[panfishonthefly]

I've had my Ridgeline for a few months now, and I absolutely love it. I'm getting ready to purchase a kayak, and my first thought was to get a 10 foot. With the proper tie down, it fits nicely in the bed without any type of extender. However, I'm really interested in a 12 foot sit-on-top kayak, and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience transporting one with this:

http://www.amazon.com/TMS-T-NS-HITCH-BED-EXTENDER-Pickup-Mounted-Extender/dp/B005KVLX50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433895671&sr=8-1&keywords=truck+bed+extender+kayak

I guess that would leave about 6 feet sticking out. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[amindtat]

I just got the same extender last week. It does the job. I'm able put two kayaks (12'8" and 13'8") in the bed with it. Like most of the reviews say, the fit of the parts is sloppy, but once you put some tension on them with weight and tie downs, it improves a lot. One of these days I might get around to shimming them up with some tape or something.

 

[GCWaters]

I have one .... used it for canoes, kayaks, lumber....works great!

 

[SevernRiverRidge]

I bought the same extender a few months ago. I have only used it locally just to test it out. See my previous post about it:

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1573578&postcount=21

After that though I found a great deal on some Yakima Qtower racks and TMS universal kayak J Cradles, (all in all spent less than $200) and that's how I transport my 10'er now. It works great.

I bought the hitch extender for my 17' canoe but haven't used it for that yet.

 

[Parsec]

This one has gotten rave reviews:

but it's a lot pricier.

 

[rmhpmi]

This is a stupid question from a possible newbie kayak owner, but what is the best way to secure the front of one's boat in the bed of the Ridgeline? I can see it would be relatively simple to secure the aft section to these type of extenders , but I can't quite visualize how to strap in the front to keep it secure.

I'm thinking hard about picking up a second hand 12' fishing kayak so I can expand my available fishing grounds. Being able to transport it safely without having to use a roof rack is something I'm trying to figure out. I appreciate all the forum posts about it!

 

[Parsec]

This is corndog's 14 foot kayak:

 

[Dnick]

This is a stupid question from a possible newbie kayak owner, but what is the best way to secure the front of one's boat in the bed of the Ridgeline? I can see it would be relatively simple to secure the aft section to these type of extenders , but I can't quite visualize how to strap in the front to keep it secure.

I'm thinking hard about picking up a second hand 12' fishing kayak so I can expand my available fishing grounds. Being able to transport it safely without having to use a roof rack is something I'm trying to figure out. I appreciate all the forum posts about it!

Maybe I'm not understanding the question properly, but wouldn't you just use the forward tie downs on the floor of the bed??

 

[rmhpmi]

Maybe I'm not understanding the question properly, but wouldn't you just use the forward tie downs on the floor of the bed??

I'm probably overthinking it dnick. It's a known character defect.

Any kayak would likely have plenty of tie downs to run a strap through and then secure the front of boat using the forward tie downs. I had it in my mind that the kayak might slide rearward when accelerating, but as long as I secure the straps correctly that shouldn't be an issue really.

Like I said, a stupid question.

 

[oarnold]

Use the search function of this site, and you can find where someone attached small loops of webbed fabric, or D-hooks or similar, just inside the hood/front fender gap. You can see an example in photo 4 of this thread.

 

[Parsec]

Maybe I'm not understanding the question properly, but wouldn't you just use the forward tie downs on the floor of the bed??

On a 12 foot kayak (or anything over 10 feet), the forward tie downs will only secure the front half of the kayak closer to the rear sliding window. I think rmhpmi is asking how to secure the rear half of the kayak from sliding around while it's sitting on the hitch extender. In the picture I posted it looks like there's a pink tie down that addresses that issue. All hitch extenders should come with 2 additional tie downs to secure the load that's sticking out of the bed (both left and right as well as extra insurance for front to rear sliding).

 

[inklegg]

Another option, if you have a roof rack.

 

[Somanyroads]

I have one, it works great!

 

[rmhpmi]

Hey guys, sorry I kind of abandoned this thread for a while. Yes, I am a little concerned about adequately anchoring the rear half of the boat for transport. As it turns out, I am probably going to end up with a 13 or 14 foot yak and I am not sure I'd be comfortable just tying down the bow and strapping the stern into the bed without adding some kind of support as others have done. My budget is getting stretched pretty thin already, but I'd hate to buy a $1,000 kayak only to lose it going home!

The hitch extender seems like a reasonably priced option, even if I lose some hauling capacity. A bitchin' rack that would hold a couple of boats and still let me have full access to the bed would be great, but those are pretty expensive it seems. I need some money left over to rig my boat for bass fishing!

 

[itsgotime]

Just reviving this old thread! Any further users of the device mentioned in this thread? Any newer ideas around? On putting a 10 footer in with the bed down, I would guess nothing additional is needed other than the proper tie downs and a flag off the back?

 

[BlueLine]

I bought the same extender a few months ago. I have only used it locally just to test it out. See my previous post about it:

Hauling Canoe without Roof Rack, RTL w/ moonroof

After that though I found a great deal on some Yakima Qtower racks and TMS universal kayak J Cradles, (all in all spent less than $200) and that's how I transport my 10'er now. It works great.

I bought the hitch extender for my 17' canoe but haven't used it for that yet.

Interesting how you ran the forward lines... what did you anchor them to? Any chafe on the paint?


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[BlueLine]

Interesting how you ran the forward lines... what did you anchor them to? Any chafe on the paint?


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Found the thread on the Underwood straps... very cool, should be standard!

Front tie downs for canoe

Front tie downs for canoe

I just bought a new RL and will be hauling my canoe frequently. I already have a Saris rack with gunnel clips and can order RL clips for it. I am considering an additional rack of some sort for the bed (have seen some good ones in other threads) but for now I just need to secure the canoe using...

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