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kayaks out of the truck bed!

Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2020 10:35 pm
by DJ18
we have always tied our kayaks in the truck bed. then turning very sharply in our circular driveway, I saw the tip of one pushing into the Avion, narrowly missing the front window. Ever since, I've felt anxious about sharp turns when the kayaks are in the bed. I hate stressing about things when packing up or towing. Last trip, we tried tying them in in a different direction, tip over the cab, and that was a mess. they kept slipping and we pulled over to tighten and adjust. what we should have done was take them out and put them the old way, but were on the highway and it was about 106 outside. And then a true disaster was narrowly averted. A strong gust of wind lifted one of them out. Luckily, we were on a side road by then, going around 50 and no other traffic. strangely enough, the bow handle got twisted up with the tie down strap and the kayak just blew up in the air, then down on the pavement. by then, I'd pulled over and stopped. I still can't believe it didn't hit another car, or hit the Avion. So lucky!!!

anyway, no more kayaks till we got a rack or a camper to rough it in. (like a pop up or a teardrop) My husband said he'd rather do without the kayaks than camp in a pop up, or crawl into a trailer, so that was that.

I found a second hand US rack. nice aluminum, looks good on the truck while towing the Avion. AND I can load and tie down both kayaks by myself! It makes such a big difference in packing and towing, I feel absolutely giddy!
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Re: kayaks out of the truck bed!

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 7:17 am
by KYAvion
Looks like you have a great setup now—much safer and provides for more storage space in the truck bed!