Best way to secure kayaks to my vehicle
Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:54 am
First of all, hopefully this is the right place to post this, wasn't sure where else to put it.
Anyways, me and my girlfriend are finally looking at buying a couple kayaks once we finish saving up for them. In the meantime, while I'm dreaming about living the kayak life, I've been pondering the best way to transport them from point A to point B - they don't do us a lot of good sitting at home.
I have a Ford Ranger with a 6' bed. I do have a toolbox in the front of the bed that takes up some space. I am most likely going to be buying a Wilderness Systems Ride 115, my girlfriend is still undecided but liked the looks of the Perception Sports Pescador Pro 12 she looked at. We will be demoing some boats, so these aren't set in stone but kind of give you an idea what we're looking at.
Originally I thought about going with a bed extender for the simplicity and price point of it. My concern with the extender is the kayaks are both in the 32-33" wide range and I don't know how I would manage them between the fenderwells of the bed, not to mention most bed extenders I have seen look to be less than 58" wide.
I have also considered the Yakima Outdoorsman 300 to be able to carry the yaks above the bed. Of course this is a more pricey option, but if it's the best option it would be worthwhile. I was also thinking about a trailer, but that gets even more pricey.
What's the best/proper way to secure the yaks without doing damage to them? I know there are the J-Hooks options or more of the cradle style mounts. From what I recall there are proper was to and not to anchor the kayaks without bending, breaking, or distorting them. Also, is heat a major concern for the kayaks or are they pretty resistant to it? The truck is black with a black truck mat. Of course in Texas we have plenty of 100+ degree weather every year and black is just going to absorb those sun rays, is this heat going to be too brutal on the yaks and further cause problems with warping/melting?
Sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance for any knowledge you can pass onto me.
Anyways, me and my girlfriend are finally looking at buying a couple kayaks once we finish saving up for them. In the meantime, while I'm dreaming about living the kayak life, I've been pondering the best way to transport them from point A to point B - they don't do us a lot of good sitting at home.
I have a Ford Ranger with a 6' bed. I do have a toolbox in the front of the bed that takes up some space. I am most likely going to be buying a Wilderness Systems Ride 115, my girlfriend is still undecided but liked the looks of the Perception Sports Pescador Pro 12 she looked at. We will be demoing some boats, so these aren't set in stone but kind of give you an idea what we're looking at.
Originally I thought about going with a bed extender for the simplicity and price point of it. My concern with the extender is the kayaks are both in the 32-33" wide range and I don't know how I would manage them between the fenderwells of the bed, not to mention most bed extenders I have seen look to be less than 58" wide.
I have also considered the Yakima Outdoorsman 300 to be able to carry the yaks above the bed. Of course this is a more pricey option, but if it's the best option it would be worthwhile. I was also thinking about a trailer, but that gets even more pricey.
What's the best/proper way to secure the yaks without doing damage to them? I know there are the J-Hooks options or more of the cradle style mounts. From what I recall there are proper was to and not to anchor the kayaks without bending, breaking, or distorting them. Also, is heat a major concern for the kayaks or are they pretty resistant to it? The truck is black with a black truck mat. Of course in Texas we have plenty of 100+ degree weather every year and black is just going to absorb those sun rays, is this heat going to be too brutal on the yaks and further cause problems with warping/melting?
Sorry for all the questions, thanks in advance for any knowledge you can pass onto me.