I'm considering getting a kayak, but they are few and far between right now. I could use my 6' X 8' flatbed trailer to haul it, but a roof rack would be nice, too. I'm sure some of you have kayak racks. What can you tell me about them? What's good, and what's bad? I'd like to be able to remove as much as possible in the off-season. Thanks.

 

I haul my Hobie Revolution 11 kayak in the Fit with me. I recline the front seat down, put the rear seat section down flat and then slide the nose of the kayak all the way to the front dash. Line the seats with a roll out section of tarp, plastic, or whatever you call it. I attached a handle to the hatch and this is my hook point for my two tie down straps using the rear seat side attachment points. I use a strap to secure the kayak to one of these points. Not conventional but it works for me and no hassle of a trailer or car topping. My PFD (life vest) serves as the cushion or resting point for the hatch lid when I cinch it down to close over the yak.

 

Clever. How much of the kayak is sticking out? I'll be getting a 10.5' Wilderness Aspire. A tarp costs a lot less than a Thule system.

Do you get exhaust smell inside the car? I once had to ride for an hour with the hatch of my Civic open, and the exhaust was pulled right in.

EDIT: I see you're from Texas. If I were to get a roof rack, I'd probably get it from Rack Outfitters, in Austin. They have very good installation videos.

 

The Revo 11 sticks out but minimally, I'd say about 2 feet. Never have any issues with the law and they pass me by without a second glance. I have an RV6 catted downpipe and a catback and I DO get a heavy exhaust smell inside wafting in. Just blast and point the a/c straight at my face when driving to deal with it. My next yak hauler will be a pickup but then that will cost me $25-35K and I'd lose the glorious 42+ mpg getting there.

 

I don't have experience hauling kayak, but plenty of other things. For me carrying stuff with hatch open is the worst choice, and I'd do it for very short distances only. I hate that smell, noise and wind. Tiny trailer intended for kayak would be most convenient if you don't need to park in the town or drive hours on highways. Trailer is easy to load/unload and remove. If needed to park in the town or drive long distances on highway I'd opt for roof rack, but it's little more work to load/unload and remove the rack.