Kayak roof bars

Good to have you back Denni, have you looked into reinforcing the roof somehow, maybe fitting a sheet of ply to the underside of the roof for strength.

Hey Denni - great to see you at Sandown.

Why not drop the idea of carrying up top entirely and get a towbar and trailer? That way you'll not have any issues about taking the kayak on/off to enable the use of the roof. Further you'll give yourself a lot more carrying capacity!

Have a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canoe-Dinghy-Trailer-/250799016098?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Canoeing_Kayaking_ET&hash=item3a64c948a2#ht_528wt_932

VW Kampers are doing new strong towbars for Kombis.

Any good suggestions for a Kayak? Just about to buy my first but its a minefield of choice out there. Trailer seems to be best way of transporting them?

Jason,
whilst thinking about how to transport a kayak I discovered inflatable boats. I now have a Sevylor Hudson, which is a three seater, very stable boat in all weather, water conditions. Folds up into a large suitcase size bag and goes up onto the roofrack. It takes 15 mins to un pack and inflate ready to go, and that's using a foot pump, you can get single seat and doubles as well, well worth considering, ours is 'the business'.

irishman wrote:

It takes 15 mins to un pack and inflate ready to go, and that's using a foot pump

Ah, but how long does it take to get back in that bag?!

Now theres a good question.....

decathlon sell them as two or three seaters.

Takes same time to deflate and pack away, has similar system to most air beds, where you can unscew the valves to allow air to escape quickly. It has drain valve in the bow to clear any water you have 'shipped'. They are made from very strong neoprene (excuse my spelling) type fabric as in most riggid inflatables.
Basically excellent fun and perfect for the van....... go on Jason treat yourself!!

irishman wrote:

Takes same time to deflate and pack away, has similar system to most air beds, where you can unscew the valves to allow air to escape quickly. It has drain valve in the bow to clear any water you have 'shipped'. They are made from very strong neoprene (excuse my spelling) type fabric as in most riggid inflatables.
Basically excellent fun and perfect for the van....... go on Jason treat yourself!!

Hi Irishman, still looking at these and think I will be going for the Sevlor Pointer K1 as I will be going it alone with wifey sitting on the beach

Just ordered two hudsons from decathlon . So excited !

Decathlon were the cheapest for the Hudson and the Surrey branch deliver to Bristol area for just £15....Mike Diving (Internet only shop but based in Bristol) have good value wet suits etc....Good luck guys..

Severely tempted by one of these!

Guest wrote:

olive wrote:

irishman wrote:

Takes same time to deflate and pack away, has similar system to most air beds, where you can unscew the valves to allow air to escape quickly. It has drain valve in the bow to clear any water you have 'shipped'. They are made from very strong neoprene (excuse my spelling) type fabric as in most riggid inflatables.
Basically excellent fun and perfect for the van....... go on Jason treat yourself!!

Hi Irishman, still looking at these and think I will be going for the Sevlor Pointer K1 as I will be going it alone with wifey sitting on the beach

Hi Olive,
the trouble I have found with the K1, Is that I am 6ft 3, quite long legged and I tended to get jammed in the cockpit.

Am thinking of the inflatable option as well as I'm fed up trying to come up with a solution for carrying the kayaks on the bus.

Will probably go for a K2 and use it as a single. Another option are Gumotex canoes, very good.

I am a mere 5' 11'' so it may be ok for me, I have been advised by the guy who runs Nomad Kayaking that the inflatables are dangerous and more difficult to move through the water. I know you are a keen kayaker Have you tried the inflatatables?

If inflatables are dangerous why are they rated by so many people? Ive spoken to a few now that own them and they are say 'great!'

jj123vw wrote:

If inflatables are dangerous why are they rated by so many people? Ive spoken to a few now that own them and they are say 'great!'

After a couple of lessons this was the advice from the Kurt, who runs Nomad Sea Kayaking, he is an expert in Sea Kayaking and you are not, nor I.

Sea Kayaking is a dangerous sport and leisure pursuit, I guess the few people who you have spoken to only use inflatables in inland waterways, lakes and dont venture too far off the coastline. Going out to sea is a different experience, all kayaks are dangerous if they are not handled correctly, his advice was the rigid kayaks are a safer bet. You can choose what you like at the end of the day. Just passing on information as this is what the forum is all about

Travelling for miles and going off shore is a totally different kettle of fish. If your messing around by the shore, as I presume most people on here will be doing, I can't see inflatables being a problem.

Saying they were dangerous was a bit out of context.

I'm no expert in Kayaking, but common sense tells you not to go out in massive seas or if the conditions are bad. That's when the surfboard comes out.

kiteman wrote:

Travelling for miles and going off shore is a totally different kettle of fish. If your messing around by the shore, as I presume most people on here will be doing, I can't see inflatables being a problem.

Saying they were dangerous was a bit out of context.

I'm no expert in Kayaking, but common sense tells you not to go out in massive seas or if the conditions are bad. That's when the surfboard comes out.

Saying they were dangerous was a bit out of context

I disagree, the combo of water, currents, winds and inexperience is dangerous in the wrong hands, the advice I was given first hand by an expert is not out of context

Got to agree with Kiteman, I use our inflatable at sea and go out a decent distance, however, if weather gets, or is too bad I don't, common sense. The boats aren't dangerous, it's usually the people in them as with any sport.
The boat we use (sevylor hudson) is rated as a sea going kayak, not all inflatables are designed or intended for such, all comes down to personal choice.

Seems 'common sense' is the best way forward whatever size of boat, kayak etc...People still drown in any size boat if they dont think about the conditions etc. Im testing my inflatable Kayak today so will let you know. Gurggle gurggle.......

Just to let you know the inflatable kayaks were great fun and we took them out on a windy day / choppy water with no problems. Only thing is you must make sure you inflate them properly and use the gauge they supply to check. Kids loved them too. I also bought some different types of oars and the 4 part ones were the best as they pack down to a small size and arent too long either when made up

Looks like a good idea but you still need to mount the rack to the roof, which I doubt is strong enough.

One of the ideas I've been thinking about is mounting some sort of bracket on the side of the poptop and then mounting the roof bars over the top of the roof. That way there is no downward pressure on the top of the pop top