yak in my truck
 

So I picked up my boat from CJ last night. I have a standard bed on my F150. The damn thing hung over the end of the tailgate by over 3 ft(even with the tailgate down). I dont have the money at this time for a rack.Do you think its safe to continue to transport it like this? Any of you know a good place to get a rack in the very near future?

with our 150 and an 8ft bed and 15ft yak, there was well over 3ft hanging off.
you should be fine. all we did was run a tie down through the front handle and go. make sure you have a flag or something bright on the back of the yak. its the law

Got the flag from CJ last night, strapped the end towards the front of the bed with one strap, and towards the back had to use one strap for each side.It seemed very secure, just concerned about the structure, since its haging over so long.

3 ft aint that much. we had over 5-6ft off the end and it never hurt anything. just dont leave it in the back of the truck for days and you should be fine.

JT, I didnt notice, Do you have a Hitch Receiver?

Not at this time, but Im going to get one, and i saw the hitch connection online for that.To broke after buying all this equipment...lol

You should be fine as long as the kayak is strapped in properly. I used a four-point strap set-up that kept my kayak from moving front-back or side to side. Just don't leave it hanging out over the edge if it gets really hot. It doesn't take long to develop a flat spot on the hull.

I carried my Drifter in the bed of my Ranger for 4 years with only one incident. I got rear-ended (almost) when coming back from Mission Bay. The car came to a stop just as it barely tapped my bumper. I had no damage to my truck or kayak, but the rudder pin left a 12" gouge in the car's hood. Even though there was no damage, this was the main factor in my decision to get the rack.

Thule and Yakima both make nice racks. I use a Thule Xsporter with a home-made kayak rack.
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall...01_Medium_.jpg

You can find racks at
REI
Rack-It
Track-Racks
The Rack Warehouse
I've also seen racks listed on Craig's List and on some of the kayak fishing message boards.

Thanks...Thats something i will look into when i get some more funds. I still have to get something to wear so feet stay warm/dry, and a cart so i dont jack up the boat while going to the water.

I have the same racks but my yak rubs the cab a bit. I noticed on your picture that you have something between the rack and your Prowler. What is that? (looks like a great idea)

can you imagine if it was a truck and it hit your kayak square......your truck would be speared. :eek:

I use this hitch mounted tail gate extender. 15' yak in 5' bed. $35 at Harbor Freight.
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwegall.../big_fluke.JPG

Yeah but I dont have the hitch receiver at this point. How much does it cost to get one installed? Ive only used my bumper ball.

pm'd you

I installed the receiver myself, 4 bolts - no drilling required, $79 from U-haul.

Thats good to know!!I think I saw them at wal mart as well. I will look into that.Thank s again!

I bought a receiver hitch and extender for my Dodge Dakota truck after I found I was caving in the bottom of my Prowler 15 when hitting bumps in the road. Giving support near the end cured that problem.

I've had my bed extender for 5 years and it works great. I don't have to lift the yak onto a tall rack...just slide her in. Not as practical as a rack for the long road trip but for local it's great.

yup!!!!!