Community Forums

stevenapril · 05-28-2023, 10:29 AM

Has anyone done this? How did you hold them on? Any issues?

Gary RVRoamer · 05-28-2023, 10:50 AM

I used to carry a Port-A-Bote up there on two different coaches, and I've seen canoes & kayaks. Obviously you have to be aware of the increased height, and avoid interfering with any antennas or sat dishes, solar panels, roof vent lids, etc. Get up on the roof and measure whether you have sufficient room.

On mine I screwed and goo'ed a pair of PT 2x4 to the roof using lag screws and lap sealant. Put an screw-eye in each 2x4 and then strapped the Port-A-Bote to that with a ratchet tie down strap. It never moved when under way.

JohnBike · 05-28-2023, 10:55 AM

Don’t carry stuff on the top of any RV, especially those with membrane roofs, unless a carrier frame has been professionally installed.
Best solution is a hitch-mounted rack. See www.amazon.com/RecPro-Kayak-Vertiyak-Standing-Carrier

jacwjames · 05-28-2023, 11:46 AM

How big of kayaks.

I had a Class C, membrane roof.
I carried two sea kayaks on top, I did not want to penetrate the roof. So I made a cradle of styrofoam blocks. I made them by using foam sheet material and made a box the size I needed. I imbedded tie down rope in the block and then used cans of the spray foam to fill it up. Plenty sturdy enough. I made two sets of these and used a piece of PVC pipe as a spreader.

On either side of the Class C in front of the rear wheel I bolted a HD bracket the stuck out ~2" with an eye bolt. I had ropes coming from the styrofoam blocks and used the small foam blocks you can buy to carry a canoe on a car roof. I used these to protect the top corner of the roof and hold the ropes off the sides down to the eye bolts.
In the rear I pulled a rope down between the two kayaks to hold them down and tied the passenger side block to the roof ladder so they didn't move side to side.

I carried the kayaks from FL, Michigan, Wisonsin, to Maine and all over TN where we live. Never had a problem.

Several times people came and asked how I rigged everything and I showed the. The real issue was getting the kayaks on the roof, I was much younger then, not sure I could do it now

TimmyB · 05-28-2023, 01:49 PM

We are avid kayakers but discovered a LONG time ago how difficult it would be to transport around the country, especially staying in hotels with them vulnerable outside on the car (before we entered the RV world). We went with inflatable kayaks, Razorlites from Sea Eagle, which collapse into a large bag and are stored (both of them) in one of our storage bays. Not sure if you already own kayaks or are just considering, but we take these EVERYWHERE and they are fabulous. These are not your old-school, "rubber boat" inflatables; they will keep up with any hard shell kayak of similar size. Good luck with your journeys!

Mudfrog · 05-28-2023, 01:55 PM

Quote:

The real issue was getting the kayaks on the roof, I was much younger then, not sure I could do it now

My 10 footer weighs 50 lbs. Easy enough to pick up but I sure wouldn't want to have to load and unload off my RV's roof. We usually have the bass boat with us so it get's placed in it for hauling. I have brought it inside the motorhome a couple of times but it's a tight fit going in and out.

Punkinhead · 05-28-2023, 02:15 PM

I spent a good amount of time searching for a mechanism to help me load kayaks onto the roof of my 9' tall class B and came up empty. I can't imagine trying to get them up or down from a 12' or higher coach. I finally gave up and resigned myself to carrying them in a trailer or on a TOAD. On most trips i don't want to be stuck towing so we just rent kayaks when we get somewhere that we want to paddle. It's cheap enough to not be worth the hassle of bringing ours along.

High Road Travelers · 05-28-2023, 08:46 PM

If you tow a vehicle put a rack on the roof of it and carry canoes, kayaks, etc. I have carried boats, canoes and kayaks on the roof of my Jeep and it works good. I have seen someone strap a kayak to the ladder, but I never liked that.
Thanks,

PanJH · 05-29-2023, 06:19 AM

I've carried our 17' Ocean Kayaks on the roof of our old Class A. I built an aluminum rack for the roof as well as a PVC pipe "ramp" that I used to slide the yaks up/down. It worked well for us. I now pull a pickup as a toad, and have a ladder rack on the truck, so the yaks now are carried on the pickup.