Short of a traditional roof rack the pool noodles or foam blocks as mentioned are your best bet by far. The foam blocks work great as you strap/tie them directly to the yak then load it on roof and tie down however. I’ve carried literally thousands of different kayaks on all different types of racks and there is nothing wrong with using foam blocks! (Record was 9 kayaks on a VW Baja bug!)
I also have tons of misc outfitting stuff in boxes in my shed that I haven;t even looked in in years, rivet guns, hatches, handles, rudder kits, etc… Need to get it out and see all whats in em as I really have no use for any of it anymore and offer it up to y’all that could use it.
Russ B. www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
If you plan to do this often, you need to get a roof rack such as Thule or Yakima. Look on craiglist, there are used deals to be had.
Until then you’ll need to either use pool noodles if your yak has a flat bottom or foam V blocks with straps if you have some keel. Foam blocks or pool noodles will scratch your paint. I like the above idea of trapping the blocks to the yak and then using bow/stern tie downs on it.
The only other option is a small trailer.
For anchors, I have 2. STandard folding claw that came with my angler package on may pamlico, and a small length of chain. Both are tied to homeade PVC/pool noodle line holders that I clip into my anchor trolley. However, after fishing the Wando and Folly river the other week, I realized a homeade PVC stake-out pole was in order. The anchors aren’t very effective in shallow water, especially with waves and boat traffic.
If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson
Ok, been watching this thread and here’s my two cents worth.
Great Outdoor Provision Center sells different size blocks that have “gripper” material on both sides of it. That way the pads won’t slide on the car or the kayak. The gripper material is somewhat similar to the stuff you put in drawers so things don’t slide around and has a little bit of cushioning. There are also slits cut into the pads for straps to go through as well. I think a 16 inch pad was maybe $10 and they had 4 inch ones for $4.
Not sure what year your van is, but you should be able to access the rear window to run a strap through it.
Someone mentioned over engineering…I call it too much time, but anywho, I had ask Toobusy about strapping a yak to my roof rack and he said upside down and run the straps through the scupper holes. He also said to have front and rear tie downs. So I got to thinking about the air pocket created by an upside down yak on the roof. A trip to Lowes was in order…bought a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood, cut it to the shape of the yak. Measured and cut slits in the plywood where the straps would go through the scupper plugs. Got some of the none sliding sheets you put in tool drawers and wrapped my crossbars on just the outside portion and left the middle exposed. Now I place the board on top of the crossbars lined up with the slits for the straps that will run through the scupper holes, put the yak on top and place noodles in the front and rear portion for cushion. Run the straps through the scupper holes, then through the slits in the wood, wrap the crossbar once, back up through the other slit, through the scupper hole and ratch it down. Whew, sorry that was lengthy! Oh and sand the edges of everything too!
What I have also find out is that I don’t have a place on the front of the van to attach a security tie down, but do in the rear. Not sure if it’s worth the tie down in the back, but well see. I’ll let you know how it goes as I’m going on a 10hr ride south!!
I don’t understand why you didn’t just call Dave @ Time Out or similar store that sells yaks for their advice on roof carry. They all sell or can get foam “V” kits - nice mesh bag, 2 foam blocks, 2 side tie down straps, and 2 front and rear tie down ropes for $40 or so. Also they should have tie down kits- think 6" hose with nylon strap sewn around it 6"long with a loop sewn on other end. Open the hood and trunk, put hose inside, and close, leaving a nice loop for tie down, no more laying on the ground.
Thanks guys. I got a 4’ dowel rod 1" diameter from lowes. Cut a 45 degree angle on each side to make a point, hot glued a PVC tee conection to it for a handle. Tied rope to kayak and through handle, works great! And I think I’m just gonna get the cheapest roof rack I can get. Thanks penn for the pvc offer, and tailhooker but I don’t have the raingutters. Thanks guys.
RussB if you get something of interest let me know!
I also have tons of misc outfitting stuff in boxes in my shed that I haven;t even looked in in years, rivet guns, hatches, handles, rudder kits, etc… Need to get it out and see all whats in em as I really have no use for any of it anymore and offer it up to y’all that could use it.
Russ B. www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
