Most people don’t consider the means of transportation when buying a kayak, which is very important.
Kayaking is one of the popular ways to get out and enjoy the serenity of nature in your favorite water mass.
There is a lot of thrill and excitement that comes with kayaking on an afternoon or in the evening while watching the sunset, making the transportation hustle worth the reward.
Can I Transport A Kayak In My Car?
The most popular method of transporting kayaks is by car, but you can also do it manually if you have the convenience.
Kayaks are easiest transported using pickup trucks because there is no need for a rack, as long as the kayak is securely well with some ropes.
However, if you have an alternative car, you can also use it for kayak transportation, as long as the vehicle is relatively big enough to qualify for the task.
Getting to the water surface requires transporting the vessel from the garage, where the question arises of whether it can fit in your car.
If you live on the beach or a secluded water body in an ideal world, then transporting your kayak wouldn’t be an issue.
Fitting and transporting a kayak using your car is very straightforward, as long as you have the right equipment.
The most preferred for this is a kayak roof rack as it makes fitting a kayak into most types of cars and transporting very easy.
For this purpose, the most common roof racks are J-Bars, but you may require an additional set of crossbars for attachment if your car doesn’t have them already.
The first step is to securely install the roof rack on your car’s roof then load the kayak on top of it. If you have a large kayak, you can ask for help from a friend.
When fitting a kayak on the car, ensure the kayak is flipped upside down and secured tightly with straps to avoid falling off.
Taking your kayak out to the lake can be fun, even without a motor, but a kayak won’t do you any good if you can’t transport it from your garage.
You don’t necessarily need a big trailer for this purpose; if you have a rack system, then you can use any car to transport your kayak to and from.
You can easily fit a kayak in your car with minimal effort, but it’s even easier if you own a pickup truck because all you need to do is load up, strap the kayak down, and hit the road to your adventure.
Transporting a kayak can be challenging, especially for you lack a rack to tie it on to the car’s roof.
Depending on the width, length, and depth of the kayak and the size of your vehicle, it is possible for a kayak to fit.
However, you cannot safely fit a kayak inside your car, but you can fit it on top of it.
Among the best transportation cars for kayaks are SUVs, truck beds, and minivans, but they all require some prior preparation and planning.
It’s vital to secure the kayak carefully and take time to ensure there’s no room for it to move to avoid the potential turmoil of it flying off as you drive along the highway.
Using An SUV For Transportation
The sports utility vehicle is among the best and most popular vehicles used for transporting kayaks.
The seating of this car can accommodate many people, and most SUV models come with crossbars to help with transportation.
Crossbars are recommended for most kayak roof racks on the market today.
You need to attach your rack to the roof and be careful not to ruin either the car or the kayak when loading it up.
Using A Minivan
Kayaking at the lake is a fun and relaxing activity for friends and family outings.
As such, minivans have continued to be preferred as family cars which makes them ideal for hauling kayaks with slacker-type racks, provided the minivan has crossbars.
Fitting A Kayak Inside A Truck Bed
Truck beds are the easiest and simplest means of transporting kayaks.
This is because you don’t necessarily need a roof rack to hold your kayak in position safely if you already own a pickup truck.
Trucks are also among the few cars that fit a kayak inside them, so you can transport it with minimal or no fuss.
When fitting a kayak inside this car, ensure that the inside is clean and there is no machinery or hardware at the back that can cause damage to the kayak.
The next step is placing a rubber mat on the truck’s bed to minimize any friction there will be, keeping both the car and the kayak safe.
When loading the kayak inside your car, ensure the hull is facing down and that there is no unnecessary gear at the back of the truck.
This should be after the safe removal of the kayak’s equipment and the cockpit.
As long as your car is sizeable and the kayak is small, it is possible to fit the latter in your vehicle and even transport it to your preferred location of adventure and fun.
However big, if the kayak is big, you should keep the extender open to allow more room for fitting.
You can keep the tailgate open and put your kayak in one end in the air as long as there is extra padding on the tailgate and a secure fitting of the kayak to the truck bed.
This hinders sliding f the kayak to ensure you reach your destination safely without damaging the kayak or your car.
If you transport it this way, ensure road safety by using a flag or red lights as a warning to other drivers on the road.
Most models can be comfortably transported using a truck bed, but for those over 11 feet, you will need to install a rack on the car to lift the kayak over the cab.
When using this mode of transportation, load the kayak with the cockpit facing down and the haul up if possible, or use a cockpit cover if you have additional cargo.
Failure to cover the cockpit can result in issues when driving on the road due to the massive amount of draft.