New to Yak angling...

[Yakatak]

Hello all-

My name is Dennis, I live in Hillsmere section of Annapolis, MD. I bought an Old Town "Trip" Angler from Dicks. Great price, came with anchor, trolley a nice watertight hold in the rear, a couple of cleats and an ok seat. Rod holders of course! It is sand colored.

I attended Don's yak angling talk at West Marine in annapolis, met a few of you and gained a wealth of beginner knowledge. Yes I have a treble hook of yak angling in my arse now! Fever has spiked! I am blessed to be so close to the south river!

A big bummer though my car, a Chevy Cruze has nowhere for me to tie the bow off to transport! :-( No tow hooks, no exposed steel at all! a big sheet of plastic back to the manifold! Only the oil drain plug is exposed! Look like I will have to install and eye hook somewhere, unless there are suggestions! I have the Handirack inflatable roof rests, they seem to work just fine. The Yakima foam blocks...not so much! Any and all suggestions are welcome about any aspect from rooftop mounting, to outfitting my yak!

I am very excited to pursue a new angle to my lifelong addiction to angling! And meet new friends!

Tight lines!
Dennis

[ronaultmtd]

If you have a good roof rack with kayak saddles you should be ok-

I have a Yakima roof rack on my Ford Focus sedan with Yakima Land Shark saddles- my Hobie Outback sits securely strapped to these and I rarely use the bow and stern tie downs-

[Yakatak]

Thanks!

I will go to the Yakima site and see what they have to offer.

[ictalurus]

Welcome aboard.

With regard to a front tie off location, my wife's Golf doesn't have a front tow loop. However, under the hood, there are several holes along the sides and front of the hood compartment. I can fit the hook from a ratcheting strap in one of those, close the hood, then attach the line to the bow of the yak. It works pretty well so far, but I've found that having an attachment point directly in front is better than one off to the side. I hit some heavy winds last Friday that were coming from the side, and the yak shifted as I drove over the Solomons bridge. It couldn't really go anywhere, but it wasn't optimal. Attaching the line to the front kept the yak from moving on the return trip. I should also mention that I was transporting the yak upside down on Thule bars with no padding. A bit of padding probably would've helped.

[Foursteps24]

Welcome. Try this site and match the model you need with your vehicle. I have one of these on my Maxima and honestly I dont use a bow strap. No drilling needed and can be removed at anytime. Great system. Went to this after using foam blocks for a year.

[Yakatak]

ICT...you refering

you referring to the Yakima site?

[Foursteps24]

Sorry forgot the site. Here you go

http://www.orsracksdirect.com/inno-racks-fit-guide.html

[CB kayak 02]

Welcome, I live in the Annapolis Roads/Hillsmere area at the moment as well. Unfortunately my apartment doesn't have enough space to keep my yak. or else I could fish a lot more.

[J.A. Veil]

The Thule rack kit I bought came with black mesh strap loops for front and rear. One loops into the hitch in the rear and the other to an eye under the engine in the front. The front loop extends far enough forward to clear the license plate. (see the photo below) That allows me to attach the front tie-down line to the loop.

You mentioned that your vehicle does not have any towing eye in the front. As a first measure, take another look well under the engine. Mine is a ways back. If there truly is not a loop there, you could tie a loop of cord that runs around the hood latch and hangs out the front.

[mi327]

The Thule rack kit I bought came with black mesh strap loops for front and rear. One loops into the hitch in the rear and the other to an eye under the engine in the front. The front loop extends far enough forward to clear the license plate. (see the photo below) That allows me to attach the front tie-down line to the loop.

You mentioned that your vehicle does not have any towing eye in the front. As a first measure, take another look well under the engine. Mine is a ways back. If there truly is not a loop there, you could tie a loop of cord that runs around the hood latch and hangs out the front.

Also check the front of the bumper for a spot to hook up a tow hook. At least in the case of my Mazda, there is a small access cover you pop off and you can screw a tow hook into the bumper. They included the hook in with the spare tire.

[Redfish12]

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...oops-Pair.html

[Yakatak]

Thanks to all

The chevy cruze eco does not comecwca spare! Just an inflator/sealer! No tow hook option! Ugh! I will try the hood latch, but fear rubs on the paint....I suppose a soft cloth would help prevent that.

I will be getting the Q-towers and clips along with a bar set on eBay. 1.2 or less than brand new. I am doing some military training in Alpena, MI and want to bring my Yak since there is a river I would have access to that opens to a lake loaded lily pads...bass, pike, pickerel and then there's the Bowfin! So if I can find a solution that will be secure I am there!

Again thanks to all who have given me ideas! Much appreciated.

Dennis.