Best Ways To Travel Long Distance With a Kayak
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
Do you often go on long-distance fishing excursions but struggle to bring your kayak along?
What are the best ways to store your kayak on your car or trailer to bring with you to fish?
If you travel far distances to fish and want to know the best ways to bring along your kayak, then check this out!!
Learn more below!
Best Ways To Transport Your Kayak Long Distances
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The tips mentioned below are also applicable to day trips to the water and back with your kayak.
Car Top Carrying Your Kayak
If you are car top carrying your kayak a long distance, it is best to have your kayak lay upside down on your car.
The reason is, the rails along the sides are the strongest part of the kayak.
If you flip the kayak and strap it down to your car with the bottom on the car, it could damage your kayak.
You can warp the bottom of the kayak by having it right side up on your car due to the sun and straps applying pressure on the bottom.
Cam Straps
Also, make sure you are using Cam Straps to secure your kayak to your car.
Other types of straps have a tendency to overtighten which can cause warping of the kayak material.
The worst-case scenario is the straps are so tight that they crack the side of the kayak.
As far as how tight the Cam Straps should be on the kayak, it is less than you would think.
There is a common tendency amongst kayakers to overcompensate and overtighten the straps.
Be sure to pull down on the fastener and make sure there is flexibility in the strap and it is not locked down.
You can always try to adjust the kayak to see if the straps are tight enough.
Bow Lines & Stern Lines
The concept behind using bow and stern lines to further secure your kayak is an extra safety blanket.
In the case the straps are too loose or become undone, the bow and stern lines will hold the kayak on your car where you can then pull over and tend to the issue.
Another reason for using this second layer of security is it is an indicator of the kayak shifting.
If the lines become loose or visibly do not look right, then there could be an issue with one of the straps.
If you aren’t able to use bow and stern lines because of the size of your vehicle, you can use a cable lock.
All you have to do is run the cable through the scuppers of the kayak and around the rack holding the kayak.
The reasons for this are security and further stability if a strap were to become undone.
By using a cable lock, you do not have to worry about someone tampering with your kayak if you are staying overnight in an area or you are away from your vehicle.
Sun Protection
The kayak is exposed to a lot of sun and UV rays when placed on top of a vehicle.
You should use some sort of UV protectant on the bottom of the kayak that is directly exposed to sunlight.
This way the sun won’t cook the kayak causing it to crack or become brittle.
All you do is wet a rag and spread the protectant evenly across the surface of the kayak.
You do not want it to be slippery.
A little of the protectant goes a long way and if the kayak is slippery, then you’ve added too much.
Best Ways To Long Distance Travel With Your Kayak [VIDEO]
Conclusion
Fishing from your kayak allows you to cover lots of water and gain access to areas off the path where you want to fish.
If you want to secure and protect your kayak when traveling, it is best to follow these tips and make it to your destination safely!
Be sure to have your kayak secured safely to protect you and others traveling around you!
Do you have any further questions on long-distance kayak travel tips?
Let me know down in the comments!
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Definitely upside down with a Canadian. Stern first if an asymetrical Mad River.
For kayaks and canoes, fit decent Thule rails with locks. Norwegians Rule OK!
Fit padded verticals or padded cradles.
With verticals you can carry four or six boats.
Semi upright in cradles is fine if you have sealed off neoprene decks.
Used both, with and without XC bikes or canoes.
Full of water would be a disaster.
Plumbers pipe insulation lengths tape on to give good, neat, affordable and replaceable insulation.
Tapes always need re-tightening after a mile or two. Never had a problem with overtightening over twenty years. Taken trailor loads of canoes and kayaks through France on youth trips.
Tapes for nose and tail lines will roar unless twisted. Anchor points!
Ropes, really Grummans only.
UV problems, buy a better boat. Mind you, I don’t live in Arazona.
Straps will degrade though. Good use for retired climbing ropes when they have reached either date or fall life.
Paddles, inside if possible.
Unscrew the drain plugs. I don’t have to say it!
I used locking ski cables for security.
Only ever lost a set of bespoke, hand made carbon touring blades. Assymetrics.
Spent a week on the sea, coastal paddling with them. Couldn’t replace them as the maker had decided to buy in his blades. First class pair but just not the same.
Don’t spurn a trailer. Racks on the top. Little lifting.
Paddles, decks, cags, dry bags and BAs in a lockable, ventilated and draining container.
Better on the windage too.
Aside. Need yellow to red spectrum for safety. Camping, yellow attracts the biters.
Be safe or die well.
Rgds.
Great video! Thanks for all the useful tips. I was on the 303 website and they have a number of products. We’re you using the Marine Aerospace Protectant in the video?
Thanks again!
Thanks Joseph, appreciate the comment!
Yes that was the Marine Protectant. I used that on just about every surface on my center console and it works great!
Great video, Pat. I really like the idea of using a cable lock for security. I’ve not yet traveled long distances or left my kayak overnight away from home, but I’ll keep that in mind if I do. Thanks.
Thanks Adam!
Just make sure and run the cable through something that can’t be unbolted. On mine I run it through the peddle drive reliefs, if you don’t have that a scupper hole will do.
Great video, Pat! I really like the idea of using the 303 Product on your kayak’s hull area as necessary. I was turned onto this idea a few years by an individual who owns (& rents out) a fleet of kayaks in the Ocala area. He swore by its usage. After using it just a few times on my kayaks, I could see why. Thanks for all of the great tips, brother.
Thanks Jason!!
That 303 is good stuff for sure! I used it on my boat for pretty much every surface and it looked as good the day I sold it as the day I bought it.
Appreciate the feedback!
Great info. Thanks Pat!
Thanks Joseph! Appreciate it
Nice information Pat. I used to put my kayak on top of my SUV, but it’s a beast and my old bones couldn’t take it anymore, so I’m looking into a trailer. However, when I did car top it, I found it best to not flip it over, but that’s because the beast (Ascend 128T) has a double grove down the hull, and I made a carrier out of PVC attached to a luggage rack, so that way I could push the kayak up onto the vehicle without risk of harm to the vehicle. Others may find that to be a better solution depending on the configuration of their hull.
Suntan lotion for a plastic yak makes sense, both top and bottom.
Rex thanks for the feedback!
For day trips I put mine right side up too, It is easier. I actually load my kayaks right side up and then flip them. Less stuff to get in the way.
I like your idea of the PVC pipe, I bet that made it much easier!
Rex, check out this post:
https://community.saltstrong.com/post/45918/Homemade-Sort-Of-Kayak-Trailer
I also found it to be too much trouble getting my kayak on and off of the roof of my way-too-tall SUV. So I bought a small DIY trailer and rigged it to carry my yak. It is WAY easier to transport, launch and load up than it used to be. Tight lines!
I’ll be traveling from Ohio to Florida with my kayak.
I have a fold down rack similar to one by Thule. Will that work, or should tie down per your video, and use that rack just for short trips to my fishing destinations.
Thanks!
Joe
A lot has to do with the weight of the kayak, out side temperature and length of the trip time wise. If you’re traveling this winter and if it’s going to be a quick trip you should be good. Keeping your kayak on the roof in the racks for a week at a time on sunny days could be a problem. I warped a kayak that way once. Hope this helps.
Awesome info Pat!!
Thanks Richard!
I’ve been whitewater kayaking for 40 years, taken many long trips on interstates up and down the east coast and have found the easies way to secure a kayak or two or three or four on top of boat racks is to use 1/4″ to 3/8′ braided nylon rope. Cut a length to size, tie a loop at one end, which will you will leave in the rope for easy use in future trips, then run the tag end of the rope around the rack bar and through the loop on one side of the kayak, come over kayak and go around the rack bar on the other side of the kayak, tie a truckers hitch in the rope, doubly secured by two or three half hitches, about half way up the side of the kayak. If tied properly it will not come loose. Easy to untie, rope sections are easy to coil and store in the back of your car, rope is cheap, no buckles to scratch your vehicle, slip or rust, and can be used to tie down many things securely. Never lost a kayak in 40 years of transporting them at highway speeds, rough back roads, etc.
Try it. You just have to know how to tie a good truckers hitch!
I’ll have to give that a try! Thanks for the feedback!
I put dittos on that!
Great info Pat! Any advice on how to pad a truck bed extension for travel. This is the hitch type and not the cage type you see on some trucks.
Duct tape foam pipe insulation over the extension bar that the kayak sits on.
Thanks!
Like Rod, I use pipe insulation but I secure it with electrical cable ties. They can be tightened down so they are below the surface of Kayak contact so there is no scratching and no interference that could cause the electrical tie to break.
Great, I will do that. Thanks!
As said above but you could use pool noodles as an option also!