Yes, you can take your kayaks with you!

MrMyagi · 10-09-2018, 03:33 AM

I did a lot of thought on how I was going to take our two kayaks with us on the road with our Roadrek 190P. We absolutely need kayaks as it is one of the most enjoyable activities we do in our travels along with hiking and biking. I originally wanted to put them on the roof the conventional way but getting them up and down could be difficult and somewhat dangerous. Also I need space on the roof for solar panels and the cargo carrier which CAN store an immense amount of items.

Researching the subject of vertical carriers showed me some great ideas but nothing seemed like it would work in the way I needed it. I needed it to securely hold the kayaks, be easy to load and unload, and most importantly allow me easy access to open the back doors of the van. That was the hard part. All vertical kayak creations did not allow easy access to the rear of the van.

I solved the problem by purchasing a swing up receiver hitch from Amazon that is intended to be used with a cargo basket. When done using the cargo basket, you can swing it up 90 degrees and it will lock into place. I simply turned the receiver upside down so that it swings down. One of the holes in the receiver allowed me to put a hitch pin through it and the kayaks swing down 45 degrees and stops resting safely on the pin. This way the kayaks never make contact with the ground. It takes all of 1 minute to loosen the stabilizing straps and pull the pin that holds the kayaks vertically and then let the receiver swing down to the 45 degree angle previously mentioned. The kayaks stay strapped to the kayak carrier the whole time.

The receiver plugs into where the continental tire holder used to be on my Roadtrek. I wanted to leave the center receiver free to hold my motorcycle carrier if I needed it. Normally, the motorcycle carrier is attached to the front receiver. The kayaks are slightly tilted to the right so that the left rear brake/turn signal is completely visible. The kayaks stay very stabilized with the use of motorcycle tie down straps that attach to D - ring on the back of the carrier and then to my Aluminess rear bumper assembly that has a swing away spare tire and cargo box with our mountain bikes attached to the box.

Everything meshes together very well and I couldn't be more pleased. Loading and unloading the kayaks is totally doable for one person with moderate strength. Certainly less effort and skill/luck getting them on the roof. Believe it or not, I can still see partially out of the back window with the rear view mirror. We do have a backup camera that is attached to the underside of the swing away cargo box. I can see everything in the area behind me including the kayaks so I can accurately judge how close the kayak are to objects when backing up.

I will be doing a detailed write-up and YouTube video showing how it all works so that it may help others. I have not seen anything like it in the previous research I did. I thought I would share with you a bit about it here. I also plan on putting this on several of the forums out there too so you might see it here and there. Our van is an amazing adventure van that has taken us to incredibly beautiful places. It is caked with mud from two days ago taking us to gorgeous locations up in the mountains of Colorado to hike in the fall colors. Anyway, hello to all of you and I look forward to hearing about your adventures and about your vans. I know I will learn some very useful ideas here. Pictures below

https://imgur.com/gallery/T6ZJtfj

https://imgur.com/gallery/bUeC8iO

CaDreamin · 10-09-2018, 05:14 AM

Thanks for this. Can you post a picture of the kayak rack folded down?

MrMyagi · 10-11-2018, 12:15 AM

Sorry for the delay in putting the pictures up. I took a couple screen captures from a video I had made at a campsite. I am on very restricted satellite internet up here in the mountains. When I tried to upload a couple pictures, I got locked out of the system for 24 hours. Penalty for excessive use. LOL! I will get the pictures up here when possible. We leave Colorado for Arizona in a week so probably then.

CaDreamin · 10-11-2018, 12:44 AM

Thanks, no hurry at all.

jrobe · 10-13-2018, 05:33 AM

I admire your ingenuity. Good job.

My wife and I are also avid kayakers. In fact, I have built 2 "Laughing Loon" woodstrip sea kayaks that we use for most of our trips.

With our Class B though we carry 2 Advanced Element inflatable kayaks. They are fairly small and light and are surprisingly nice to paddle. They are another pretty good option in a Class B. https://www.advancedelements.com

peppster66 · 10-13-2018, 01:33 PM

we love kayaking , and our class b makes it even better, after a long day paddle, we can have a great meal and relax out in nature,,we made our own racks, our kayaks are 16 ft. long, so the rear option didn't work out as they would sit too high,it works for us,,,

GallenH · 10-13-2018, 07:36 PM

peppster66: Who's the maker of the roof mount brackets? Do they go on the gutters?

peppster66 · 10-13-2018, 08:23 PM

Yes, they are mounted to the gutters, my buddy had some old have work vans sitting around, I took the parts mostly from them, then I built up from there,

KennyG · 10-14-2018, 06:09 PM

Mr M: Thanks for posting this solution to carrying kayaks vertically, but allowing some access. Look forward to seeing the other pics you referred to once you have better connectivity. Can you define the actual carrier brand you started with as well, ad are your kayaks 10 or 12 feet long as I'm wondering about the overall height issue?

bigfelipe · 10-14-2018, 08:44 PM

@MrMyagi, do you have links to the folding hitch and rack you used?

I am having the same issue with my Roadtrek. I NEED my kayaks back with me...

bwolfsohn · 10-14-2018, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigfelipe

@MrMyagi, do you have links to the folding hitch and rack you used?

I am having the same issue with my Roadtrek. I NEED my kayaks back with me...

It looks like they are aluminess.com bumpers,swingarms,etc. Pricey ($2,600 for the rear bumper with the 2 swingout arms + $650+ for the cargo box), but very impressive.. I'm considering them for carrying a honda 2200 genny and for the ability to easily use both back doors.
I saw them on a friends roadtrek this past weekend... I was very impressed.. front and rear bumpers, lights, etc probably come in around $6k.

They do leave both receivers free to hang other "stuff" off them..

Reed · 10-14-2018, 11:02 PM

We have 415. W if solar on roof of our 2006 Roadtrek 190 so roof mount was not a good option. We have always traveled with a blow up kayak but it was a top in cross wind even with skews.

So we just bought a used Klepper Arius folding kayak in extremely good shape. It fits into a number of canvas bags which will fit on the back end of our Roadtrek 190. Talked with the US Klepper distributor and it is pre-1969.

It has an almost new Long Haul
Skin. We have had it out a few times and it tracks extremely well with the foot rudder. We have not tried it with the Klepper sail rig as yet. Ordered the catamaran pontoons since they aid in sailing and in entering kayak after snorkeling. We are 78 and any aid is appreciated. Elaine requires shoulder surgery so we shall not be driving to Yucatan and Belize this winter

Reed and Elaine

vitonam · 10-15-2018, 12:18 AM

Has anyone seen the Oru folding kayaks? A pretty ingenious, lightweight design.

Reed · 10-15-2018, 12:34 AM

We looked at the Oru kayak while visiting REI in Fort Collins; however, the only information we obtained is that Oru only had single seater models. We would have probably purchase had they manufactured two seaters. They will probably do so in future

Kevin Graves · 10-15-2018, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppster66

we love kayaking , and our class b makes it even better, after a long day paddle, we can have a great meal and relax out in nature,,we made our own racks, our kayaks are 16 ft. long, so the rear option didn't work out as they would sit too high,it works for us,,,

How did you mount on the other side with the awning? Was it in the way or did you fit it front and rear of the awning ? What brand racks? I've struggled trying to figure out whether to drill through the fiberglass on top or on the side.

vitonam · 10-15-2018, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reed

We looked at the Oru kayak while visiting REI in Fort Collins; however, the only information we obtained is that Oru only had single seater models. We would have probably purchase had they manufactured two seaters. They will probably do so in future

Oru released a folding tandem a few weeks ago. Check them out on their website.

Monica998 · 10-15-2018, 03:56 AM

Most of the kayaks are usually folded at the top or at the rear of the RVs if they're not too long, which can be easily carried during the travelling.

peppster66 · 10-15-2018, 12:14 PM

Hi Kevin, yes I mounted just before and after the awning, I am always fearful of drilling or screwing into the fibreglass, water leaks are a big fear,,,,,

Hatteras Jim · 10-15-2018, 02:18 PM

Very crafty way of carrying your watercraft with you. I did not see your vehicle license plate on the back. I was pulled over out West (forget the State) for having my license plate obstructed by my cargo. Only given a warning; but, I had to remove my plate and attach it to the cargo so it was visible. Never heard of anyone else being pulled over for that; so maybe it was 1 in a million?

RKM · 10-15-2018, 02:56 PM

Hi - I saw in your photos that you had two lounge chairs. Do you also carry those? Where ?

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