Questions on Hullavator, Roof Capacities, etc.

[Ruy Lopez]

My wife and I own two 11.5 foot, Perception Striker kayaks. They each weigh a whopping 65 pounds.  We are getting too old to lug these over ahead onto our Ford Expedition. Our Expedition is going bye-bye so our current situation is that we have a 2009 Honda Odyssey and a 2010 Nissan Sentra.  We are thinking of investing in the Hullavator. My questions are:

 

1.   Based on my research it appears that the Hullavator can handle the perception striker dimensions/weight. Anybody have any thoughts or, more importantly, personal experience.

 

2.  What are the roof capacities of each of the Sentra and Odyssey vehicles? I couldn’t find them in the user manual.  I called a couple dealerships and not a ton of success. The Nissan guy didn’t have anything on paper but he figured they could handle up to 300 pounds. As I said the two kayaks together would be 130 pounds. The Hulkavator would be another 40 pounds and neither of the cars have racks so we would have to add that weight as well.

 

3.   Any thoughts on alternatives to what I mentioned above?

 

Obviously when you are talking about getting a Hullavator for each kayak AND getting racks then we’re talking about a pretty sizable investment. Especially when compared to what the kayaks cost. At this point however the kayaks are getting no use and are just taking up space in the garage. So we gotta do what we feel we gotta do.

 

 

[Choporoz]

I have some thoughts, but may not be of much explicit value to your situation, I'm afraid. 

We don't have a sedan or a van.  

-I bought a Hullivator for my wife's RAV4.  She loves it and can easily handle her 10' Perception, even with chronic back issues.   So, I heartily endorse the Hullivator if your cars can handle it.

-I am neither young, nor particularly fit, but I carry my yak on a full size SUV with Thule Glide and Set racks.  I'd think my loading method would work as well on a van.  The only heavy lifting I do is to stand it straight up.  I put a 3x5 throw rug on the back top, trailing down the window, and then stand the yak and lean it against the rug.  Lifting, sliding onto the racks across the rug isn't very difficult, at all.  The rubber backing on the bottom of the rug prevents slipping, and the rug itself makes a good slide surface.

 

Lastly, not sure how the van is configured, but I saw a guy with a 'family van' at the launch the other day.  He opened the back doors and slid his yak right on up inside -- I didn't go over to look at the seating or see if it had been gutted, but it looked 'normal' from a distance....probably just folded seats and slid the kayak right on in.

[Further North]

On 6/15/2018 at 9:49 AM, Ruy Lopez said:

3.   Any thoughts on alternatives to what I mentioned above? 

I went and looked up the Hullavator.  It's pretty cool, I really like the idea.

 

...but I'm chea...I mean frugal...and I avoid lifting awkward things like kayaks and canoes for a myriad of reasons...

 

I bought an inexpensive utility trailer at Farm 'n' Barn for about $250, rigged it to hold my canoe for about another $100 and two hours work and really like it.  The lift is easy (more of a drag, really) and I get the added benefit of having the utility trailer around for other stuff.

[A-Jay]

23 minutes ago, Further North said:

I went and looked up the Hullavator.  It's pretty cool, I really like the idea.

 

...but I'm chea...I mean frugal...and I avoid lifting awkward things like kayaks and canoes for a myriad of reasons...

 

I bought an inexpensive utility trailer at Farm 'n' Barn for about $250, rigged it to hold my canoe for about another $100 and two hours work and really like it.  The lift is easy (more of a drag, really) and I get the added benefit of having the utility trailer around for other stuff.

Sweet.

And right about now would be a good time for a visual  . . . .

A-Jay

[Further North]

6 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Sweet.

And right about now would be a good time for a visual  . . . .

A-Jay

I knew someone would ask...

 

 

...and here's the one downside to utility trailers: Other people borrow them sometimes...

 

It's "involved in a project" and I probably won't have it back until the 4th of July.  Not a big deal as I'm not going to need the canoe before then anyway.

 

I'll do my best with words:

 

Treated 2 x 12 deck, bolted through frame with stainless bolts.

 

Treated 4 x 4 uprights, braced both directions in the corners, so that the top of a canoe is about waist high when loaded.

 

Treated 4 x 4 cross pieces (removable; I unbolt them) at the above height to support the inverted canoe.

 

I considered permanent hardware to hook the straps to...don't need it, the canoe ain't goin' anywhere.

 

I am still considering attaching an old 105 qt. cooler at the front as storage...but haven't put a lot of time into it yet because:

1. I think I want it removable, and I haven't wrapped my head 'round how to do that yet, and
2. It's not like I don't have room in the Edge for the stuff I'll need on any given trip, and if I add storage, I'll fill it up...

[flyfisher]

I prefer a purpose built trailer for sports aka roof rack on wheels myself.  I know a ton of people love the harbor freight trailers and do great things with them but i am pretty sure the majority are not rated for highway speeds and i have seen enough of them bouncing around on rough roads due to suspension that is designed to carry more weight.  My trailer is expensive but i have had zero concerns on the highway or back roads due to the motorcycle suspension and tires that are used. 

All that being said, the Hullavator is an awesome product.  My dad had one and it was great for loading on his kia something or other he had at the time.

[PECo]

The Honda online parts store says the roof capacity of a 2009 Odyssey is 165 pounds.