Thoughts on kayak rack ?

In the next six months, I hope to invest in a real kayak rack and I was hoping to get other kayakers opinions and tips before making the purchase. Right now, its kind of a kayak sandwich with ropes and bungees and tie downs on the back of the truck - looks like the Beverly Hillbillies moving west.  Unfortunately, given the current setup, it really limits me from transporting them safely to many of the more distant destinations I'd like to paddle/fish.

I have a 2002 Ford F-150 and we have a OK Prowler Big Game and a WS Tarpon 140.

Obviously, I'd like to keep it as cost efficient as possible, but I don't want to sacrifice quality, safety, and stability for the sake of a few bucks though. Its a big purchase and I don't want to mess anything up. Any tips or suggestions or insight would be very appreciated.

You want to transport both at once? I have an F150 as well and use the yakima bad racks (like a ladder rack) rhat you can remove. A single bar with a goal post is another cheap option

Yeah, I definitely want to be able to transport them together.

The dual sliding bed racks are where I've been leaning but I wasn't sure if there was an advantage in having the front bar being on a short riser above the cab itself vs. on a taller riser at the front of the bed. Just preference or is there a practical difference ?

Do you have any kind of cradles on the bars or do you just strap them directly to the bars themselves ? The width of the Big Game made me wonder if the J-style cradles were the best option to be able to easily fit them both.

I just have one boat an AI. So i use land sharks. But when i use two the j racks are great.

This is what I use with my 02 F150. I have a Tarpon 120 so with your longer kayaks you would want the rack to be longer. Mine supports the kayak in thirds so it is divided evenly. I don't worry about "beer canning" if I leave it in the rack several days. The PVC part was inexpensive, but you might need more strength to extend past the tail gate for a longer kayak.

For a second kayak you would need Hulley Rollers so the kayak could be rolled in. I slide mine into the open space and then lift it into the rack. The few times I carry my Tarpon 100 also, I just put it in the empty space and strap it in.

I put the Thule gutter adapters on my truck's fiberglass camper shell and then mounted standard Thule feet and cross bars.

For a pickup without a shell I would do one of two things to haul the kayaks around. Number one option is a set of Yakima Outdoorsman 300 supports. Not cheap but they are easy to put on and to take off when not in use.

Option two which is more permanent but a lot cheaper is to get a truck "lumber rack" and mount it the truck's side rails. There are very inexpensive ones that would be marginal for lumber but great for a couple of kayaks like this one on Amazon for $130. 

http://www.amazon.com/Truck-Ladder-Pickup-Lumber-Racks/dp/B0031KMBKI/ref=sr_1_3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1402613556&sr=1-3&keywords=truck+lumber+rack

Some have cleats already welded onto the bars which could be useful for strapping down the kayaks.

I like having the kayaks a ways off the ground where it is harder for a thief to get at them and it leaves the bed of the truck free for large plastic bins with our wetsuits and other gear.

I have truck extender that cost me less than $70 and it is perfect for taking the kayaks from the house directly to where I am launching and directly back again. If I stop off anywhere it would mean having all my gear inside the truck's cab which is OK but far from ideal, especially if it includes bait.

I got lucky and found a used thule xsporter 422 for my 02 f-150. It has been awesome and i have had 4 yaks on with no problem.

This information is great, guys ! Thanks so much for taking the time to help steer me in a good direction on this. Very helpful !

I'm keeping an eye out for something used that will work. I really like the easy on/off aspect of the that Yakima 300 for sure.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do you guys ever have any problems keeping the yaks really secure when just strapping them to the crossbar rather than having them strapped to the kayak seats attached to the crossbar ? Are the seats really only necessary if you want to to turn them on their side(J-style) ?

Again, thanks so much !

I use one Yakima bar (q-tower) mounted to the cab of my truck.  I just leave it mounted up there.  When I load the kayak(s), I use a trailer hitch extender.  It works out as I can always remove the roof mount if I really want/need to.  Also, used q-towers and bars are always on ebay and/or craigslist... you just need the right q-clip for your year vehicle to mount them.

The previous owner of my Outback gave threw in a set of removable racks.  Brand new, I think they run about $100.  You could buy another set and I'll give ya the ones I have... that way you can carry both kayaks.  See the link for pics.  Just a thought

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=52990.msg596942#msg596942

There are potential problems if you have the boats topside up sitting on cross bars in the sun. For most SOT types it is better to have them upside down which protects the hull and at the same time reduces the UV exposure for any cordage on the deck and for the seat if you leave it on the boat.