Carrying boat upside down

For some of us, the foam blocks are easier. Until recently I had 5 different kayaks/skis all different widths or profiles, the foam blocks accomodates them all without hassle.

dagger23 wrote: Wow, whats gets me, if you can afford to buy a ski, you should be able to afford a good rack setup and not be using foam blocks around a factory bar setup. That said I use Yakima Aero Saddles and my ski sometimes wants to wander back and forth a bit. Gets really bad behind semi's. I also hve a Goodboy Kayaks V-bar setup which is great. 8' long of aluminum and bolts to anything. Nothing will wander on that thing.

Umm I can afford to buy a good rack setup....maybe you should actually read the post.

Height is the issue, and I've also found that the boat actually wanders more in cradles than it does when its placed on the rack like this. The flat section around the steering pedals is probably the strongest part of the boat and when it settles into a 'foam block' its really solid. Not sure why so many people use the kayak saddles for ski's actually think they are more secure as shown in the photo.

i can not only afford racks and saddles, i have them on my truck and i carry my boats upside down in the sadddles.
the reason is that right side up in a strong cross wind the boats will blow right out of the cradles. just because this has never happened to you does not mean it does not happen.

Seems everyone's experience is different, however witnessing a Fenn cracking at the seam from being carried upside down gives me no confidence in ever carrying my ski upside down.

This is how I carry mine, never moves and isn't even cranked down all that hard. On short trips I don't even tie it on at the back rack, but this trip was over 200km.

Kayaker Greg wrote: Seems everyone's experience is different, however witnessing a Fenn cracking at the seam from being carried upside down gives me no confidence in ever carrying my ski upside down.

This is how I carry mine, never moves and isn't even cranked down all that hard. On short trips I don't even tie it on at the back rack, but this trip was over 200km.

Hey Greg, a little hard to tell from the photo, is your ski sitting on shaped foam blocks or on saddles on the racks?

Thanks, Jonathan

I've also found that the boat actually wanders more in cradles than it does when its placed on the rack like this

My boat does not wander at all in cradles.
It may rock a little over bumps because the straps are so loose, but it simply cannot wander.

When I put it upside down on the racks, even though it was on the sticky rubber strip that runs in the channel of the rack, it always moved.
You simply cannot strap it down tight enough without damage to stop it.
OK for a quick trip to the beach, but big fail on the highway.

I've had a V10, V10sport, Swordfish, 660, V12 all in the rack without adjusting them.

Cradles are at max an inch higher than the bar, if anything they are easier to load as you roll it in on the pivoting cradle.
Easier than trying to put it all the way up on the rack upside down and then try and get the bloody thing straight.

With the cradles you don't have to reach accross the vehicle, just rest it on the outside cradle and roll it in.
Your arms are effectively much longer without having to hold the ski up and reach over the vehicle.

All this rope tom foolery, just get good cradles and make your life easier.


The boat cannot blow out of cradles without destroying it.
Front and back helper ropes are only required to stop rocking on rough roads or high speed/wind speed.

Rightarmbad wrote: Cradles are at max an inch higher than the bar, if anything they are easier to load as you roll it in on the pivoting cradle.
Easier than trying to put it all the way up on the rack upside down and then try and get the bloody thing straight.

With the cradles you don't have to reach accross the vehicle, just rest it on the outside cradle and roll it in.
Your arms are effectively much longer without having to hold the ski up and reach over the vehicle.

All this rope tom foolery, just get good cradles and make your life easier.


The boat cannot blow out of cradles without destroying it.
Front and back helper ropes are only required to stop rocking on rough roads or high speed/wind speed.

//The boat cannot blow out of cradles without destroying it.//
this is not true. a side wind can blow it out of the cradles without destroying the boat. of course, the boat can be damaged also once it is out of the cradles, especially at speed.

You must have crap cradles then, or simply don't know how to set them up.

I challenge you to get my boat out of it's cradles without removing the straps.

If you break it, you buy me a new one.
If you don't, I'll give you a new one.

No loosening the cradle knobs or cutting straps.
No forces that can break a cradle that cannot occur from driving, like no crowbars to bust them type of crap.






Sorry B, 2 craps in there, three now.

if i tighten the kayak/ski down with straps right side up in the cradle
with enough pressure/force/torque to keep it from blowing out in a 40-60 MPH gust crosswind the tightening will damage the kayak/ski.
this is the problem. i assumed you knew that. if you do not, then of course what i am writing would not make any sense.
i personally have seen both happen - boats damaged by too much pressure on the straps and boats blown out of saddles by a gusty cross wind.
since i began flipping my boats upside down in their THULE saddles i have not had any problems at all. i began doing this about 12 years ago. YMMV!

Maybe you should try some Rola cradles then.......

if someone steals my THULE's then i will look into new cradles.
until then i am happy using them with my boats upside down.
no problems since 1995 when i bought them.

JonathanC wrote:

Kayaker Greg wrote: Seems everyone's experience is different, however witnessing a Fenn cracking at the seam from being carried upside down gives me no confidence in ever carrying my ski upside down.

This is how I carry mine, never moves and isn't even cranked down all that hard. On short trips I don't even tie it on at the back rack, but this trip was over 200km.

Hey Greg, a little hard to tell from the photo, is your ski sitting on shaped foam blocks or on saddles on the racks?

Thanks, Jonathan

Yes, shaped foam blocks that slot onto the racks. I also have solid craddles but removed them as it was easier to use these with multiple boats and these were the easiest on the hulls. You do need to use front straps with the foam blocks, but the overall tension on the middle straps does not need to be as as tight for short trips to the water. Even so, you can crank them down without problems for the longer trips. I have a short strap loop, a couple of inches long attached to the front of the car that I clip a carabiner onto for the front strap and half the strap has shock cord to keep tension on the front, no risk of it coming loose and going under the front of the car.
The rear is a fixed loop that needs no adjustment either, just is looped around the tow bar and the rear of the ski. So ski go's on foam cradles, rear loop go's on, front loop go's on, and for most trips (local) only the front racks tie downs need to be fastened and tightened. Quick and easy.

Thanks Rightarmbad, I think having it on foam it can compress into rather than just the rubber on the racks makes a big difference, I'd never put it upside down without a good foam pad.

Maybe its just the cradles I've been using that have put me off them, what brand do you use? Ah just re-read further up the page and realised you have Rola's.

Trouble for me is that I'm constantly loading other stuff on and off the racks and the cradles get in the way, but maybe you will wear me down on this one.....

Undo large radius thumb nut, slide off. Replace portion of rubber strip where cradle was to stop whistle.
A minute or so.

Or alternatively, use the low profile bar clamps provided and use the quick release function.
Off in seconds.
Also means you can slide them around without having to deal with the rubber strip being removed or cut to size.

I can fit bike racks in the middle of the cradles when fitted either way. Just flip cradles outwards.

Some people turn the cradles around and this mounts the ski higher and they then leave the bike racks there permanently.

I don't normally do this as it doesn't support the ski as far up the sides.

Height wise, my drain on the V10 just clears the bar.

I see the hullavator was mentioned... I'm looking at getting one of these for my pajero. I have an Epic v10L and was wondering how to pad up the hullavator so it doesn't hurt it (my ski) .. Any ideas?

Hi,
What I have done: Foam cushion block at least 10cm thick (mine 15cm thick) cut to the profile shape of the hull at the points it rests on the hullavators . Then attach to the hullavators. I just use large rubber bands to attach as I need to change for different skis; only one profile ski then attach with electrical tape. Easy as and great protection. You will probably find that the original hullavator hull shapers don't close in an enough for elite ski's width, but the foam soon fills the gap and adds protection.
Cheers

Perfect! Thanks! I'm going to go ahead and buy one today!

Here are couple of recommendations that may work for some of you:
1. Use larger straps (webbing should be 2" instead of the standard 1")
2. If you use cradles, glue some carpet with ShoeGU. It's flexible, and will never let go.
3. If you are using Yakima or Thule bars, first place carpet on the bars and use tie-wraps to secure. Next, install your favorite foam pads. This will prevent them to move around, prevent the need to over tighten your ski, and will still provide additional shock absorption.