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Kayaks In Short Bed: How To Transport Kayak in Short Bed Truck?
You’ll need to transport the kayak if you don’t buy it online (which I do not recommend). The pickup truck owner will transport their kayaks to the truck’s bed.
This is a much more convenient way to transport your kayak than using a regular car. Sometimes kayaks are too large to fit in a standard truck bed.
Consider this: If you want to purchase a 12.5-foot long sea kayak, and your Toyota Tacoma has a 5 ft truck bed (Standard short bed), there will be 7.5 feet of the truck bed.
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How do you transport a Kayak In Short Bed?
To transport the kayak, place it in the back of your pickup truck and secure it using simple tie-downs.
How do you do it? Let’s see how it works.
You can lower the tailgate and let the kayak hang from the back of your truck.
The amount of overhang can be reduced by moving the kayaking from one side of the truck towards the other.
You can tie it down. Most trucks have tie-down loops that are low to the bed walls. Installing tie-down loops at the top or mid-way of your truck’s bed walls will require you to install aftermarket loops or secure them properly around the bumper or other parts.
You can tie the kayak down by putting a rope or strap through your grab handle. Then, secure it to your truck.
You can tie the bed to the points if you feel you aren’t getting enough down pressure. One strap can be run across the tailgate to the hitch. You can then tie one of the bed tie-downs.
Sometimes, I have a paracord from one side of my bed that I attach to the kayak handle at the truck cab. This helps ensure the kayak doesn’t move side to side. Although I might be overdoing things, I can complete it in three minutes, and it doesn’t move.
After you have it in, load it into the bed. This will help balance the kayak.
Make sure you put a sign at the kayak’s end so other road users can see it. A red flag will suffice.
This is my preferred method. However, there are other options.
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Kayak Truck Utility Rack:
If you plan to transport your kayak to your favorite lakes and rivers, a kayak truck utility rack will be an excellent investment. The best kayaks are expensive and highly prized. You run the risk that your kayak could become loose or fall off your vehicle as you drive, which can be disastrous.
If you have multiple boats to transport, a utility rack is the better option. The utility rack is durable and ideal for kayakers who don’t mind carrying extra weight to their truck. A utility rack may be the best option, even if you’re not serious about outdoor living.
The sheer number of options makes it challenging to choose the right kayak rack for your truck. There are many sizes and shapes to choose from. I won’t be reviewing any products, so I will only give a brief overview and make a few suggestions.
My friend has the AA-Racks Model X35, and I recommend it.
- It works well, and it is very affordable.
- It is a high-quality rack.
- They can be taken off in minutes.
- It can fit up to two 10ft kayaks.
- It comes with Allen Head bolts, nuts, and washers.
- When not in use, they can be hung on the wall.
Product description:
The X35 has a load capacity of 800 lbs. It comes powder coated in matte black.
The rope hook is located on each side of the four uprights and provides security for tying tools or loads.
The upright plate has FIVE drilling holes, allowing X35 more compatible bolting to different bed margin sizes. You can also choose the No Drilling Option with the tab C-Clamp.
The top section has two “T” sleeves bars and a Middle Cross bar. Double-barred Middle sections are stronger than one-barred designs. They won’t bend or dent easily.
Its extendable design makes it compatible with different Truck bed widths, ranging from Min.51 Inch to Max.71 Inches. You can also choose from X34, which is compatible with small pickup Truckbed Widths ranging from Min. 38 Inches – Maximum. 38 Inch – Max.
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Installing Tips:
I recommend using a star bit and a ratchet to tighten the non-drilling C-clamps. This is a better option than the Allen wrench it comes with.
To prevent water from getting into the rack, I would seal the four top plastic caps that are inserted into the rack. According to what I’ve read, this rack can rust if it is left on the truck for a long time. I believe this is because the tubing inside isn’t fully painted.
This rack is also available in black. It was easy to put together and took me less than an hour to set up. It will be with the kayaks to the Ozarks this weekend, and I will update.
Customer Review:
T-Bone Truck Extender
This extender is used by many of my kayaker friends. It’s so popular that they encourage me to buy one. So I researched the internet. Boonedox Tbone Bed Extender is an adjustable truck bed extender made of aircraft-grade aluminum.
The curved design makes it easy for the customer to walk on uneven ground without damaging their product.
- Boonedox makes each T-Bone bed extender with aircraft aluminum.
- This lightweight yet strong and 100% rust-free product is made by Boonedox.
- Boonedox’s T-Bone Bed Extender can be adjusted to fit all truck bed heights.
- It is large enough to support two kayaks or canoes comfortably.
These are some comments from paddlers. One paddler said that the product is excellent for transporting his kayaks to the water. The curved design also helps me avoid dragging the product around on uneven terrain.
The T-bone was also very sturdy and durable, but it is also light and manageable. He unloads the kayaks when he gets to the water. He quickly unhooks the Tbone and locks it in his truck bed. It seems easy.
One of these systems might be my next purchase. If you have a tight budget, I recommend this system. Use the method that I have shown you at the end of the article.
Conclusion [Kayaks In Short Bed]
I hope you find the article helpful. I can’t provide all the solutions I found on the internet so I won’t help you. I want it to be simple. Please leave a comment below if you see something in this post incorrect or out of date. It will be updated as soon as I can.
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