Kayaking requires a kayaker to take great care of the kayak and always maintain a good trip, even the resources are available or have to be arranged. Therefore keep security standards specifically when you have to transport a kayak across different locations. It requires a roof rack transport to provide compulsory bars for strapping around the kayak frame. The SUVs or station wagons are preferable to do this task perfectly; as they uphold a kayak into their roof racks correctly. But if you are owning a sedan, hatchback, or hybrid vehicle, how can you transport a kayak without a roof rack?
A little damage inside the kayak hull could become a reason for an accident or maybe a capsize. Your kayak will not be able so far to retain a magnificent ride because of crushes and depressions around its body. To avoid such cuts, it’s essential to not transport the kayaks by placing them over harsh or nailed surfaces. Also, focus on not to drag it to longer distances that give its bow many deformations.
The safety measures are not solely applicable when planning for kayaking or ejecting with it into the water. But the safety practice regarding a good kayak performance starts from the day you take it up from the shop.
Shifting the kayak from shop to home or from home to beach, try to keep it over a safe roof rack. But if your transport (truck or car) doesn’t have any suitable roof carrier to hold the kayak firmly and precisely, then could you easily drag it to your home by putting its weight on your back? No, it’s not possible.
So the question arises, how to transport a kayak without a roof rack? How could it be possible?? To level it up, now what’s next??
Here we present you with many alternatives to transport your kayak from one place to another without getting a single scratch over it. Consider the following options if you don’t have an option available for the roof rack above your car to click and pick. These alternatives are effortless and fast to arrange.
Transporting a Kayak without a Roof Rack
Let’s check them out to see how they work correctly.
1. Make a Roof Rack of Pool Noodles!
It is surprisingly impressive how the cut-down and not so firm pool noodles can be iron for carrying kayaks over the car. Yes, apart from making wreath forms and stopping doors from slamming, the pool noodles could be a roof rack to accurately clutch the kayaks.
For this arrangement, pool noodles can be attached to the transport’s roof, to support a kayak shipping with comfort. It can be executed very quickly by aligning the following actions in a queue:
- Set the pool noodles properly on the car or trucks rooftop, in an exact centerline.
- Move the ratchet band within the pool noodles’ narrow openings and wrap them around the roof sheet.
- Lift your kayak by getting others’ help to place it rightly in a horizontal position.
- Turn your kayak’s face downward. At this position, the kayak doesn’t miss its balance and remains clutched even in the windy driveway.
- Once fixed finely, bind down the kayak to the rooftop with stiff bands or strops, around the kayak up the roof, and by the interior of your transport.
- Look at the exact locality of bow and stern if they are equivalent and stable.
- Drive mindfully to your purpose spot, seeing your rear reflector continually at curves, circles, and exchanges.
Monitoring the roads’ edges during driving with a kayak at the top allows you to pass by the other drivers on the road securely. You don’t intend to make anybody injured in a road accident if kayak displaces fall off the track.
Usually, for supporting a kayak firmly on the pool noodles roof rack, two or three pool noodles are enough. The compositional portability of pool noodles is quite similar to thermoformed kayaks as they are made up of polyethylene, which is a common material in kayaks and pool noodles.
Many drivers, if they transport heavy-weight kayaks, can also fix more than three pool noodles. There is no doubt that pool noodles have limitations to bear different burdens. And they can be compressed if not sustainable. Therefore, note the kayak’s weight and then arrange pool noodles accordingly. So, it can provide better security in carrying big boats and kayaks.
2. Get help from Kayak Trailers
From all manual settings out there to become a roof rack for holding the kayaks firmly, the only thing manufactured specifically for this task is a kayak trailer. It is an option many kayakers prefer, and it’s therefore becoming well-received among people today.
What do you have to do with the kayak trailer? Is it easy to fill with kayaks?
Not so hard adjustment is required to access the aid of the kayak trailer. You just have to drag and drop the kayak over it and connect its forearm with the back-hook of the transport. It provides a substantial berth for kayakers to reduce bumping. The cross arms and load bars of the trailers are responsible for stabilizing the position of kayaks. It is reliable to have this option if not have a solid iron rack over the vehicle for long distances and throughout the roads with more jumps or jolts.
Another benefit of having kayak trailers for transportation purposes is its capacity to add more than a single kayak at the same time. Even kayaks in many forms and sizes could be inserted and adjusted on trailers. They have straps linked with iron arms to wrap around kayaks and provide grip over maintaining the kayak’s posture. Therefore, you can hatch a family trip with everyone’s individual-seating kayaks or plan a whole week adventure vacation to the seaside by reducing the constant load of kayaks over transport and putting them separately in a vast space kayak trailer.
3. Form Block Roof Rack
Compared to the pool noodles roof rack, the similar stuff that provides structure in moving your kayak across various locations is a Foam block. Exciting, correct? Foam blocks are no doubt extremely enduring and considerably simple to practice. The process of foam blocks is quite reliable to the design for pool noodles roof racks. The roof racks standing by foam blocks are suitable for short-distance drives or drive to nearby locations.
However, interstate transportation is based on standard safety precautions and some undeniable rules and conditions by road law followers. Thus, kayaks’ foam block carriage is short-term support but maintains kayaks’ protection precisely until the journey ends.
How could you arrange foam blocks for covering the balance of kayaks?
- Take two foam bars and place them on the transport rooftop.
- Set the kayak at the top of the foam squares and assure it is accurately fixed.
- Bind up the kayak properly with bands. Bring the bands above and throughout the kayak from within the interior of the vehicle.
- Once packed, you can skillfully conduct the kayak to your address.
It is expedient when conveying a kayak to the other countries’ other side to adopt bow and stern fronts. Despite the fact that some kayakers go versus this, it serves to secure the kayak bands extra tight.
This would help you bypass taking your kayak and foam blocks split away in the windy weather while touring between countries. Without bow and stern lines, your kayak seems bumpy on your car roof and would be expected to drift off with an unexpected blow of wind. It doesn’t just break or injure your kayak; it can cause severe infliction to other inexperienced road drivers.
4. Drive by Placing Kayak Inside the Vehicle
One more, last but not least, an option that could help you transport kayaks from one place to another is the vehicle itself without external trailers and above the rooftop. If the vehicle is a Support Utility Vehicle SUV or transport with wide internal capaciousness, it can manage the length of kayaks inside it. Just pull down the last two seats and open the tailgate, you can fix the kayak inside the car. But it is not an all-time safest option to consider.
Not every vehicle is of the same type nor can hold kayaks correctly. This ability appears in truck cars where kayaks of small size and splitting kayaks could be placed. The split kayaks could be turned into two to three halves that can be transported by twiddling inside a car.
If you drive a truck, you can always consider truck bed extenders that can increase the size of the truck bed by 20 percent, giving you more space to carry your kayak or other watercraft.
Sometimes the kayak could be slipped, and profound results could occur at a running road. A non-smooth track can emphasize the car basement to lose grip and fall off the kayak out from the car. Moreover, it’s one of the most dangerous things for inexperienced drivers to transport a kayak by crossing busy roads and circles.
Conclusion
Considering the transportation of kayaks a headache is no more a thing to be complicated with. You don’t have a roof rack over the vehicle to hold this task perfectly. Don’t worry! More than minimum tricks and arrangements are available to provide all-rounded protection to kayaks, even if the weather is not supporting or roads have unfilled gapes from around.
You can utilize your vehicle for many ranges of kayakers; including one, two, or more. With the help of kayak trailers and one kayak to the seaside, it is possible by assuming pool noodles and foam blocks as compensable options.
Don’t forget to make these arrangements concisely, because any loose knot of straps could lead to harmful results. But by following the safety suitcase with manageable alternatives, transporting the kayaks without a roof rack would be enough for a satisfying ride.