Tranporting kayaks with a C Dory

[Jeff C.]

Hi
We're seriously thinking about buying a 22' C Dory cruiser. We plan to use it for day trips around Kachemak Bay in Alaska, and as a platform for transporting kayaks into coves. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has used C Dorys to transport kayaks - what sort of racks you may have used, any advice you could offer me.
Thanks
Jeff C. - hopeful C Dory owner

[tpbrady]

Jeff,

Look at my photo album and you'll see the racks I made out of stainless tubing, u-bolts, and rail mounts for antennas. I haul two singles pretty well up there. I load them over the bow as that seems to be the easiest way to get them under the radar arch.

Tom

[jlastofka]

You're talking about my plans, too. I saw a C-Dory about a year ago at Catalina Island and it had two kayaks on top (the boat, not the island). That's when I started thinking seriously about the boat. I seem to remember a bike or two up there, also. It looked like a floating Chevy Suburban loaded for camping.

I plan to machine some nylon adapter blocks and put two lateral stainless tubes across the boat, much like the Yakima rack tubes across a car roof. I'll then use standard Yakima kayak holders like I have on my truck. I believe later on I'll put a radar dome on top of a single central post rising between the kayaks, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

I should be getting the boat before the July 4th holiday and then I can bring it home and do some serious measuring and planning.

Jeff Lastofka

[ksidener]

Jeff,

I'll be interested in seeing what you come up with. As a fan of the Yakima racks as well, I'd like to make use of some of the adapters I have and they sell to make these work too.

Look forward to your posts and hopefully photos as well.

K.

[gary allen]

I was able to use some old Yakima rain gutter towers I had. They seem to provide a secure connection to the stainless factory bars on the roof. I have had two kayaks weighing about sixty pounds each on the rack. Recently, when returning from an overnighter, we got caught in some 25 knot winds and six foot wind waves on six seconds intervals, and the load was quite secure and unmoving.

I simply use my saddles that fit the Yakima bars to attach the kayaks to the rack. One challenge is getting heavy kayaks from the water to the rack, especially if you are trying to do it solo. Not so difficult when doing it with a partner.

What I do is put my swim ladder over the side and slide the the kayaks up on the the handles of the ladder. That way they never touch the side of the boat. From there, I can pivot the boat up onto the rack. Not too difficult unless the sea is bouncy. Then it gets interesting!

Good luck. The C-Dory makes a great kayak transport boat. I use it regularly here out of Bodega Bay, California, and we get some pretty rough seas.

Gary

[tom&shan]

Anyone using a Klepper ? Not sure how easy it would be to assemble onboard. www.klepper-usa.com
tom

[tpbrady]

For those interested on Saturday, let's meet up Sat afternoon at 60 42 40 N 147 52 37 W.


Watch out for rocks.

Tom

[tpbrady]

Sorry wrong forum. Should have been in PWS.

[helesh]

Jeff
Easiest system is no system! A few pool floaties jammed under the handrail or a full length pad work great for me transporting 17' glass boats. After all the C-D is nothing more than a kayak delivery system and an advance base camp!!
Les

[drjohn71a]

I have to agree with Helesh about the beauty and versatility of "no system". Those grey foam pad/strap kits they sell in the "potato" bag work fine for me. They hold the Hobie Adventure (16 foot) just as well on the pickup rack as on the roof of a car, van, or the boat roof. And, you can change the position of the kayak depending upon what else you happen to want to tie up there.

John

[C-WEED]

This is a bit more than you asked for:

I finally got around to making a prototype roof rack. A few pictures are in my album. No water shots yet. Yea, I need to clean up the storage area ….

With no stainless available close by, I went with wood. The primary goal was to carry an 18 ft canoe down the highway as well as on the water. Secondary benefits are many. It is low profile. Easily installed/removed. It could be made much lighter (and lower cost) with fewer boards. The 18 ft would extend over the brow so that is why the extra board over the front. It would look better if the rails stopped at the curve at the stainless rail. But I always go with function over looks. I wanted the front of the canoe to rest on the bow rail. Both for support and to clear the bimini top at the stern. As you can see. No obstruction from the cabin view with the canoe on top. It actually makes a nice sun shade over the v-birth /windshield.

Another reason for all the boards is strength. I need a place outside to nap, (I get cabin fever in about 10 minutes) sightsee at slow cruise, cast fish the shore-line or sleep another person in good weather. Here it is. One pictures shows without the deck. Another shows the 1/4 sheet decking. This detracts from the looks but allows a nice deck for sliding items over and still exposes the slates for a grab rail on the sides. The corner of the rack is much easier to grab to lift yourself up to go forward. With the cockpit cover on the CD grab rails are not accessible. This deck also makes the safari top like land rovers have in Africa. There is an air gap under the rack and it provides much needed shade in the South keeping the cabin much cooler.

Why a canoe? They are the most versatile boats made. I need to carry at a minimum: Two adults and two big dogs and a cooler. A well designed canoe can handle this plus big water with ease. They row great, are fast compared to a rowed inflatable and don’t need a kicker. Pop up a sail and they zip along on a breeze. Make them practically tip proof by adding an outrigger. If you still feel the need for a kicker they can handle that, too. The best part is I can deploy the canoe faster than you can say “Where’s the air pump”?

The canoe is designed to be carried by one person. The yoke is centered in the boat so when you pick it up it is balanced fore and aft. When you pick up an inflatable the weight always falls away from you making it difficult to maneuver. Hoisting the canoe in to the boat and up on to the roof may seem like a super human feat. But it is quite easily done by one person. The canoe in the pic is an expedition type. 18ft long, 37” wide. Made out of the heaviest most durable material (I plan to use it/scraping on coral in the Key’s) in “Royalex” it weighs about 70 lbs. The same boat made in Graphite or Kevlar weighs in at just 39 pounds. So many a light weight boat are available. If you are curious about canoes go to this website and order the free catalog.

http://www.wenonah.com/links.php

It goes into great detail about all aspects of the canoe design as well as the largest selection and design explanations of canoes I have found. More than you needed to know, right?