Kayak loading on tailgate spoiler

Don't slide it on the spoiler!

Get some roof rails and crossbars with or without cradles, drape a moving blanket over the rails and load from the side by placing the bow (or stern if you have a rudder) up on the blanket on the rail then walk back to the other end of the kayak lift that and then slide/rotate the craft into the cradles or final position upside down. If done right it's a great way to save your back however with the height of your vehicle you might need a small step ladder for the final steps.

Having your kayak in cradles upright is kind of a pain to tie down because of the height but would allow your hatch to open more.

I cartop on a minivan with a rear spoiler and I agree with all of the above.

There are many YouTube videos on solo cartopping a kayak from the side of the vehicle. You just need a basic roof rack (a pair of cross bars), straps and a moving blanket or even an old bathmat. A step stool is also helpful (even the little plastic kind that looks like an upside down box)

With a kayak on the roof, I can manually open the minivan rear hatch just enough to get under the hatch. But yeah, you should generally load up your gear in the rear compartment before you cartop your boat. A boat does limit how high you can raise that rear hatch.

I do have an older Yakima round rack, and a Thule square rack. They both have loading bars that extend to the side for loading. The mounting clips would need to be changed for your vehicle if available. Free

I am using the Thule Hulivator now.

I car topped on our Honda Pilot for a while. Loading was always a pain, just getting that much weight that high. I always loaded from the side, pick one side up, then the other.

I used a cheap J shaped kayak cradle - it made securing the kayak pretty easy, gave me plenty of room for two kayaks, and the kayak sat high enough I could open the door without clearance issues.

Ok, hopefully I can detail this correctly.

On my crv with spoiler and rear antenna. I installed crossbars and 1 inch trailer hitch for t rack.

I lay my kayak on the ground touching the ground side of my crv, with about one foot of the kayak forward of the t-rack.
I then attach a rope to the rear handle of the kayak and the other end of the rope to the lowest part of the t-rack.

Lift the forward part of the kayak . With the rope attached, the kayak will not slide back, allowing you to lift the front end and place on t-rack.

You do have to maintain control of the kayak as you move to the rear of the kayak so it does not slide off. Then lift the rear end up and slide on.

Eventually I will add a saddle on the t-rack so I don't have to worry about it sliding while lifting.

This works great for me.

I do have an older Yakima round rack, and a Thule square rack. They both have loading bars that extend to the side for loading. The mounting clips would need to be changed for your vehicle if available. Free

I am using the Thule Hulivator now.

Thanks!

A friend told me he uses the same trick as Alex, except with a piece of old carpet on the spoiler to protect it, and allow the kayak to slide better. No T-bar. But he has a Highlander, and Honda is known to have a lighter build compared to Toyota, so I’ll have to see. 

Would love to see your t-rack that fits a 1 inch hitch, do you recall which brand or where you got it? I installed a hitch on my Honda fit, and this might work for me.

Ok, hopefully I can detail this correctly.

On my crv with spoiler and rear antenna. I installed crossbars and 1 inch trailer hitch for t rack.

I lay my kayak on the ground touching the ground side of my crv, with about one foot of the kayak forward of the t-rack.
I then attach a rope to the rear handle of the kayak and the other end of the rope to the lowest part of the t-rack.

Lift the forward part of the kayak . With the rope attached, the kayak will not slide back, allowing you to lift the front end and place on t-rack.

You do have to maintain control of the kayak as you move to the rear of the kayak so it does not slide off. Then lift the rear end up and slide on.

Eventually I will add a saddle on the t-rack so I don't have to worry about it sliding while lifting.

This works great for me.

Sorry, my t-rack was made by a friend. Simple one inch stock found at any metal yard. Unfortunately does not have adjustable height. Was a great deal because my buddy had some stock laying around as well as cutter and welder. It cost me a six pack of beer.

I thought I did a search and there were some one inch available? The one inch hitch is great. The two inch hitch was just over kill for my CRV . I can easily pull my 12 foot aluminum as well my kayak trailer.

All the T-loader bars I have seen have been made for a 2 inch hitch. I have not found one made for a 1 inch hitch. Not a big deal for me, since the PVC I made works pretty well, but I was very curious about where you found one for a 1 inch hitch. A T-loader bar I could leave attached to the car, which would make loading and unloading the kayak slightly faster and would be a slightly lower point to lift too, but not sure it is worth the price tag (they seem to be in the $200 range). Mostly I was thinking about my wife, who can load the kayak, but it is very difficult for her.

Sorry, my t-rack was made by a friend. Simple one inch stock found at any metal yard. Unfortunately does not have adjustable height. Was a great deal because my buddy had some stock laying around as well as cutter and welder. It cost me a six pack of beer.

I thought I did a search and there were some one inch available? The one inch hitch is great. The two inch hitch was just over kill for my CRV . I can easily pull my 12 foot aluminum as well my kayak trailer.

As I mentioned in the previous reply.

It was fabricated by a friend.

Nothing fancy. I do need to alter it. It was originally fitted for my 2005 crv and is now used on my 2015 crv. There is about a three inch height difference that I need to reduce.

All the T-loader bars I have seen have been made for a 2 inch hitch. I have not found one made for a 1 inch hitch. Not a big deal for me, since the PVC I made works pretty well, but I was very curious about where you found one for a 1 inch hitch. A T-loader bar I could leave attached to the car, which would make loading and unloading the kayak slightly faster and would be a slightly lower point to lift too, but not sure it is worth the price tag (they seem to be in the $200 range). Mostly I was thinking about my wife, who can load the kayak, but it is very difficult for her.

Can you use one of 1-1/4 inches to 2 inches Hitch Adaptors instead to use 2" T-Loader?

https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70032-inches-Hitch-Adaptor/dp/B008CE09N4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244571&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/REYSUN-864125-Adapter-500lbs-Included/dp/B0B462FHC2/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244950&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-9

Paul

All the T-loader bars I have seen have been made for a 2 inch hitch. I have not found one made for a 1 inch hitch. Not a big deal for me, since the PVC I made works pretty well, but I was very curious about where you found one for a 1 inch hitch. A T-loader bar I could leave attached to the car, which would make loading and unloading the kayak slightly faster and would be a slightly lower point to lift too, but not sure it is worth the price tag (they seem to be in the $200 range). Mostly I was thinking about my wife, who can load the kayak, but it is very difficult for her.

Can you use one of 1-1/4 inches to 2 inches Hitch Adaptors instead to use 2" T-Loader?

https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70032-inches-Hitch-Adaptor/dp/B008CE09N4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244571&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/REYSUN-864125-Adapter-500lbs-Included/dp/B0B462FHC2/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244950&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-9

Paul

I also considered this but the hitch and loader add considerable weight to a small vehicle .
 Definetly a consideration though. One inch square stock is inexpensive. Sure we all have a friend with a cutter and small welder. 

Yeah, that would work! Need to be careful about weight restrictions, but if you're just using it to load the kayak, it should be fine (my hitch is rated for 200 lbs TW). Still a bit out of my price range, but if one fell in my lap I might try it out.

All the T-loader bars I have seen have been made for a 2 inch hitch. I have not found one made for a 1 inch hitch. Not a big deal for me, since the PVC I made works pretty well, but I was very curious about where you found one for a 1 inch hitch. A T-loader bar I could leave attached to the car, which would make loading and unloading the kayak slightly faster and would be a slightly lower point to lift too, but not sure it is worth the price tag (they seem to be in the $200 range). Mostly I was thinking about my wife, who can load the kayak, but it is very difficult for her.

Can you use one of 1-1/4 inches to 2 inches Hitch Adaptors instead to use 2" T-Loader?

https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70032-inches-Hitch-Adaptor/dp/B008CE09N4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244571&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/REYSUN-864125-Adapter-500lbs-Included/dp/B0B462FHC2/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1SUAWDSFD5JDM&keywords=hitch+2+to+1&qid=1707244950&sprefix=hitch+2+to+1%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-9

Paul

This was my solution a few years back, it worked great. Used large diameter PVC wrapped with camping pad.

This was my solution a few years back, it worked great. Used large diameter PVC wrapped with camping pad.

That's NCKA ingenuity at its finest.

Thanks y’all. Good advice here as usual.
I will give the Codinter device a try since it’s the simplest option. My Odyssey doesn’t have rails or hatch, so first order of business would be to install the rails and crossbars.
I’ll report when I make progress

Dont do it, use something like Thule Outrigger or Rhino Rack Universal Load Assist.  I used to do exactly that with my Revo 16 with suction cup device ...... you want something that wont fail ....... just take my word for it.  The problem with the Revo 16 is that it is so damn long ..... but when you glide in the water, you forget all the loading issues