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Old 11-14-2018, 06:12 AM   #1
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Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: alpharetta, Georgia
Trailer: 2014 21' Escape
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Kayak Rack?

Hello fellow Escape's,
One of the things we enjoy doing when we camp is kayaking, we have wet suits so sometimes we even do it when its a little cold. We really don't do white water kayaking but enjoy paddling on just about any body of water. When it is the two of us the two seat sit on top we use is getting to heavy or I'm getting to old and weak to get it on top of our Pathfinder. Doing research it looks like the Thule Hullavator is best option. Anyone have one of these they can tell me what they think or anyone have anything else they would suggest?
Big thanks in advance for any feedback.

Safe and fun travels to all.

Steve
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Old 11-14-2018, 07:23 AM   #2
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There is a TV commercial for some type of drug that shows a kayak rack that drops off the top to the side of the truck. You load your kayak just above waist level and strap it in, then the rack slides back to the top of the truck. It works like the new service truck ladder racks. At one time I found it on the net but no luck today.
Yakima has a kayak loading assist bar that extends from the rack tube. You lean one end of the Kayak against the extended bar, then you just pick up the other end and roll the kayak onto the rack.

Eddie
This may be the rack.
https://modularacks.com/product/show...kayak-carrier/
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Old 11-14-2018, 07:56 AM   #3
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http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...a-13896-2.html This is the only mention of the Hullavator I see on the forum.
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Old 11-14-2018, 09:38 AM   #4
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I’ve been kayaking for over 40 years and have had various racks on my vehicles over the years. The Thule hullivators are definitely the way to go. We’ve been using them for 10 years now. They are easy to use and take the stress off of the old body in getting the boats up on top of the truck. They also help prevent squabbles when loading the boats! They are a bit pricy but they are well worth it.

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Scott
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Old 11-14-2018, 09:59 AM   #5
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We've transported our two Hobie kayaks from Key West to northern BC, Colorado & Wyoming to the Canadian Maritimes using the Yakima Boatloader. I tend to feel "keep it simple" is almost always the best. And it appears simpler and no doubt less expensive than the Hullivator. Anyway, your choice. Here's a video of how it works:

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Old 11-14-2018, 11:58 AM   #6
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Thule Hullavator is definitely the way to go. My wife is short, and I am tall, but have bad shoulders (among other things), and cannot load them any other way. We have also had a number of different kinds of racks over the years. The only way they could be any better is if they picked them up off the ground!

Frank
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Old 11-14-2018, 01:21 PM   #7
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i had a hullavator its good but for me even getting it to waist high was difficult i switched to the oru folding kayak 30 pds use it a lot more
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Old 11-14-2018, 01:53 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox hunt View Post
i had a hullavator its good but for me even getting it to waist high was difficult i switched to the oru folding kayak 30 pds use it a lot more
Getting ours to waist high is easier for my small wife than it is for me, but we work together. Once the kayaks are loaded, what a pleasure.
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Old 11-14-2018, 02:25 PM   #9
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Without our camp trailer we use a Yakima Rack and Roll 78" trailer for our yaks and mountain bikes....we have 14' long Old Town kayaks. You can also mount a rooftop box on the trailer to haul other stuff (like paddles and gear) but the trailer only holds about 300 pounds total. It weighs like nothing. We have the Thule J racks that fit on all of this stuff.



With our camp trailer on we have 2 4' step ladders to get the kayaks on top of our Tundra with cap using "cap racks".



Our previous truck has no cap and we used a Thule Exporter to carry the yaks (and lumber). Nice set up.

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Old 11-14-2018, 02:30 PM   #10
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We're gonna need to carry our twelve (wife's) and thirteen (mine) footers on the top of my full size 4 door pickup if we actually buy a 5.0TA. We'll figure something out. We have two bikes to haul as well.
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