I think me & the wife have decided to get a couple. Dicks & Academy Sports have some fishing ones on sale, nothing special but price is good for just starting out. If we really like it then will sell to family & invest in some better ones later. My questions are:
I have 2007 Tundra I want to add a roof rack on the cab of the truck so I can carry the two Kayaks & still be able to use the truck bed & pull the camper without them being an issue. Any suggestions on good cab top roof rack that will hold the weight of two?
The ones I have seen look to only carry 75# which is not enough for two kayaks?
I was looking at one that is 13ft long, is that too long to carry on a roof rack on the cab?
Any other suggestions that my be helpfull would be great…
Thansk guys.
If you are handy, you can make a rack. I made a rack for my Tundra for under $100. It will hold 2 kayaks and then some. It fits into the bedrail holes and is easily removable (by me). I’ll try to post some pics. I carry a WS Ride 135 and a Perception Caster 12.5.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
That would be great. I just need to make sure the Kayaks do not stick out much further then my tailgate so that they would not hit my camper as I am turning.
Right now, these are the only two shots I can find. It is a simple design (did it myself) welded and painted. Very sturdy but easy to put on and take off. It is the two sections, front/rear connected together by a center rail running down the middle.
Definitely a sit-on-top. I have have fished both, you have limited mobility on a sit inside. I can stand up on my SOT, and when it is hot, I turn sideways and dangle my feet in teh water. You can’t move around much on a SINK.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
Thanks for the offer but for now I am just going cheaper to see if I like kayak fishing. If I really like it then I will definitely look into a more high end product like the Malibu.
Haven’t seen it but you do get what you pay for. If you are looking for something cheap (less expensive vs crappy), check craigslist. Also, Dick’s and Academy occasionally have deals. Anything at Wally World is bound to be pretty uh…well, you know.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
I’d encourage anyone considering a kayak purchase to first try a couple of rentals before making a purchase. If you find that you like fishing from one, Craigslist is a good place to begin looking. I found a gently used Native Ultimate a few years ago & use it a good bit in the Broad River near Columbia. I’m an older guy & can still sit comfortably in it for 3-4 hours.
if you are looking for something cheap to start out with, mine is a $320 sit in sun dolphin (10 feet) with 3 rod holders from sports authority…def nothing fancy. ive added 2 cleats in front of and 2 just behind the seat and they work great for docking, attaching stringers of fish, or anything else you may think of. i also put i 4 eye bolts on the bow for anchoring and tying things to the bow such as my bigger anchor, crab traps, and folding chairs depending on what my mission is. i also just put an anchor pulley on the bow and tested it in current with a bit of chop and it got a passing grade. it also weighs only 41 lbs so carrying it over 1 shoulder isnt hard at all. as for tackle storage theres a compartment behind me and i can easily slip a large tackle tray between the hull and each side of the seat. with said kayak ive gone through inshore creeks and rivers, ponds, lake moultrie, tailrace canal (shad run and even a couple blue cats), and paddled shark baits from the beach with 0 trouble. i probably had the cheapest kayak by far in any meet and fish i made, but ive made it work pretty well for me and have no plans to replace it any time soon. if i remember tomorrow ill put pics up of how i have it rigged…
I rented a perception sit-in kayak last weekend and tried taking it out (Folly) from the beach. The waves would fill the passenger area to the top with water, then make it extremely unstable. Granted, this was on this past saturday when the weather was getting pretty foul, and the waves were well over my head when sitting in the kayak, so that may be different on a nicer day. It definitely scared me to death paddling past the waves and out in the deeper water with it as unstable as it was. My buddy just got a little sit on top kayak, so we’re about to go out and give it a shot. Hopefully it will be more stable and maneuverable than the one I had last weekend.
I wouldn’t consider anything but a sit on top. Much safer and easier to fish out of. I started out with a perception access angler 11.5 ft from dicks. Got it on sale for $360 and it had a scotty rod mount holder and an anchor trolley. Do a lot of research on the model that you plan on buying. I noticed that bass pro sells the ascend kayaks and when theyre on sale you can get a good deal. I went cheap and ended up wanting more so I bought a malibu. I wish I just bought the malibu in the beginning and saved myself some money and headache.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
