RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

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txbidcaller
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RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by txbidcaller »

Ok, I need some help here. I am new to RVing and fairly new to kayaking. I have a 30ft bumper pull trailer and a Stealth 14 yak. I'm thinking I could use a side ladder rack on the truck, found one with a 36in spread and the yak is 33in, put one upright in the middle hole and the other in the front, that should support the yak pretty much in the middle, if not, I can beef that section up so that it does. Anyone have a similar rigging or better option? Open for any suggestions or comments...
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ezygo
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by ezygo »

I'm having a hard time vizualizing what you are trying to explain. What type of side ladder rack are you referring to?

I'm in a similar situation with RV and kayaks. I have contractors rack on the truck but the kayaks would have to be slid forward so far forward on the rack to clear the front of the trailer, I'm not sure how well it would work at freeway speeds. What I've done for now until I come up with a solution is to store the RV at Matagorda and have the kayaks at home in Spring.
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generalnotes
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by generalnotes »

Maybe I'm just not thinking it through, but It seems to me that with a bumper pull camper/trailer and any kind of rooftop kayak rack you shouldn't have a problem with clearance. I pull mine with boats on top every time we go camping. I don't have a picture with the camper hooked up, but I have this one with a small trailer. Now, granted, my truck is pretty long, so the boats are centered better, but I think even with a small truck it should work.
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hipshot
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by hipshot »

You should be fine. I built a rack to haul my two kayaks when I'm dragging the RV. I mount them at the front and rear of the bed and they support the boats (12'-7" and 13'-7") just fine, with plenty of clearance. I'll see if the bride will post a photograph later.
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by hipshot »

Here is photo of the rack.

Image
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cliftonio
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by cliftonio »

All depends on your truck bed length and yak length. I have a 1500 short bed. I use a roof rack system and my 16ft yak extends just inside the end of the bed, so no problem hauling a trailer. A ladder rack on your bed may do fine if you stay in the 13-14ft yak range
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generalnotes
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by generalnotes »

After rereading your post, I realized that it isn’t the clearance you are asking about, it’s whether or not a side ladder rack will hold you boat, right? I can’t see any reason why a side rack shouldn’t work for you. I found this on TKF -
rack.jpg
rack.jpg (32.29 KiB) Viewed 4621 times
And this on another site-
side rack.jpg
txbidcaller
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by txbidcaller »

Thanks for all the replies, and pictures. This helps a lot. I wanted a trac rac, but seems like a lot of cash for the use I would get and I really didn't want to mount a cross bar on my cab. I will post some pics when I get it geared up. Thanks again.
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Re: RVing and Kayaking--will side ladder rack work?

Post by GoDoe »

Mine is from Harbor Freight and works great. Never even know the kayak is up there. I do make sure to set the kayak kind of forward so there are no issues with it hitting the travel trailer. Also with the ladder rack you leave the mounts (sleeves) in the truck all the time, they are not in the way, and just put the arms in and out when you need them.

They were a little work to install but once it was done it is a great rig. The pic is with my 25' rv but I have upgraded to a 27' with no problems, oh but maybe the gas milage.
2009_0618AransaswRV6-14-090001.JPG
2009_0618AransaswRV6-14-090001.JPG (28.06 KiB) Viewed 4489 times
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