Long kayak

Ric4003 · 01-03-2015, 12:33 AM

Does anybody have any ideas on transporting a 20 ft. kayak with my F350 (long bed extended cab) towing the fifth wheel? I can use a rack with a front mounted support but that would be a tremendous amount of overhang to clear the front cap of the fifth wheel.

NeedMoreLeisureTime · 01-03-2015, 01:28 AM

I tried with a 12 ft Ocean Kayak Yakima racks moved far forward on a Ford F-350 Crew Cab, 6.5 ft bed. It looked like it would clear the nose of our Crusader 290 RLT when we loaded it and took some sharp test turns. After we got back from our first trip, I noticed a dent in the roof of the truck. Bummer. It must have been a compound of a tight angle and a slope that pushed the kayak hard enough to dent the roof right where the roof rack tower sits. I was lucky I didn't damage the 5er...tough fiberglass. After that we went with an Orukayak.

Don't ask me about the mountain bike handles and the back window of the truck. That was another "unanticipated modification," and why we went with a bike rack custom fitted to the back of the 5er.

I've seen pictures of kayaks on the roof of a fifth wheel, but I don't have the roof, the luck, or the checkbook for that.

You might need to consider a different, shorter boat. Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

youroo · 01-03-2015, 07:26 AM

20 footer would need to be on top of truck with a LOT of Front overhang! This person had more (Standard?) units on the rear of 5/W!

Youroo!!

Ric4003 · 01-03-2015, 09:19 AM

Yes getting a new shorter one would make the most sense but our's is a wooden kayak that we built with our blood sweat and tears and we would hate to let it go. I thought about the rear mounting idea but even at an angle would still be too long. And at almost 100 pounds is too heavy to wrestle to the roof.

davel1971 · 01-03-2015, 09:32 AM

Virtually impossible without it being past front of truck. I couldn't do it with a 14.5 footer on a crew cab long bed truck, so I got 2 10.5 footers

davel1971 · 01-03-2015, 09:36 AM

I made a custom rack to go in front receiver to haul the 14.5 footer, but not easy to load. Image 6 more feet and 40 lbs heavier

**ependydad** · 01-03-2015, 09:22 PM

The roof of the camper is about the only option and I can only imagine what it would take to get it up there. You'd need rollers on the back and 2 people AND for it to not be windy! I imagine a rope tether to the end of it to pull it up.

Or, a second vehicle. That's how we just got two 14.5' kayaks to Key West and back. But we talked about how to transport the boats without the second vehicle and the camper roof was discussed. I can't imagine my wife could tolerate the goal post if we went truck top.

By the way, what kind of wood kayak? What kind of construction (stitch and glue or wood strip?)? From a kit or did you build everything? I've built 2 Tom Yost-style fuselage construction skin on frame kayaks. One was for my daughter at 11 1/2' and the other for me at over 17'.

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b_garage · 01-04-2015, 10:56 PM

Double tow? A lightweight trailer for the kayak (or two) behind the fiver would hardly be noticeable weight wise. But maybe with that length you'd violate some total length regulation I don't know about.

**ependydad** · 01-04-2015, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b_garage

Double tow? A lightweight trailer for the kayak (or two) behind the fiver would hardly be noticeable weight wise. But maybe with that length you'd violate some total length regulation I don't know about.

Double towing except for the length is a good idea.

Ric4003 · 01-05-2015, 12:02 AM

I thought about a trailer. Problem is as you mentioned the length. With everything, I'm looking at over 72'! That's not my idea of a good time. By the way the boat is a Pygmy triple kayak with stitch and glue, fiberglass construction. I'll attach a picture later.
Thanks for everyone's comments.

Red Wolf · 03-08-2015, 10:43 AM

We have two 13' Wilderness System Manteo 'yaks that we used to take on all of our trips when we had the bumper pull. It wasn't until after the 5th wheel was delivered that I remembered that the bed of the truck would now be full of trailer - no more kayaks!

I bought a pair of Oru folding kayaks, which I can toss in the basement or the bed of the truck.

golfmedik · 03-09-2015, 04:32 PM

I have a CC F350(in sig) and needed ways to carry our new kayaks. After all of the searching, this is the best we came up with. A hitch on the front of the truck and either the Thule Goal Post Rack with a set of roof racks or a Rhino T-Loader rack with roof racks. Like these.

Ric4003 · 03-09-2015, 04:49 PM

Yes, I thought about that but mine is just too long. (5 ft. overhang in front of the truck)

Mrs Evans · 03-09-2015, 06:03 PM

Not sure if Thule has a solution for you but I just bought their Aeroblade roof rack system through AutoAnything and saved 20%, no shipping and no taxes either!

Ric4003 · 03-09-2015, 06:22 PM

I'll check it out but realistically I think the only way I can come close to a solution is to somehow put it on the roof of the 5th wheel.

IlliniJoe · 03-09-2015, 06:24 PM

I Hope you figure out a solution for this. It would eat me up to not be able to use something that I worked so hard at in order to enjoy something, only to be stuck in the deliema that you are in. As much as we would of loved to of gotten a fifthwheel, that is the main reason that I didn't want one. I just could not come to terms of giving up the back of my truck or the top of the cab and cap.

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