Transportation worries

Hi guys sorry to bother again, I'm about to purchase my revo, but just figured that transportation may be a problem.

Here is the deal I drive a small SUV, and the cross bars in my rack and somewhat close to each other since there is not that much room in my roof, so I took my take measure and noticed that if I put my revo on the rack, the front half of the kayak will be unsupported (ahead of my front bar). If this too much weight in the front? Should I just loaded much further back? Or would it be ok to to load it as I have it pictured (see below)?

Oh one last thing would the front weight tend to pull the rear? I can picture a huge dent on my car's hood!

This is what it would look like
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B1fVwg ... 5&hl=en_US

Thanks in advance
Dan

Dan,

balance the load by shifting your revo back and centered on the roof racks. Tie a small red safety flag around the rudder pivot section of the yak. I would not transport your revo that far forward. Use bow and stern tie downs also. I would be more concerned of wind catching your yak and damaging it being so far forward.

You need to balance the load evenly. The crossbars can be as little as 24" apart minimum but the yak needs to be centered as best you can. It is ok if it sticks out behind the vehicle as long as you put a flag on it. Here in Florida anything over 3 feet projecting behind a vehicle requires a flag.

I carry two revos on an xTerra and they stick out about 3 feet behind my truck,









I have since added Yakima Landshark saddles to my 65" crossbars. They stabilize the revos incredibly well.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/top/landshark-saddles

The Thule Waterslide helps protect your vehicle as you glide the yak down over the back of your vehicle with ease.
http://www.amazon.com/Thule-Water-Slide ... B004YC4ZXS

Hope this helps you out

Revo

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I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

I have a 2007 Subaru Outback...factory roof rails.....I removed the factory cross bars and then I installed a Yakima rail grab kit, 48" cross bars that are 38" apart...front to back.....4 mako saddles + the show boat roller.......I slide the kayak on from the back, bottom side down into the mako saddles.
Based on your drawing, I would say the kayak is too far forward......I locate my Hobie Outback so the drive well is midway over the front mako saddle.....strap to the cross bars and lastly tie/secure both the bow an stern to the vehicle.
I have found this to be a safe and reliable transportation method.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Hey thanks guys, and thanks for the pictures, I was under the impression that I needed to transport it upside down. But now I see I can transport it upright with just some padding under it.

Thanks again, will share pictures as soon as I can
Dan

Not so fast!

Hobie recommends that you DO NOT carry the boat right side up because it can cause deformation of the hull.

Now having said that, there are members on this board who do carry the Revo, and other boats right side up, but the only way I would do that is with some sort of supportive saddles. I used the Yakima Mako Saddles when we had our Revo (Mako, not Mako Aero) They're excellent.

So before you jump out and carry your boat right side up with some padding, remember that Hobie won't support any damage caused by transporting the boat that way.

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ahhhhhh, thank you. Good good I was prepared to transport it upside down so I'll stick to the plan. Main concern was weight, load and balance.

Dan
...most resist......using....credit card... to buy ...kayak right now!!............who am I kidding. wife is going to be pissed!

Have you thought about a hitch extender ? Light years easier than trying to get them up on the roof. load and unload in seconds. If you don't have a hitch they are cheaper to have installed than a good quality rack. BTW, transporting the Revo right side up is not a problem unless you are going really long distances or let the yak sit on the racks for storage. I do it all the time with no hull problems.

Johnny

Sorry for the poor quality photo but here is my hitch extender on my truck. You can put the short end in the hitch receiver and the long end up to use it over the roof or depending on your SUV, or in the same orientation that a truck would and have your hatch or tailgate open. Here in the states these can be purchased for as little as 50.00.

We have the same if not similiar hitch extender. What brand of pad do you have around it to cushion the yak?

Thanks

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

If you have a trailer hitch, that fits the size of the bed extender, you can use it up right. That would help spread the yak's length and weight over a longer direction.

http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabe ... ED9hY8OczG

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

If you have a trailer hitch, that fits the size of the bed extender, you can use it up right. That would help spread the yak's length and weight over a longer direction.

http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabe ... ED9hY8OczG

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

Grampa,

The pad is one that I purchased from a Hobie Dealer in Key Largo. Its really a pair of roof rack pads with their logo. Since the bed extender tubing is wide it covers the top and two sides. I then have a couple of zip ties holding it on in addition to the tie strings it came with.

I hadn't thought of the zip ties inspite have all sizes/types around here. They are my new age duct tape.

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2009 Oasis
2012 Freedom Hawk Pathfinder

Dan, a couple of suggestions:
1. Use kayak cradles & transport your kayk right side up. That way has a number of advantages - you can leave the seat in place plus things like rod holders and fishfinders that extend above the deck level. Also you have access to the hatches so that you can put things inside the boat/in the parcel tray instead of filling up your car (my rods & paddle go inside my Adventures andsometimes I load the boat then put the drives in because the drives are very awkward to stop in a car full of camping gear and kids). Loading into cradles is much easier, I find: you can load one end at a time rather than lifting the whole boat: just make sure you cover the rear cradles and the back of the car to protect the car's paintwork and to enable the kayak to be slid forward in the rear cradles when you lift the second end of the kayak up to position it on the car. Finally the cradles hold the kakay very securely on the roof so you don't need to put much tension on the straps to hold it in place.
2. Load your boat back to front - this has a couple of advantages a) it doesn't matter if you don't bungee down the rudder; b) if you unhook the bungee the seat back will be blown flat by the air passing over the car to reduce windage.

Enjoy your boat ! Any Hobie Mirage kayak is a great choice and the Revo a particularly good one.