Avoiding Bed Extender

I plan on transporting my new Pro Angler 14 from the dealer to my lake, about a two hour drive. I will be using my Honda Ridgeline truck. As once the Pro Angler is at my lake I won't be needing vehicle transportation anymore, I was hoping to find a way to transport it without buying a bed extender. I'm trying to avoid hurting my new kayak at all costs. Any advice on the advisability of using PVC tubing, wookd boards, etc. for this one-time transport will be helpful and save me money.
Thanks

Harbor Freight has an extender for just $69 - and I see a ton of them on Amazon for about the same. Friend of mine bought the HF version a couple of months ago, and it works great. Might also be nice to have around if you do decide to take the kayak out to visit some strange water.

http://t.harborfreight.com/truck-bed-extender-69650.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

_________________
STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

If you have some blankets or similar padding to put between the PA and the bed, that's all you need for the one way trip as far as protecting the hull. If 2/3 of the PA is supported by the bed and tailgate, you will be fine. Just make sure you have it secured against the front of the bed and secured so it doesn't shift sideways as well. Congrats on the new PA!

_________________
Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador

2015 Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
2018 Compass - Sea Grass

You might be able to just get some 1 1/2" or 2" PVC tubing ( the stuff is really cheap). Then jam in a couple of those solid wood curtain rods (you would adjust the pvc dia depending what size round wood you find, basically any dia the curtain rods slide into.
Or better yet for a PA just pick up two pressure treated 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 8 ft round landscape lumber boards (they cost $3.57 ea at Home depot). You can always screw in a temporary cap board on each end to hold the round boards on 11 inch centers with fence screws.
Place one end of the poles on the ground and the other on the back of the truck bed. Now strap the PA to the boards with just 1" cheap ratchet cargo straps in a couple places. Now lift the back up and slide the whole works into your truck bed. The grooves in most truck floors will keep it from sliding side to side. Adding two more Cheap ratcheting cargo straps hooked to the floor eyelets at the front and back of most truck beds should hold everything down nicely. While at Home Depot pick up a couple red cargo flags to attach to the back of the boat (they are usually free), and you should be good to go for under ten bucks, you won't be dragging the hull in the truck bed (nobody wants to do that).
We are planning a big camping trip to lake Hartwell in GA this summer, so our hitch will be occupied by our camper, so to get up there our TI will be mounted on Thule contractor bars over the bed and cab (those contractor bars are really expensive btw). We have a shortbed Sierra denali. Once we get there I have no plans to throw the TI way up on those racks every day to go out, so I will be building a setup similar to what I described above to get my giant TI to the water every day. In my case because the TI is so darn long I will likely be doing the pvc tubing with the wood curtain rods inside, and will also need to use my bed extender that I picked up on Amazon for around $70 bucks (doesn't have to be a fancy bed extender, any off brand will do the job). You might not need the bed extender with you PA (depending on how long your truck bed is of course)
Well thats the plan anyway, we will find out by hard knocks if it works (lol).
FE

Spend the $69 for an extender ............ It is the best and cheapest and safest way to make sure your $3500 investment is not stressed on a 2 hour bouncing drive or does not go flying off through the car behind you. Those other solutions will cost you a few bucks anyway and I guarantee you will find more uses for it ............. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish as I have been plenty of times and only by the grace of God somehow avoided disasters.