Carrying a kayak

[mototavi]

Hi, we have an Auto Sleeper pop top and I am thinking of getting a 10' "sit on" kayak. Can anyway suggest a good roof carrying system for this? Thanks,
Andrew

[filbay]

Hi, I have a holdsworth pop top and could do with something to carry my 9 ft longboard. I have seen vans going past with boards on the side but haven,t seen how they do it. So I would also appreciate any load carrying ideas if anyone can help ? Cheers...Phil

[fairwynds]

Ok everyone - now pay attention....

This thread is right up my street at the moment.... I am dealing with a small engineering firm in Sussex as we speak (we use his firm for work related bits and bobs, and we know the quality will be great). I will be taking my (hi top) van there this week for a measure up, to make a rack for my sit on type kayak.
What Ive told him so far is, that Id like a very strong method of fixing the boat against the hi top, above gutter height on the offside (I dont want nearside as need to fit an awning later also, unless boat can go above).
He's gonna make a system that will involve the weight being distributed between the gutter (per a normal roof rack) and the vertical side panel below it, and the brackets will be bolted in place (this will mean bolting a plate to side on van - permanently) but there should be a choice of 'J' bars (for normal kayaks or surfboards) and straight bars (for my boat - they will go through the drain holes built into the canoe). Will also have some provision for securing boat with cable lock etc...
I hope this makes sense...?
Anyhow, Ive already told him that once he's crafted a near perfect solution to my boat carrying woes..... then no doubt people at shows etc will see it and say 'hey - where did you get that great rack from (as in roof rack - not fab abs! )
So...he is going to use my van as a sort of template and make a system that could fit nearside or offside of anyones vehicle, and then have a choice of actual mounting bars for your chosen craft.

I will post pics, measurements as soon as things are done....

[ajp]

But none of that helps any of us with a pop-top...

E D I T: Sorry should have been a little more specific. That won't work on a side tilting pop-top (Devon etc).
Also how far out would the support strut stick in order to take the load evenly?
Also that would only fit on the opposite side of the sliding door or the door would foul the rear strut. Mind you that only really going to be a problem on left hand drives.

[filbay]

Thats great, looking forward with anticipation..............!

[marcus_asparagus]

Thanks for this,

I too would like to carry surfboards/kayak on offside of van with some type of rack. Have seen a couple of vans as you describe but finding a similar thing forsale is impossible so business coming his way!

Mine is a poptop too, so gutter and side of van is only points of contact. If it can look good and not rust even better, oh and while your at it, if it can be quick release for when not carrying boards cool! I can wish eh!

Thanks Mark.

[fairwynds]

....excuse brief response/update but at work....
the idea is to have designed a reasonably priced version that will fit hitops, and poptops and even tins (!) so boat will not foul roof, whether fixed or not. And yes, idea is to have a system that, for the most part, can be removed when not in use....
more soon.
FW

[BOXY]

I know this thread is looking for a way of carrying kayaks on a rack, but what's wrong with carrying them inside? I take two Tek Sport X-Ray 2.85mtr kayaks in mine quite often. With the bed down, and a pvc tarp in for protection, they fit with the bow against the front seats and the stern just inside the rear door.

Being inside the van means:-
Less drag so no reduction in fuel consumption.
Much more secure.
Very easy to load and unload. (well compared with trying to lift a 20kg kayak above head height.)

The only downside is you can't carry passengers at the same time.

[weldore]

im interested in any results for the holdsworth roof.i was thinking of something from the gas strut outer mounts..maybe a modified bolt that has thread showing on the outside of the roof to bolt a rack to.then you would need something light but strong such as alluminium ..praps a roof rack that has removable mounts on it for kayaks.just an idea mind

[Mudlark]

Dont know enough about your pop-top to be able to say its a problem; but cant you use a standard bar set up? Our westy has metal brackets fitted to the side of the poptop and we have put Thule bars, a tray and kayak carrier on the roof. We can also pop the top when everything is up there.

You can get the brackets to fit to westys from Gunzl among others; you may need to get modified plates to suit the profile of your poptop but i would imagine it is doable?

E D I T: of course with the style of autosleeper pop top the bars would need to come off before you could pop the roof.

There is also this kind of solution: http://ajkayakequipment.com/page3.htm

My van en-route south!

[jed the spread]

jed