Kayaks – Up On the Roof

In the end we decide we would not be happy with an inflatable kayak. Hard sided, single kayaks where our choice.  When we started our kayak search, we figured whatever kayak we chose would somehow magically fit inside our van Sparty. Luckily in Sedona we added an awning. And that awning required roof racks. We now had an attic where we can store things like…kayaks.

The next challenge was getting them on and off the roof. Our van Sparty is over 7′ tall. We needed a ladder that was small enough to store in the van yet tall enough to access the roof. Some readers may remember our co-worker “Larry.” Larry was like those “as seen on TV” ladders that has expandable legs and could be a step ladder or a long extension ladder. A ladder like Larry has many pluses. However being lightweight was not one of them. Larry was one heavy ladder.

We found a light-weight relative of Larry hiding near the paint section at Walmart. Thin and short he is just enough to help getting the kayaks on and off yet still fit under our bed in the van.

We take the rug from the passenger side (bath rug that sits on top of our levelers) and place it on the roof between the roof racks so we can slide the kayaks up onto the roof.

We use two 12′ straps to hold each kayak down. A 15′ strap ties the back of the kayaks to the back rack.

Ropes with D-clips secure the front of the kayaks to the rack mounting points on the roof and a 15′ strap pulls the kayaks together on the front rack.

Paddles come apart into two sections and we store them over the wheel wells. Our life vests will be “stored” on top of everything under our bed – ok we plan on stuffing them in whatever space is left.

With the kayaks on top, Sparty is now 8′ 11 5/16″ tall (2.8 meters if we are in Canada).  As you can see from the above pictures, we still fit in some parking garages but just barely!