How to secure kayak bow on truck cab -kayak in truck bed?

I have a Thule rack on my truck cab with a Hullavator rack which I use for long distance hauling when towing our RV. I have help sometimes to lift the kayak onto the rack. Occasionally, I want to be able to carry the kayak in the truck bed with the bow or stern lifted onto the rear of the truck cab when I'm solo. The other end would be against the closed tailgate. The kayak is too heavy for me to lift by myself onto the Hullavator. It is a Hobie Sport and I only have 5 ft. of useable Truckbed length. My question is since I already have the Thule rack on the truck, are there any saddles or guide attachments that pivot front to back to secure the kayak to the crossbar? It doesn't need to be Thule brand but needs to fit there square bars.

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Lakejumper
2011 Sport Mirage

These things work great for the solo taker and no need to lift one end onto your cab.

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-Ca ... 07600.html

There also great for hauling lumber from Lowe's.

Your Sport is so short, it may not even reach a bed (cargo) extender, so there wouldn't be much support there, if any. Notice the red Sport in this pic (top right) -- it stops just about at the extender and is not all the way forward:



There is a simple solution. Here is a Revo 11 on a 6' bed:



Notice with the tail gate down it is fully supported by the truck bed. Your Sport is 2' shorter and would ride very similarly in your 5' bed with tailgate down. Perhaps you're concerned about it falling out the back? That's not a problem -- I drive mine up a 14% grade every time it goes out. Notice on the picture above, the rope is secured to the tail gate cable on the right. Loop it over the scupper cart twice and tie off on the opposite cable (note -- you should not do this if you don't have the reinforced scuppers -- they have a black liner in them). Tie down firm enough so the stern doesn't slide around. That's it. If you don't feel comfortable with that, you can use your rear cargo tie downs and loop your rope through the scupper holes and/or loop it around the rudder mount. For double extra safety you can clip the bow to the nearest front cargo tie down. Because the boat sits diagonal in the bed, it doesn't stick out as far, and the bow is pinched in one corner so it can't move.

How hard is it to load? You don't have to lift the boat, as shown below:

1. Roll the boat up to the lowered tailgate and set the bow on it.



2. Lift the stern, letting your wheels drop out of the scuppers.



3. Push, positioning the bow in the corner and the wheels upside down in the scuppers, and tie off.



Edit: I just found a shot of a pair of Sports for comparison on a 6' bed. Notice how the tip boat is tied off, double looped around the cart axle and separately secured at the stern and bow.

Is the problem with Hullavator not able to lift the kayak up at all or not able to lift it that high? Because I had that problem with a surf ski before, you could get a very sturdy low chair and just step onto to make it easier.

The other way is probably get a truck bed fold extender, your should fit in the truck with it folded down and you slide it in sideways.

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-i11s Newport Beach, CA area.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and pictures! I've been Setting it on top of the lift gate and securing it rather than lifting it on top of the cab when I am by myself. Whe. I have help, I use the Hullavator.

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Lakejumper
2011 Sport Mirage

I have a Toyota Tacoma with a standard bed. I put the kayak in the bed, with the bow in one corner up by the cab. I leave the tailgate down. On each corner of the floor of my truck bed I have "D"-rings installed. I think the truck came with them only in the corners by the cab, but I ordered another set from Toyota and installed them in the corners by the tailgate. I got the idea from a sticky thread on a Tacoma forum (Taco?).

I have a 1-inch webbing with buckle ratchet from Home Depot (Orange, often used as a motorcycle tie-down). I loop the two "S" hooks through one "D" ring and thread it through the other.

When I have the yak in the bed, I unhook one "S" hook, guide it through the mid-kayak grab bars (or around the cockpit gunwale of my Wilderness Systems sit-inside), then re-attach the "S" hook to the "D" ring.

It is very easy, very simple, and very cheap. I could post pix this weekend if anyone requests them. I hear Photobucket is no longer 3rd party hosting, so I would have to find another hosting site.
EDIT:: Found a new free 3rd party hosting site: vgy.me

Here's my pix. The motorcycle tie-down is from Home Depot, as is the Master brand cable lock. This is a sit-inside Wilderness Systems and I hook the tie-down to the gunwale. On my Hobie sit-on-tops, I thread the tie down ratchet through the side grab-bars of the kayak. When the straps are not in use, I secure the free end with a pair of half-hitch knots. Then I just use my truck bed as normal.