewater-style "duckies". They're great when the current is doing the work but I wouldn't want to paddle any real distance under my own power.

Click to expand...

My Advanced Elements inflatable is fine. No, not as nice as my Eddyline... But I paddled it several miles in the Okefenokee Swamp year before last, and it was fun. Not all inflatables are created equal, some are not much more than pool toys. Read reviews of Advanced Elements. They make several different models.

I second Marks post.
But since I don't have a hard kayak to compare
my inflatable seems to work OK.
I only use it on flat water.
Frank

For reference one of my '17 sea kayaks was used to tour SE Alaska and Inside Passage.. beam is 23"..they can be rolled with practice and I carried 200lbs of gear on trip from Juneau to Petersburg including Tracy Arm...sustains 3 knots fairly easy if no strong winds and it can handle big seas and with practice surf landings...while my white water Tupperware [plastic] kayak would turn on a dime, roll easily but did not like tracking in a straight line for any distance..

I have not used Foldboats but I believe they make a sea worthy kayak version...in passing, Special Ops folks in WW2 used them on raid...so yes, they can be used on open water.

My issue with inflatables or Foldboats is they require cargo space independent of mounting gear on the roof of my Hawk...

Just my experiences and may not be applicable for what you wish to use a boat for..

Phil

Ps...Believe the Klepper was the boat type used WW2...

https://www.klepperamerica.com/

I still have the 17.5 ft Folbot I bought in 1972. Haven't used it in several years as it isn't as great for salmon fishing and crabbing in Tillamook Bay as my Arima Sea Chaser. I used to use it quite a lot. The company went out of business several years ago. It had been started in the UK in the early 1930's and moved to the US. After using canoes for a while, I really enjoyed its stability and easy paddling and tracking. The company owner posted stories of fishing for sharks out of Charleston SC a few miles out in the ocean.

I remember putting into the Willamette near the McKenzie river confluence with a friend alone in a canoe and a couple of ladies in another canoe. It was a very windy day and the single paddler got beaten up fighting the wind. The two in the other canoe had an easier time and I fished most of the way. The Folbot is close to the water and not affected much by wind.

Mine packs in two rather large bags weighing 80 pounds and I've always found some more important to take in the camper or truck.
Paul

Phil,

While the Klepper and Folboat kayaks do break down, they are not small packages. I have a Folboat Greenland II and a Long Haul Stretch Mark II. The Long Haul is a better made version of the Klepper Aerius. Your point about cargo space is the downside of these boats. Whether assembled or not, we transport ours in or on a small trailer.

The Long Haul boats are exceptionally well made, and still used by US Special Forces. There are YouTube videos on assembling/disassembling most models.

anthonym said:

For those with inflatable kayaks, do they track well? My only experience is with whitewater-style "duckies". They're great when the current is doing the work but I wouldn't want to paddle any real distance under my own power.

Click to expand...

I have 2 IKs - 10.5' Advanced Frame Touring and 13' Expedition with optional backbone. The 10.5' doesn't track well in flat water but is very responsive in current. The 13' tracks great but is definitely slower than my 12' hard shell. I used to haul my 12' hardshell on my old Hawk before gas struts became a thing. It was hard to lift the top so I ended up having to load and reload the kayak every time I hit my destination for the night. It wouldn't be so bad if a person stayed in one place for a few days at a time but I'm constantly on the move.

Very helpful, all. Thank you. The Advanced Elements ones (or similar) look like a great option. I do love the feeling of slipping along in a real touring kayak but realistically what we'll be doing is exploring smaller lakes or rivers as opposed to any kind of expedition.

@Wallowa message received about proper expectations for performance and storage space—very helpful. I'll pay attention to stored volume if we go this route, although they could end up in the same roof box used for skis in winter if the dimensions work.

anthonym, I have the Advanced Elements 2 person convertible.
I purchased it through Airkayaks.com.

I got the basic kit,pump,paddles lumbar seats,dropstich floor( a must IMO).
It's the blue color and cost about $1,050.

Airkayaks is located in the bay area of Ca. The kayak company where they are made is also
located in the bay area in Benicia ,Ca.

The Airkayaks site has a full menu of different kayaks.
Reasonable prices and you can order different accessories as a bundle unit.

I have only used it a few times but for our campers it makes sense as it is easy to carry.
Comes in a duffel bag that every thing fits in.

Frank