I have a few Kayaks 10 feet long , looking to add mounts to my Front Runner just wondering who’s hauling kayaks around on there 200 and what setups are you guy running … pic‘s would be great .
Kayaks and Roof Racks (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 4wheelgreg
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I have a Gamiviti rack and two 10' kayaks. I bought two pairs of folding kayak mounts from Pack 'Em Racks off ebay several years ago for $100 I think (<$50 per pair). Amazon has them now at
Amazon product ASIN B00FJ4Q66E
They work fine. They stick up 6" or 7" when folded, thus my truck is about 7'4" with them attached. The nuts and bolts are mediocre zinc and will rust eventually. Otherwise I've been pleased with them for the money.
Photos below of in use and collapsed
This is my Tandem on my Gamiviti using a Thule Hullavator.
It really depends on your kayak(s). I just toss our white water kayaks right on the OEM roof rack and tie them down.
Rhino Rack crossbars with cheap, a pair of cheap, folding, Amazon-special kayak racks.
I did that to get mine home. But putting two next to each other didn't quite sit flat as the tops are convex. I was worried they'd come loose, plus with the maxtrax and rotopax up there I really needed something to keep them secure at 70+ mph on long trips. It's a bit of a PITA to get the racks off though, so I generally leave them up there all year round, which is not always ideal depending on your use case.
- Thread starter
- #7
I usually just throw the kayaks in the long bed truck , there are a few areas in NJ I go spear fishing and want to start bringing the kayaks and parking is tight for a long bed crew cab the 200 will fit a bit better .
Been looking for a solution for my hobie AI (~17ft length) kayak, and looking for the easiest way to load it on the rack.. best I've like so far:
Rhino-Rack Nautic Kayak Lifter with Manual Winch
Anybody tried it before?
Rhino-Rack Nautic Kayak Lifter with Manual Winch
Anybody tried it before?
I’ve been hauling kayaks on cruisers for decades using all kinds of methods. Small kayaks can be fairly simple if light and short. Used to have a tandem Hobie with the pedal drive. Loved it but heavy and found it hard to deal with by myself. Switched to a lighter type of kayak (about 60lbs). I have had the Thule Hullavator for a long time. For me it’s a fairly easy and safe way to load a longer kayak. A really nice feature is that you strap the kayak to the rack while it’s folded down.
Important to tie the ends down on longer kayaks so it does not rock while driving! The upward movement is not a good thing for roof racks.
I still have the stock roof rack but have plotted ways to adapt the Hullavator to an aftermarket rack… probably the Rhino. I would still need bars that extend out past the roof rack in order for the Hullavator to clear the side of the cruiser when folded down.
Important to tie the ends down on longer kayaks so it does not rock while driving! The upward movement is not a good thing for roof racks.
I still have the stock roof rack but have plotted ways to adapt the Hullavator to an aftermarket rack… probably the Rhino. I would still need bars that extend out past the roof rack in order for the Hullavator to clear the side of the cruiser when folded down.
I bought this
Test fitted it on the cruiser in the weekend. Looked good. Had to use the dremel to open up one of the holes a bit, otherwise perfect.
When tilted back (at about 30 degree) you have space to open the lower & upper tailgate/hatch, which is very helpful.
Kayak yet to be purchased. Plan is to get the Hobie Mirage Tandem Island which is quite long 18ft and heavy 140lbs.
Test fitted it on the cruiser in the weekend. Looked good. Had to use the dremel to open up one of the holes a bit, otherwise perfect.
When tilted back (at about 30 degree) you have space to open the lower & upper tailgate/hatch, which is very helpful.
Kayak yet to be purchased. Plan is to get the Hobie Mirage Tandem Island which is quite long 18ft and heavy 140lbs.
Last edited:
Here's my 2016 with a 15' and 17' Sedas on it. I bought the rack on Amazon and it is universal. It is called a Sea Wing by Malone. It works amazingly well. Been down to Baja with them twice as well as to Powell.
I have some Amazon racks as well that worked well with the OEM aero cross bars. I have the Gamiviti now, and the “clamps” don’t really grab the round bars tight enough that they don’t rotate around the bar. It’s not really an issue when the kayak is attached because it bridges the racks and keeps them from rotating, but I can’t (or don’t like to) leave them on when the Kayaks aren’t there because they move around the bar. Did you do anything special to account for this? Or do your racks just grip the round bars fine?
I used a bit of neoprene foam but mine generally stay put. They will rotate if I grab or bump them though
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 69
- Messages
- 2,871
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
make some spacers out of sprinkler tubing. Yakima-Thule — Gamiviti - https://www.gamiviti.com/yakimathule
rex in bama
SILVER Star
Ahhh…just what I needed to make my gunwale brackets work! Ih8mud never disappoints for solutions to all of those random little problems
I went eventually with a Rhino Rack and a 2500 lbs winch and some aluminum profiles to winch the 18ft Hobie Tandem Island with ease onto the roof.
A bit more involved to setup, but it works great. Zero heavy and awkward lifting and risk of injuring your back.
A bit more involved to setup, but it works great. Zero heavy and awkward lifting and risk of injuring your back.
