We had kayak carrying well in hand with the Sequoia.
With the F-150 it's a whole new ball game, including the players - we've upgraded our daughter's little sit-upon to a larger kayak. We needed a new rack system and we had a few requirements:
- Relatively low cost
- Light weight
- Small enough to move between house and trailer (about 30 inches)
- Ability to open and close tonneau cover with rack mounted
- Loadable by one person
All signs pointed to a stake pocket rack... and meeting the requirements meant that we would be designing and building it ourselves.
With the F-150 it's a whole new ball game, including the players - we've upgraded our daughter's little sit-upon to a larger kayak. We needed a new rack system and we had a few requirements:
- Relatively low cost
- Light weight
- Small enough to move between house and trailer (about 30 inches)
- Ability to open and close tonneau cover with rack mounted
- Loadable by one person
All signs pointed to a stake pocket rack... and meeting the requirements meant that we would be designing and building it ourselves.
LOADING
We started with Dawn's kayak.
We loaded my boat on the passenger side, then positioned and installed the J-racks for Emily's.
Securing Em's kayak.
All three on, tonneau cover closed; per the design, the cover can be opened and closed with the rack in place. And yes, my kayak is a little far back but with no bikes on the trailer this trip there was no
interfence. We pushed it much further forward for the trip home and that worked fine.
This system was designed with easy loading in mind (it can be done by one person but it's quicker and easier with two). Here are the steps.
Step 1: Rest the bow on the tailgate.
Step 2: Pull the kayak into the bed.
Step 3 - Rest the bow on the forward rack.
Step 4: Slide the boat forward until the stern clears the aft rack.
Step 5: Pivot the boat on the forward rack and place the stern on the aft rack (be sure not to hit the cab roof with the boat).
Step 6: Position the boat on both racks.
Step 7: Tilt the boat cockpit inward and secure to the rack with straps.
In our case the middle boat - Emily's - is racked left of centre with the cockpit facing the passenger side. And while the boats can be loaded by one person, it's faster and easier with two.
Our first camping trip with the kayaks loaded on the rack provided an acid test. Roads varied from rough rural at 80 km/h to smooth freeway at 100 km/h. Close to our destination we crossed a set of railroad
tracks at about 70 km/h and were surprised by a severe and unmarked hump which resulted in a crashing bounce for the truck and trailer. When we checked we were pleased to see that everything was still
secure.
We started with Dawn's kayak.
We loaded my boat on the passenger side, then positioned and installed the J-racks for Emily's.
Securing Em's kayak.
All three on, tonneau cover closed; per the design, the cover can be opened and closed with the rack in place. And yes, my kayak is a little far back but with no bikes on the trailer this trip there was no
interfence. We pushed it much further forward for the trip home and that worked fine.
This system was designed with easy loading in mind (it can be done by one person but it's quicker and easier with two). Here are the steps.
Step 1: Rest the bow on the tailgate.
Step 2: Pull the kayak into the bed.
Step 3 - Rest the bow on the forward rack.
Step 4: Slide the boat forward until the stern clears the aft rack.
Step 5: Pivot the boat on the forward rack and place the stern on the aft rack (be sure not to hit the cab roof with the boat).
Step 6: Position the boat on both racks.
Step 7: Tilt the boat cockpit inward and secure to the rack with straps.
In our case the middle boat - Emily's - is racked left of centre with the cockpit facing the passenger side. And while the boats can be loaded by one person, it's faster and easier with two.
Our first camping trip with the kayaks loaded on the rack provided an acid test. Roads varied from rough rural at 80 km/h to smooth freeway at 100 km/h. Close to our destination we crossed a set of railroad
tracks at about 70 km/h and were surprised by a severe and unmarked hump which resulted in a crashing bounce for the truck and trailer. When we checked we were pleased to see that everything was still
secure.
CONSTRUCTION
Before I made any of the rack's actual parts, I cut a test stake out of a short piece of 2 x 4. This turned out to be an excellent use of time and material because it helped me to set up tools and refine
methods.
The stakes Were the first parts I made. I set up a stop block on the mitre saw...
... and cut the four stakes
I marked the rear stakes 1.5" from the bottom...
... and, with the band saw, removed the 1/8" that would allow them to fit in the rear stake pocket sockets.
Next, the sides of the stakes were removed...
... and the four stakes were cut.
Because the stake pocket holes have rounded corners, the stakes need to be rounded. For this I used a router table with a 3/8" roundover bit.
Stakes rounded.
Here are the stake feet.
Stake feet and crossbars attached.
Time for paint. As with most all of our outdoor lumber projects we're using semi-gloss exterior latex. Three coats... durable finish, easy cleanup. Bill, you watching?
Painting complete - time for another test fit.
Mounting the forward tie-down rings.
The front of the rack is secured to holes in the leading edge of the bed. This is a backup measure in case the front of the rack wants to lift.
We already had two sets of Thule Hull-A-Port PRO folding kayak racks (I just call them J-racks). We bought a third set for Emily's kayak.
There's just enough room to fit a 2 x 4 between the carriage bolts. The bolts, however, are too short AND they're metric (M6). We looked for replacements so we could use the stock knobs but nothing was
readily available so we converted to 1/4-20 and replaced the knobs with washers and nylock nuts. Here are the outer J-racks installed.
Before I made any of the rack's actual parts, I cut a test stake out of a short piece of 2 x 4. This turned out to be an excellent use of time and material because it helped me to set up tools and refine
methods.
The stakes Were the first parts I made. I set up a stop block on the mitre saw...
... and cut the four stakes
I marked the rear stakes 1.5" from the bottom...
... and, with the band saw, removed the 1/8" that would allow them to fit in the rear stake pocket sockets.
Next, the sides of the stakes were removed...
... and the four stakes were cut.
Because the stake pocket holes have rounded corners, the stakes need to be rounded. For this I used a router table with a 3/8" roundover bit.
Stakes rounded.
Here are the stake feet.
Stake feet and crossbars attached.
Time for paint. As with most all of our outdoor lumber projects we're using semi-gloss exterior latex. Three coats... durable finish, easy cleanup. Bill, you watching?
Painting complete - time for another test fit.
Mounting the forward tie-down rings.
The front of the rack is secured to holes in the leading edge of the bed. This is a backup measure in case the front of the rack wants to lift.
We already had two sets of Thule Hull-A-Port PRO folding kayak racks (I just call them J-racks). We bought a third set for Emily's kayak.
There's just enough room to fit a 2 x 4 between the carriage bolts. The bolts, however, are too short AND they're metric (M6). We looked for replacements so we could use the stock knobs but nothing was
readily available so we converted to 1/4-20 and replaced the knobs with washers and nylock nuts. Here are the outer J-racks installed.
DESIGN
The rack had to be in two separate parts so we could move it back past our travel trailer when it's parked in the driveway. We decided to make it out of 2 x 4s and framing hardware. Here's the plan...
... the side elevation (left shown)...
... and the end elevation (rear shown).
The stake pockets all have sockets in the bottom. Turns out the rears are slightly tighter than the fronts, so I drew plans for those too.
And elevations.
The rack had to be in two separate parts so we could move it back past our travel trailer when it's parked in the driveway. We decided to make it out of 2 x 4s and framing hardware. Here's the plan...
... the side elevation (left shown)...
... and the end elevation (rear shown).
The stake pockets all have sockets in the bottom. Turns out the rears are slightly tighter than the fronts, so I drew plans for those too.
And elevations.
