Stake Pocket Truck Rack For Carrying Kayaks 2

Hi Shorty,

This is an update on the kayak rack. The cross bar end pieces are reversible so I was able to lower the lift on height three inches by cutting off a section of each end piece. Then 2"X8" redwood boards were attached with U-bolts. I decided to transport the kayaks upside down so they wouldn't fill with rain water on a long trip. The kayaks had to be positioned on the rack with no more than 18" hanging over the back of the truck so they wouldn't touch the airstream trailer during tight turns. With the kayak laid upside down on the 2x8s the hull shape was transfered to the boards and cut out.

There are two ways of getting the kayak up on the rack. If we have the trailer in tow I'll lift from the side, first the back end up on an extender bar made from an old roof rack and then the front end up. Pretty simple one man operation this way.

The second and easier way is to lift the front end of the kayak up to the cutout in the rear rack and then lift and push. A few things remain to be done- paint the boards black, install some screw eyes for locking the kayaks on the rack and figure the best way to secure the kayaks from fore and aft movement. But the rack is usable as is and we are looking forward to our first trip with the kayaks on the rack, the bikes in the bed of the truck and the Airstream in tow.

Burt