Kayaks (2) - Roof rack or trailer

[kayakron]

Just bought an '07 and am now considering transporting 2 -17' kayaks (Current Designs) with it. I've researched the threads here and learned people have a) towed trailers (but not with kayaks), and b) carried kayaks on the roof. Has anyone considered the trade off between the two? Even better, does anyone have experience with both?

I'm not concerned about the mileage hit. Trips would mostly be local (<30 mi) with the occasional 250 mi trip to Miane. I'm primarily looking for info on how the car performs (ie acceleration, hwy speed, handling cross winds, etc.) with the extra load, using a trailer and using a roof mount (with either a Thule or Yakima rack). My bias is towards the roof rack, but only because that's what I've always used with my SUV (a Toyota 4-runner).

I still have my SUV and would like to get rid of it, but I'd also lke to find some folks with real experience with the Prius before I do unload it.

[eagle33199]

http://evnut.com/prius_racks.htm

The picture at the very bottom is mine

I haven't tried towing with the kayaks (and no one on here has posted about trying it). but here's my experience with the roof rack:

I only had two up there a few times, and the trips were short (~5 miles), and it was in the first month or two after buying the car. After that, it's all been one.

3 months after getting the car, i moved from cleveland OH to st. paul MN - had the car completely loaded up with stuff, and my one kayak on top. over the 700+ mile trip, i averaged 39 MPG, but i was also speeding, a lot. Cross winds, in general, weren't that bad, although a few gusts did push the car around a bit. Infact, i was driving through illinois in some horrible wind and didn't even know it was there until my saddle shifted and the whole kayak shifted 45 degrees - my own fault for not checking that everything was tied down tight (had some help when loading up).

Since then, most of the trips have been within 10 miles here in MN. Over the entire summer, i spent a majority of my driving time as follows: 6 miles to work + 6 miles back 5 times/week. 10 miles to the lake with the kayak 4 times/week.

With all that driving with the kayak, my mileage was right around 42... when it got cold and i stopped going out, it shot up to 48.

IMHO, you should go with the roof rack over towing. having 17 feet trailing out behind the car more than doubles the effective length, which would probably be difficult to handle. You would also have to make sure it's properly ballanced so the tounge weight of the trailor is minimal - which, while not difficult, would be a pain to have to do every time.

the only draw backs i see from a roof rack is: You have to lift the damn thing up there (but if you've been doing it with an SUV, you'll be fine), and the hatch won't open all the way, since it'll hit the kayak. This last one is really minor most of the time - The only times the kayak is up there is when i'm on my way to the lake, or coming back. either way, when i get where i'm going the kayak comes right off.

[kayakron]

Thanks for the feedback and the photo link (looks nice too). You're confirming my bias, and I probably will go the roof rack route. It must be the better way, since the roof racks are more expensive than the trailer. But there's no state licensing or warranty issues with the rack system, unlike the trailer

Thanks again; I'm one step closer to getting rid of my SUV...

[FJRCRAZED]

Your nuts for trying to put 2 17 ft yaks on a rack. I tried it with my Wilderness Systems 145 (2) and that was bad enough. I went out and bought an alu. kayak trailer. http://www.trailex.com. Works great, I can even load a third or forth yak. Its sooooooo nice not to climb around with straps on a roof rack. With the trailer everything is waist high, it also where I stow the boats. Remeber on the Prius your racks are not that far apart. If you do use a rack, please remember to tie down bow and stern. Just last week I stop to help a guy who did not. He'll never do that again

[kayakron]

Thanks for your comments. The trailer does look nice, even though the price tag is about 2X the roof rack (with hitch etc). Yep, I always tie down the bow (but not the stern) and have never had problems (on my SUV, that is) even when I found myself driving 70 mph.

Either way -- trailer or rack -- would be an expensive experiment if it didn't work out. Unlike eagle, I'd be traveling with both kayaks most of the time, occasionally just one, so I want to get this right. In my current house, the trailer would present a storage problem, but I'm still considering it. I also think the roof mount wouldn't be near the hassel that it's been with my SUV, since the roof is so much closer to the ground: less lifting & easier to tie-down. BTW, both kayaks are fiberglass and weight ~ 50 lb each.

Thanks again for your feedback. It's much appreciated.

[eagle33199]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FJRCRAZED @ Oct 18 2006, 11:19 AM) [snapback]334499[/snapback]</div>

Your nuts for trying to put 2 17 ft yaks on a rack. I tried it with my Wilderness Systems 145 (2) and that was bad enough. I went out and bought an alu. kayak trailer. http://www.trailex.com. Works great, I can even load a third or forth yak. Its sooooooo nice not to climb around with straps on a roof rack. With the trailer everything is waist high, it also where I stow the boats. Remeber on the Prius your racks are not that far apart. If you do use a rack, please remember to tie down bow and stern. Just last week I stop to help a guy who did not. He'll never do that again
[/b]

It really isn't that bad to put a 17 ft (or even 2) kayak on the roof. The racks sit far enough apart that you can slide the kayak forward and back by several feet without having to worry about it tipping. Add to that a set of decent saddles and tie down straps on the racks and you're good to go for short distances - the setup i have in the picture liked above works out great with no movement of the kayak.

In fact, the only time i've been thankful for having front and rear tiedowns was the one time it shifted - All the other times the tiedowns haven't done anything to the kayak - it was already completely stable.

that being said, i'll go without front or rear tiedowns here when i'm heading to one of the nearby lakes. It's at most a 15 minutes drive with all speeds less than 40 - really no problem. Whenever i go longer distances and i highways, i definately use front and rear tiedowns, but like i said, they only really did anything once.

[john1701a]

.

At popular locations, you'll regret having a trailer simply because finding a place to park is harder. Then there's the issue of what to do with it at home. You can't just stash it away anywhere near as easily as the roof rack. For me, the quick transport of just one kayak seems more sensible on top too.

I'm trilled with my setup (shown above). It worked great this summer for the 12' and 14' kayaks I hauled around, included one 400-mile trip.

[drummoros]

John,

What roof rack do you have and where do you get it? I am thinking of the annual Christmas Tree and need to get an appropriate rack soon.

Ross

[john1701a]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(drummoros @ Oct 18 2006, 03:17 PM) [snapback]334693[/snapback]</div>

What roof rack do you have and where do you get it?[/b]

It's detailed in the USER-GUIDE ...since lots of people ask the same thing.

I bought mine in pieces at several places, simply out of convenience while running around while shopping for the kayak. Yakima is quite common, so it's not a big deal. Heck, even the clips for Prius itself are fairly easy to find now.

[FJRCRAZED]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(john1701a @ Oct 18 2006, 05:27 PM) [snapback]334737[/snapback]</div>

It's detailed in the USER-GUIDE ...since lots of people ask the same thing.

I bought mine in pieces at several places, simply out of convenience while running around while shopping for the kayak. Yakima is quite common, so it's not a big deal. Heck, even the clips for Prius itself are fairly easy to find now.
[/b]

For us MAC Folk, how do you save the user guide? I must be missing something