Reddit mentions of Seattle Sports Sherpak Suction Boat Roller Load Assist for Mounting Kayaks and Canoes to Car Tops, One Size, Silver

I'm 26 and 200 (with around 30 pounds of tackle, anchor, fishfinder, battery, etc. on board as well) with what I'd like to think is a pretty good sense of balance. I added a stand assist strap, and I can stand up in calm water to stretch and do some spotting, but anything more than that gets pretty darn sketchy.

I have yet to take mine into saltwater, but I absolutely don't see why not. It's actually 12'6", and I feel that the effective beam is much closer to 28" instead of the advertised 30". All things considered, it's a pretty quick boat for its class.

This is my mounting setup for my Garmin 5DV. I got a smokin' deal on it, which came in handy because RAM mounts are surprisingly expensive. Worth every penny so far though. I think the lighter-duty (and slightly shorter, which was the killer for me) RAM mount for a 4DV or other, vertical-screen fishfinder is close to half the price of the one I got though. All in all, a pretty easy install, just be wary of hidden costs such as transducer arm, battery, mounts, jerry-rigging hardware, etc. I suppose the good news is that I could move this setup to damn near any kayak (or even real boat) I want in the future with very minimal fuss.

Definitely cartoppable with the help of some load assist devices. Grab one of these and consider using a set of saddles that have rollers. I'm personally using a pair of Yakima Mako Saddles and a pair of Yakima Hully Rollers on my 2015 Subaru Impreza hatchback. If you're planning on using those sketchy foam blocks.... well..... good luck?

One important point to consider is that the stock seat is total dogshit. I bought one of these and added a 1.5" ass-pad underneath it and I gained worlds of comfort while still retaining a relatively low, efficient paddling position. I'm of the opinion that all of the fancy lawn chair setups found in higher-end kayaks, while supremely comfortable, aren't high enough to really provide much of a vision advantage while at the same time add a serious detriment to your paddling efficiency. To be fair, when I learned to kayak as a kid, it was through whitewater, so my ideas surrounding paddling are probably somewhat biased.

I seed and sawed on getting this model boat, among others, for months while I worked up funds for it, and then suddenly my friend offered to sell me his, barely used and with a fiberglass shaft paddle of correct length, for $250, leaving me plenty of funds to modify it to my liking.

You may not be able to use this exact make and model, but this loading technique is effective. And really, you can duplicate it on whatever rack you have by removing the crossbar's end cap and using a piece of rebar steel (assuming you use a rack with exposed crossbar ends). This would be the cheapest option.

If you don't have exposed crossbar ends, then another thing you can do to load a kayak onto a normal car like yours, is to use a kayak cart as a "roller" by turning it upside down and placing it on the trunk or back windsheld of your car (depending on the shape of your cart and contours of your particular car). Video demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wnzk1VOJa0

If you're not able to do that for some reason, or don't need to own a kayak cart, they sell something that accomplishes the same thing:

https://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Sports-Sherpak-Boat-Roller/dp/B009PAAI5I/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B009PAAI5I&pd_rd_r=XZY5YQA7AXZTVQKZH3VE&pd_rd_w=zCMiP&pd_rd_wg=k1tUj&psc=1&refRID=XZY5YQA7AXZTVQKZH3VE

Hope that helps.

http://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Sports-Sherpak-Boat-Roller/dp/B009PAAI5I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449468256&sr=8-2&keywords=Kayak+loader


Buy one of these

I use a boat roller like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009PAAI5I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 , Seattle Sports Sherpak Boat Roller) to help me load my kayak onto my cartop racks from the rear of the vehicle.

I have the same method of loading except I use a boat roller instead of a mat. They have suction cups for attaching to my vehicle.

Seattle Sports Sherpak Suction Boat Roller Load Assist for Mounting Kayaks and Canoes to Car Tops, One Size, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PAAI5I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KL3jDbVD31R0P

>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009PAAI5I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KL3jDbVD31R0P

I have been trying for years