heres a different idea for a kayak rack

[peppster66]

Hi, we were out last week kayaking up in Quebec, when a van pulled up with a very unique set up for a kayak rack, its hard to see in the pics, but there is an electric winch on top that helps lower the kayak, its actually a pretty cool design.it sure is high, but it works and gets the kayaks to where your going,,,,,,,,

 

[booster]

We ran across this setup a couple of years ago, too bad the kayaks were already off the rack. Looked very well done. The trailer tongue wheel to support it while hinging it out was a cool idea.

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5/cargo-box-2595.html#post15950

 

[Shore-T]

Hi, we were out last week kayaking up in Quebec, when a van pulled up with a very unique set up for a kayak rack, its hard to see in the pics, but there is an electric winch on top that helps lower the kayak, its actually a pretty cool design.it sure is high, but it works and gets the kayaks to where your going,,,,,,,,

Nice! Unfortunately waaaayyyyy out of my level of expertise to design and build.

 

[InterBlog]

It looks like one of those ladder mechanisms, modified. Contractors routinely put big extension ladders up on their high roofs. There's a crank system to raise and lower the ladder rack down over the side of the van for personnel access.

Personally I gave up on the idea of carrying a rigid kayak on our van. I think one would have to be really serious about kayaking to go to all that trouble and then what happens to the van's aerodynamic stability with a contraption like that? I haven't seen a single example of any device on the market that really inspired my confidence, whether roof-mounted or rear-mounted. Rear-mounted of course opens up the additional possibility of theft.

For the less serious, there's plenty of tame fun that can be had in inshore quieter-water environments with an inflatable kayak, rather than a rigid model. This past weekend, I finally got around to sewing a custom roof carrier for ours. It fits neatly under the leading edge of our solar panels. Blog post with instructions here, and here's a pic of the finished product: