Bed rack/storage for kayaks

[DougM55]

Putco rack with Thule quick disconnect feet.

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[JTAero]

Single Voodoo rack and Yakima bed extender. Used the bed extender initially with the kayaks sitting in the bed, but decided we wanted to still use the bed for the rest of the lake gear.

 

[Jellygladiator]

I just put the J mounts up to haul the kayak and it works great! This is the ROLA rack for the tacoma frontier. Had no issues and made no modifications to mount it to the Gladiator.

is it mounted to your trail rail, could you provide a link to the one you have

 

[JTpoor]

I'll throw this out there for anyone needing a simple platform that can be easily modified and/or added to to make it work for just about any need you may have. It's relatively inexpensive ($189 I think), easy to assemble, easy to take off and store and can handle just about any weight you throw at it. Found it on Amazon and used it on my Ram 2500 when I had to carry 20' 2x12's when building cedar pergolas for customers.

 

[JeepHouse]

I read through this forum and didn't see anything that met my needs, so apologies in advance if I missed it.

I have two kayaks, 10 ft and 13 ft Old Town Loons. I also have two sets of Thule Hull-a-Ports (https://www.thule.com/en-us/sport-rack/kayak-roof-racks/thule-hull-a-port-_-1636655) from when I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a factory roof rack. I'd like to re-use these Thule carriers. My Gladiator has a roll up tonneau cover (Tyger for now but may upgrade), so what I'd like to do is find something that would connect to trail rails (which I don't have but would add if I find a kayak solution that works here). Looking for something that connects to the trail rails but rises up high enough with cross bars that longer kayaks (like that 13 footer) could easily and safely be transported in tandem.

Any thoughts here?

 

[Pat2Alaska]

Swiss Cargo racks work good.

 

[CrixusSask]

Does anyone have experience with the Ram bed mounted racks, or looked really close at the bed rack on a JT at one of the auto shows?

I'm wondering when the aft bar is moved all the way back, how close it would be to the end of the bed. Bikes are not a problem, but concerned about carrying kayaks. While the early marketing photos show kayaks, they appear to be shorter playboats and the roof is always removed (so kayak can stick into passenger compartment). I'm wondering how the JT will REALLY handle kayaks on a bed rack. If the aft bar can only be moved back to say 6" from the tailgate, that means the aft bar is ~4.5' from the rear window. My usual downriver kayak is 7'9", but most buddy boats are closer to 9'. At 9', that would mean half the kayak is hanging off the aft bar, so this may only be useful for shorter playboats. Advantage of this I could still put my receiver bike mount off the back of the truck when carrying both kayaks and bikes.

Because I'd probably go with the bed rack, I wouldn't get the non-locking, soft tonneau cover. I kind of liked the look of this bed mount system below in one of the Mopar ads instead. Looks like this system is made by Decked (https://decked.com/products/decked-toyota-tacoma). Assuming the Decked JT price would be similar to the Tacoma, $1150 buys a lot of Rubbermaid bins that can be thrown in the bed (but not locked). Guess you could still stack plywood/gear on top of this, but would be higher than the tailgate at the intermediate position (which I think lines the top of the tailgate to the wheel wells).

I guess the other option is to forego the rack and bed storage and just throw kayaks in the bed with the tailgate down. Lose some storage space for the rest of the paddling gear. Lose the ability to put a receiver bike mount on the back.

Not looking for a roof mount solution, or bed rack that lifts kayaks above roof height. I'm tired of climbing on top of my Grand Cherokee to tie down kayaks...

Just installed Thule xsporter pro. Worked great with Kayaks. Just need the Toyota Tacoma kit to attach to the cargo rails in the bed.

 

[icetea20]

My new solution

Nice looking rig! I plan to copy this very closely. Mind if I ask what towers/rails/carrier you are running?

 

[uplandgunner]

Nice looking rig! I plan to copy this very closely. Mind if I ask what towers/rails/carrier you are running?

KB Voodoo max modular 18" bedrack, Thule rails and kayak / paddle board supports.

 

[Microday]

1st time for this configuration. I only drive 2 miles to the lake so securing is minimal and I can keep the kayak in the up position. I have the rack set to a lower position vertically, it will raise to have full clearance above Top. I really like this rack, I plan to dissemble my KUAT Sherpa bike rack to be used on this base allowing me to eliminate an accessory in my garage.

 

[kayakmike]

OK, so this old thread I started (months before the first Gladiator hit the lots) got resurrected recently, which is great. I've been putting photos of my setups on my build page but never followed up with this thread.

Simple answer, one size doesn't fit all. I have several kayak carrying options depending on what kayak I'm carrying. I put the Yakima Overhaul HD rack back on this weekend for some sea kayaking, and took more photos. Here's a quick summary of some of the kayak mounting options I've pursued, with more installation details on my build thread.

Mopar Bed Height Cross Bars

These kayaks are (more details on this post):

• Lime green one is a Jackson Fun (Gen 2) playboat. It's 6' 6" long.
• Yellow/orange one is a Jackson Antix M downriver kayak. It's 7' 9" long.
• Yellow one is a Dagger VampireBat kayak polo boat. It's 9' 9" long.

I like the height of these cross bars. Except for the shortest kayaks, they aren't the most practical. I do like these cross bars for bikes, but the hitch mount bike carrier is easier to install/remove. Just as easy to throw shorter boats in the bed, especially with my bed extender. After trying out these cross bars initially, I haven't put them back on my JT.

Yakima Overhaul HD Rack

These kayaks are (more details on this post):

• EasyRider glass sea kayak is 18' 6" long.
• Perception plastic sea kayak is 14' long.

Overhaul installation details in this thread. For long boats, the Overhaul rack by itself is OK, but I prefer even more distance between cross bars, so I also use one of my RainGutter roof mounts. Mostly just use the RainGutter mounts to hoist my roof off, since I don't trust a removable roof to carry much weight (and would never put the cross bars on the freedom panels).

Kayak Trailer
When hauling multiple sea kayaks, the trailer is my preferred hauling method.

 

[Jellygladiator]

This seems to work great AA rack With clamps. 18 foot canoe.
will add top rack to make more secure
mom not using the window steel if anyone wants to make an offer

 

[Jellygladiator]

Forgot pic

 

[Up venture]

Was able to shove 4 sit in kayaks of various makes into the box. We do a lot of mostly calm water or river floating (boats were strapped in before we hit the road)

 

[RemodelMonster]

Was able to shove 4 sit in kayaks of various makes into the box. We do a lot of mostly calm water or river floating (boats were strapped in before we hit the road)

Looks like this gets 'er done! I've got a couple of Costco kayaks that I need to haul for short distances - this solution has inspired me as I just got my JT and was not ready to commit to a rack system yet.

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