New to kayak fishing and the website

Hi. I am a new member. I have had several boats big and small over the years. Lots of fishing experience from heavy salt water to lakes and fly fishing.  I am thinking about getting a hobie outback soon. No kayak experience yet. Looking forward to learning about this.
I would be interested in thoughts on loaders for cartop on my tahoe. I have read about Hullavator rhino rack and ezrecreational racks. Could use some advice and look forward to learning about kayak fishing.
Thanks
Alan

Ps. I may consider a trailer as I cannot lift 85-90 pounds on to the top of the car without by myself.

Hi Alan, welcome 

Ps. I may consider a trailer as I cannot lift 85-90 pounds on to the top of the car without by myself.

Welcome Alan. I started using a Malone trailer awhile ago and it was a game changer for me. It's so easy to load my Outbacks by myself and I don't have to worry about flaring up my back and shoulders with overhead lifting and twisting. The trailer is very light so it is easy to move around and put in my garage. The only downside is parking, but I can take it off the car and put it in a regular parking space if I need to.  I'm also located in Walnut Creek and would be happy to let you check out my rig if that would be helpful.

John

Ps. I may consider a trailer as I cannot lift 85-90 pounds on to the top of the car without by myself.

You can lift half of it at a time and there are many videos on youtube show you how.

Welcome to NCKA Alan.   

Hey Alan, welcome to NCKA!

Welcome to NCKA Alan 

Ps. I may consider a trailer as I cannot lift 85-90 pounds on to the top of the car without by myself.

You can lift half of it at a time and there are many videos on youtube show you how.

This gives you a world of possibilities without the PITA of a trailer. 

Thank you all.
John thank you. How can I contact you?

Thank you all.
John thank you. How can I contact you?

PM sent

I'll throw my two cents down, since I work at a large outdoor retailer.

The Thule Hullavator isn't designed to handle large sit-on-top fishing kayaks. Although its a super sweet design and conceptually seems like it would be a good idea, I wouldn't recommend it unless you were running a sit-in or touring kayak. I've had people return them in pieces because they gave out on the freeway with too much wight. I think it's rated for <75lbs.

If your Tahoe has cross-bars (factory or aftermarket), you can consider getting some bar pads and load your boat hull-up, so that the deck and rim of the cockpit are resting on the bars themselves. loop your straps under the bars on each side of the kayak and join them on the hull and cinch them down and that's usually sufficient. Add some bow and stern ties for extra confidence.

If you really want an accessory rack to cradle the kayak, I really like the Yakima Big Catch for large SOT fishing kayaks. Springy, super light, easy to install, adjustable and effective.

To rooftop your kayak onto your bars by yourself, try joining the two crossbars with a tie-down strap by looping it around both bars and tightening it. This strap runs parallel to the length of the vehicle. Position it on the side of the vehicle you'll be loading from. Place the Kayak perpendicular to the length of the vehicle, bow closest to it. Lift the bow of the kayak to the height of the roof and rest it on the strap. With the bow resting on the strap, lift the stern of the kayak and glide it toward the front-center of the vehicle. Begin walking the stern of the kayak toward the rear of the vehicle while simultaneously pushing it up and toward the front of the vehicle. You should be moving the kayak from a perpendicular position to a parallel position with the vehicle, using the strap to glide the kayak on. As you reach the rear of the vehicle, you should be able to swing the stern of the kayak up onto the rear bars and off of the strap. Remove the strap and secure the kayak.

Hope that helps. Its a lot harder to describe that process than to show it!

I'll throw my two cents down, since I work at a large outdoor retailer.

The Thule Hullavator isn't designed to handle large sit-on-top fishing kayaks. Although its a super sweet design and conceptually seems like it would be a good idea, I wouldn't recommend it unless you were running a sit-in or touring kayak. I've had people return them in pieces because they gave out on the freeway with too much wight. I think it's rated for <75lbs.

If your Tahoe has cross-bars (factory or aftermarket), you can consider getting some bar pads and load your boat hull-up, so that the deck and rim of the cockpit are resting on the bars themselves. loop your straps under the bars on each side of the kayak and join them on the hull and cinch them down and that's usually sufficient. Add some bow and stern ties for extra confidence.

If you really want an accessory rack to cradle the kayak, I really like the Yakima Big Catch for large SOT fishing kayaks. Springy, super light, easy to install, adjustable and effective.

To rooftop your kayak onto your bars by yourself, try joining the two crossbars with a tie-down strap by looping it around both bars and tightening it. This strap runs parallel to the length of the vehicle. Position it on the side of the vehicle you'll be loading from. Place the Kayak perpendicular to the length of the vehicle, bow closest to it. Lift the bow of the kayak to the height of the roof and rest it on the strap. With the bow resting on the strap, lift the stern of the kayak and glide it toward the front-center of the vehicle. Begin walking the stern of the kayak toward the rear of the vehicle while simultaneously pushing it up and toward the front of the vehicle. You should be moving the kayak from a perpendicular position to a parallel position with the vehicle, using the strap to glide the kayak on. As you reach the rear of the vehicle, you should be able to swing the stern of the kayak up onto the rear bars and off of the strap. Remove the strap and secure the kayak.

Hope that helps. Its a lot harder to describe that process than to show it!

I like that strap trick!! I usually throw a towel on the roof between the bars and follow the same process from there, but the strap will make it so much easier!