Minivan to Pick-Up Truck for Yak Hauling

[thatsnotaknife]

Ditto on it's versatility. You're making me want to go back to the minivan.

(Hmmm...sell the truck......buy a hullavator... go back to the nice and faithful minivan...lol)

I’ve heard the hullavator and the like can’t deal with the weight of a 2019 Outback. Sometimes I wish the Outback was lighter I guess but 99% of the time I think it’s perfect.


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[moc]

I am glad you are still around Tufnik! I still use a Honda Pilot, but it is getting old and it will need replacing in a year or two. I am planning to buy a Honda Odyssey. I had several requirements that led me to that decision. I needed more room so I can car camp and sleep in my vehicle, like some of the other members on this forum do. I like keeping all of my gear out of site when I am at certain locations. I have seen many kayakers drop their kayaks from the top of their SUVs when loading and unloading like you mentioned. I avoid this issue by using a Thule Slipstream Rack. Myself and another Snaggedline member modified it by adding two yakima saddles, one to the left and one to the right corners of the Slipstream where the kayak would rest when you are loading. Now the kayak never calls off the car and with the Slipstream, you are only lifting half the weight of the kayak at a time. So your 88 pounds would be only 44 pounds when loading.

[Mark]

This has been a very informative thread.

I had no idea so many used or contemplated using minivans to transport their yaks.

I sometimes refer to mine as the "fishmobile". But I have to keep it reasonably clean and free of stored gear because my wife and our grand-princesses travel in it regularly.

[moc]

This has been a very informative thread.

I had no idea so many used or contemplated using minivans to transport their yaks.

I sometimes refer to mine as the "fishmobile". But I have to keep it reasonably clean and free of stored gear because my wife and our grand-princesses travel in it regularly.

I know several Snaggedliners who use Minivans for fishing. They convinced me for my requirements that that is the way for me to go. The Minivan will be more comfortable for me to sleep in when I want to extend my spring or fall fishing trips to explore new waters.

[nhunter344]

My wife would not be happy with this thread. Its making me seriously consider hijacking her Odyssey.

[bunnielab]

My first minivan was a 2003 Odyssey. Since the front passenger seat folded all the way flat, I could slide kayaks in easily. My current minivan is a 2015 Sienna. The seat does not fold all the way flat, so the nose of the kayak sticks up in the air a bit. With a strongly sloped windshield, I am limited to 11 feet kayak length unless I flip the kayak upside down so the slope of the bow matches the slope of the windshield. I was able to insert Mark's 12' Ultimate as a test of that capability.

I set up my minivan as follows.

- 2nd row left - slide seat forward as far as it will go
- 2nd row right - remove seat completely and store in basement for those rare times when I need to handle more than 3 persons.
- 3rd row - both sides fold flat into the floor.
- front row right - slide as far forward as it will go, remove headrest, tilt seat back as far as it will go. I lay a carpet runner over the reclined front seat to protect the upholstery.

The 10' kayak slides straight in on the passenger side. The 11' kayak slides in diagonally from the left rear to the right front. There is plenty of room for rods and other gear on the floor.

Thanks for the info!

I recently replaced my beloved 02' RAV4 as my daily driver so for now it is my dedicated yak-hauler, but it is at the point where I cannot let myself put any more money into it, once it dies for good I am going on the hunt for a used minivan.

[Memory Maker]

I had a Mercury Mountaineer and hated it for Yaks. I bought a Ford F 150 crew cab with a 5 ft bed and an extender. It is very quick and easy to load and strap ......... 3-4 minutes tops to load and go. I can also leave most of the equipment in the yak so it takes less time to set up. I also have a trailer that I TOTALLY loved until me nosy neighbor made me get rid of it. Now I just use the truck and I love that too. It actually has more room than the SUV.

[Redfish12]

I hated putting my kayak on the Xterra but I really miss the inside storage and the ability to fold down the 40 side (60/40 split) and sleep on a single mattress with my rods stored against the ceiling. I bought a Tacoma with a 5ft bed bc I wanted the manual transmission and I haven’t gotten used to it yet. I recently put a ladder rack on it so that I could store the kayak out of the bed for longer trips. I think about getting a small cargo van like an NV200 or a Promaster City to build into a kayak camper mobile one day. It could be fun for short family camping trips and long weekend fishing trips, but for now I will use the truck and enjoy the ease it presents for quick around town trips.

[mike o]

I have an extended cab Chevy with an 8 foot bed and I wouldn't use anything else. Like others have said my outback stays fully loaded and I slide it in the bed throw on 2 ratchet straps and am good to go.

[silasvirus82]

Minivan to Pick-Up Truck for Yak Hauling

I hated putting my kayak on the Xterra but I really miss the inside storage and the ability to fold down the 40 side (60/40 split) and sleep on a single mattress with my rods stored against the ceiling. I bought a Tacoma with a 5ft bed bc I wanted the manual transmission and I haven’t gotten used to it yet. I recently put a ladder rack on it so that I could store the kayak out of the bed for longer trips. I think about getting a small cargo van like an NV200 or a Promaster City to build into a kayak camper mobile one day. It could be fun for short family camping trips and long weekend fishing trips, but for now I will use the truck and enjoy the ease it presents for quick around town trips.

Long bed was your friend The cargo van could be the ultimate setup, but then you own a cargo van. Is that your daily driver now, lol?

I definitely think a van or truck are the most practical solutions, it really comes down to if you want to drive a van or truck. I like to shoot at things down long rocky trails and occasionally throw a carcass in the back. I also like having a truck bed for garbage, fuel, chainsaws, wet dirty dogs, and a myriad of other things where a garden hose wash down is nice. A minivan is not the best solution for me. What about having sand, mud, fish slime on everything inside your van? My wife has something to say about that for sure!

I’ve got my truck setup for comfortable sleeping under a camper shell, on top a cot/mattress with ventilation and even an awning. The same amenities can be available with a van too, it’s all what you make it. I guess I’ve got the best of both worlds having access to a van and truck, although I’d never take the van for a kayak hauler unless it was a family affair.

Concerning vans, can’t go wrong with the Odyssey. We have a 2016 and according to a friend in the know, the 2015-16 are the best years to own.


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[tufnik]

Hi moc,
Yeah, am still around, but have not been doing much fishing. Been taking care of other priorities (including my health).
When you get your Odyssey, take heed of silarvirus82's advice. When my wife and I bought our second Ody last year, we got 2016. We initially wanted 2018 or 19, but I felt real uncomfortable with that new 9/10 speed automatic transmission. We still have our 2000 Ody (195k miles, and I estimate well over 100k just from yak fishing trips).

Redfish,
Over the years, I thought about that same thing (yak camper-mobile). Don't you think that NV200 class van seems a bit small? I guess I'd prefer a larger one with at least a V6. (And I'd have to car-top the yak again?!?!...lol)

[Redfish12]

Yeah you are right but there are some really creative conversions out there. I like the smaller ones bc the roof is lower and they get better gas mileage. I think it would be a one person kinda thing so there would be room for fishing stuff. On camping trips you don’t bring the other gear. I think a rooftop box for the seat, drive, crate, and other wet stuff with room for a kayak next to it would work out well. A cheaper option I found vs a second vehicle is a small camper by runaway. I don’t really want to tow one but we saw a guy in MA with one and he had taken it all over the country! Leave the yak loaded on top, hook up and head to the water!

Good to hear you’re doing well and back in the saddle Efren!

[Goody]

It's been awhile since I seen and heard from you. Glad to see you're still kayak fishing.

I use to haul my kayak on a Saturn Vue until it died and end up using the Sienna Minivan. At first I wasn't sure about it. I use to load it from the rear and slide up the kayak onto the roof rack. I ended pulling my back on a trip and decide I needed to figure out a better way to load it so this wouldn't happen again. I ended up getting a used hullavator. This allowed me to load it a waist level one end at a time and strap everything in. What a change. It was great. The hullavator lifted the Outback onto the roof but you have to assist it since its not rated to lift and only assist about 40-5olb. The gas struts failed over time so I replaced them with beefier ones. Now I have 3 hullavators. I need to sell one of them. How I ended up with 3 is another story in itself. The minivan is great for kayak camping too. I just throw in a twin inflatable mattress and off I go. I came back from Va Beach just recently. It worked out great. The minivan kayak camper is roomy and comfortable. I always wondered about the trucks but I'm happy with the minivan.

[tufnik]

Redfish,

Good points on that NV200. I like the lower roof (vs height of larger van). I wonder if it's long enough inside for comfortable sleeping. Anyway, you got me re-thinking.

My body is not exactly back to 100%, but I think good enough to lift yak, sit long hours to fish, and even land a bull red.


Goody,
Are you trying to get me back to the minivan...lol. Anyway, will be looking at your Parts 2 & 3 yak trip videos.

[Goody]

2 Kayaks loaded on the Minivan.

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