Kayak Roofrack Loading Assistor

Getting a 30 Kg kayak on to a car's roof rack can be a challenge and is usually a task for two people. The Kayak loading assistor I made allowed me to get the kayak on and off the car by myself.

A kayak is loaded on to the roof rack by positioning the rear of the kayak behind the car with about a quart of the font along side it. The front of the kayak is then lifted onto the assistor and the kayak is raised from the rear and slide forward. The assistor, assists until the kayak reaches the first kayak support on the roof rack. The kayak is then fully raised and slide fully on. I found a better grip between the suckers of the assistor and car's roof was obtained by cleaning where they were to go with a little soapy water.

The second one I made used a bolt and nut to attach the bend between the two halves of a dent puller. The first one used a self tapping screw and I notice this could come free. You could probably get by with out using a fastening, as once the suckers are sucked down to the roof they provide the support for the bend which the kayak slides on.

Plastic Dent puller (I got one from the an auto accessories store)

Plumbing bend

2, 15mm x 6mm bolts

2, 6mm dome nuts

Small piece of high density foam

super glue

Tools

Hand saw

Drill and drill bit

The dent puller was cut in half. As it is made of plastic this was able to be done using a wood saw.

A kayak slider was made by attaching the cut halves to a 32mmx45 deg UPVC plumbing bend using a M6 x 15mm bolt and M6 dome nut each side. The hole for the bolt and nut was drilled from the bottom side. The bolt is thread out from the inner cylinder and its hole has plenty of play. The idea is to have a very loose joint with multi planes of movement so the suckers can get a good grip on the car's slightly curved roof. Once sucked down it becomes rigid.

As the joint needs to be flexible it wasn't possible to fully tighten the nut to the bolt. To stop it coming loose, super glue was used.

A piece of high density foam was glued under the bend to provide protection to the roof of the car if a sucker dislodged while the kayak was on it. It is also a good idea to place a mat on the roof of the car in case the kayak slides off the kayak loading assistor.

Take care when lifting a kayak onto a car as there is a risk to kayak, car or self. If you are unsure seek assistance.