My DIY Kayak Rack

[TommyGp]

I wasn’t happy with the pricing or designs of commercially available racks. I don’t really want a bunch of stuff hanging off of the truck all the time, and don’t really need all the other stuff that the other racks are designed for. Maybe one day I will, but for now I just want a simple, removable, easily storable rack that will hold kayaks.

I also wanted something that would work with my Bak Revolver cover. It has a nice T-slot that I haven’t seen of the others. I found some T-bolts at McMaster-Carr that fit perfectly as well.

I had a friend with a plasma table and press brake cut and bend these uprights out of 1/8” mild steel. After some massaging and cleanup, I’ll weld them solid.

I will use some 1x2” box steel for the cross bars. It will all bolt together so I can tear them down for storage.

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[usnavycdr]

Looking nice!

 

[TommyGp]

Looking nice!

Thank you! My only concern at the moment is hoping the Kayaks don’t produce too much lifting force on the tonneau rails. If that appears to happen then I’ll have to develop a new solution similar to the mounts you did for yours.

 

[Jaxmax]

I’ve hauled kayaks for years I think bottom up, actually might give a downward pressure. I like the look, I assume load bars will stick out a bit, to allow two kayaks side by side which will be between 58 to 68 inches. Only suggestion is you might want a angled or X brace for the front support legs to stop sideways movement of rack. But again nice job!…..Jack

 

[TommyGp]

I’ve hauled kayaks for years I think bottom up, actually might give a downward pressure. I like the look, I assume load bars will stick out a bit, to allow two kayaks side by side which will be between 58 to 68 inches. Only suggestion is you might want a angled or X brace for the front support legs to stop sideways movement of rack. But again nice job!…..Jack

I have an old set of Thule Stackers and a set of feet, so the plan was to use them and haul up to 4 on their sides. But maybe upside down stacked in top of each other would work?

The idea behind this is to allow the cross bars to be as wide as necessary, so yes. The tops of the brackets are about 53” outside to outside.

I like the idea of bracing and have an idea about how to do it if necessary.

 

[Jaxmax]

What size kayaks , I’m into the salt so sit on top pedal drives usually, I have an RSI cap and have a set of removable Yakima control towers with round bars and each bar has a pull out boat loader on it that go allows me to easily load the heavy yaks but also can expand my rack to up to 70”, with the extra overhang on passenger side. I also have gone down rivers and swollen creeks in my Ocean Kayak 11 while hauling five yaks with yakima stackers on the very same bars I have now before cutting them down, my suburban was much wider.

 

[TommyGp]

What size kayaks , I’m into the salt so sit on top pedal drives usually, I have an RSI cap and have a set of removable Yakima control towers with round bars and each bar has a pull out boat loader on it that go allows me to easily load the heavy yaks but also can expand my rack to up to 70”, with the extra overhang on passenger side. I also have gone down rivers and swollen creeks in my Ocean Kayak 11 while hauling five yaks with yakima stackers on the very same bars I have now before cutting them down, my suburban was much wider.

Nothing significant like that. Just some 10’ Pelican sit-ins and a 10’ Sun Dolphin sit-on. We don’t use them enough to justify an expensive rack system, but hopefully with a better setup we will be more likely to get them out on random Sundays.

 

[Jaxmax]

Yup, your weigh will be way down then, will be watching , post as ya go, pretty neat that it works with the cover…..Jack

 

[TommyGp]

I finally got to use the racks this weekend. I summary, it sucks. ?

The primary issue is that the aluminum rails from the X4 cover aren’t firmly attached to the bed rails. With the leverage created by being 22’’ over the rails the whole assembly wiggles too much.

I could put a bunch more reinforcements to stiffen the rack and create a large assembly, but that would eliminate the ease of removal and storage which is the ultimate goal for me.

So, my new plan is to modify one set of uprights to only approximately 6” above the rails. Then modify a hitch-mounted bed extender to match that height. This will position the kayaks further rearward, keep them below the roofline, and by only having a single set of mounts on those rails reduce the lateral loads on the rails.

 

[Sportyrider1]

Love these. Can you furnish the dimensions.? I have a full sheet metal facility at my disposal Tia

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