Kayak Transport

[bgoldber88]

Hi there! I just got my 8 steps email last night and I'm excited to take delivery of my new R1T soon.

Can anybody share how they're transporting their kayak in the R1T? I'd love to see photos if you can share. I have a set of Thule folding kayak holders, so I suppose those could go on top of the cab, though there would be significant overhang over the front of the car. I'm curious if people have tried loading them in the bed?

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[aw113sgte]

Hi there! I just got my 8 steps email last night and I'm excited to take delivery of my new R1T soon.

Can anybody share how they're transporting their kayak in the R1T? I'd love to see photos if you can share. I have a set of Thule folding kayak holders, so I suppose those could go on top of the cab, though there would be significant overhang over the front of the car. I'm curious if people have tried loading them in the bed?

Mine are like 9' or so. I've loaded them in the bed loose, also on top of the cab with the kayak mounts from rivian. both worked well.

 

[bgoldber88]

Mine are 12'6" so I think they'd be tough to get in the bed nicely. Though, I'm not sure. This is my first truck.

 

[Riviot]

Mine are 12'6" so I think they'd be tough to get in the bed nicely. Though, I'm not sure. This is my first truck.

Our 74lb 14' tandem went on the roof with Yakima Handrolls and Deckhand. What a pain in the back to load and unload though! You really have to lift the back to avoid the roof fin.

Edit to add: careful with anything over 11', it's gonna stick out and sit funny. The 10s barely fit right.

Sorry, couldn't find pics.

We just bought some 10' 40lb boats and will be using Jaylows.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

I have the delta 12.6 but have not transported it yet with the Rivian (counting the months eagerly though!). My plan is to put the long kayak on the roof for long trips (Yakima folding J from the gear shop with the Rivian cords bars). For shorter trips (that don’t require stops along the way), I might try putting the delta in the bed with some foam support and straps plus a flag out the back. I have seen at least one other forum member post pics and I think you end up with 60% or more of the yak supported. The issue is if you need to park anywhere along the way, like a charger, that boat will be sticking out quite a bit into traffic. I’m not sure there will be a ton of overhang with the 12.6 on the roof, if any, the R1T is long and the tow hooks are ideal for a bow line. If there is time, I’ll experiment with the longer boat on the roof but without the J rack, to see if there are gains in efficiency that way.

my wife’s 10’ will usually go in the bed. With the tailgate down, there’s plenty of supporting surface for that.

 

[shift4]

For a 12' kayak, I would think a bed extender like the one shown in this post is what you would need. If you have the kayak mounts on top of the cab it would likely work pretty well.

 

[mikehmb]

Our kayak is enormous, but this works for transport from the house to the harbor and around locally.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Our kayak is enormous, but this works for transport from the house to the harbor and around locally.

Can you say what kayak that is? Is it 14’?

 

[mikehmb]

Can you say what kayak that is? Is it 14’?

It’s the Blade Tandem, got it from Dicks a few years ago. I think it’s 14’ - too long for anything i’ve owned, and comical to put on top of a truck using standard J-racks.

 

[markjinmd]

Check out the Yakima LongArm or Thule Goalpost. Both go into hitch and are height adjustable so with a crossbar on cab roof you have 2 points to tie down a boat. I'm waiting on my R1T but will most likely go with with LongArm to carry 2 of our 12' kayaks.

Yakima LongArm

 

[Joelpro]

My Hobie Compass Tandem. I should have put my bed extender on there but I wasn’t going far. The tie downs held a good bit of tension well.

 

[Riv I Am]

Lifetime Kokanee 12’6” tandem kayak (76 lbs). Not an ideal way to transport but held well from the store to home. Have yet to take it out since I got it. Still debating what method I’ll use to carry it for quick vs long trips. Thanks for the advice and links shared in this thread!

 

[jpa5635]

Made this bed extender out of aluminum extrusion and use the factory crossbars on the roof with range industries crossbars on the bed.

 

[joelster]

Made this bed extender out of aluminum extrusion and use the factory crossbars on the roof with range industries crossbars on the bed.

What are those brackets that are attached to the bed?

 

[jpa5635]

What are those brackets that are attached to the bed?

Range Industries badwater rack - highly recommend over the rivian crossbars:

https://range-industries.com/products/rivian-r1t-low-rooftop-tent

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