Planning a smallmouth trip, need advice

[DainW]

Well garage space isn’t an issue now. I’ll have to look into the inflatable yaks. Thanks for the advice. 

[TroutRinger]

15 minutes ago, DainW said:

Well garage space isn’t an issue now. I’ll have to look into the inflatable yaks. Thanks for the advice. 

Misread the garage part. 

For a couple/few hundred dollars, you can get a roof rack installed on a sedan. It’s cheaper than the sales tax from buying a new car. 

[tjm]

7 minutes ago, TroutRinger said:

For a couple/few hundred dollars, you can get a roof rack installed on a sedan.

Best bang for buck suggestions?

[Gavin]

Not cheap but I'd go with a Yakima or Thule rack system on a sedan. They have fit guides on their websites. Enter your vehicle year and model, and it will show you what is available. I'd look at a Trac Rack if you have a pickup.  Current Pickup has a Trac Rack in the bed which works for Kayaks,  but I add a Thule Blade to to protect the paint on the supercrew cab when I haul canoes. Price would depend on how many features you buy but $4-500 ballpark. Its worth it to know that your water craft iprobably isn't going to fly off and kill someone on the highway.

Pretty easy to store a canoe or kayak on the roof of your garage. Screw 4 eye hooks  into to ceiling joists, and get a couple ratchet straps.. 

[tjm]

I have old Yakima and to re-fit it to current car will run ~$300, I never thought it had anything to do with the boat coming off and hitting another car, don't believe it does, but it did make it easier to haul and raised it above the windshield so I had better vision. I'm near to buying components off ebay for the cost savings.

I was hoping some one else was competing with Yakima.

[Flysmallie]

For $50 you can get some racks that are removable. I was a little skeptical at first but they work fine. 

[TroutRinger]

1 hour ago, Flysmallie said:

For $50 you can get some racks that are removable. I was a little skeptical at first but they work fine. 

Those work very well for one kayak, but I’d be real nervous with two. If the OP was bringing a kayak for the spouse, a roof rack is the way to go IMHO. 

[Flysmallie]

Well when you don’t have or don’t want to spend $500 to haul a boat you improvise. Geez you guys make it sound like you need to spend a grand to have a successful trip.

Can’t do it without a guide, or a boat, or the correct boat, or the correct gear, or the correct way to haul a boat. By the way at $500 it’s a trailer for me. It’s fishing. Find a way and make it happen. 

[tjm]

14 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

By the way at $500 it’s a trailer for me. 

That's what I was thinking about the cost of upgrading. Not sure about a hitch on small car though.

[jdmidwest]

2 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

Well when you don’t have or don’t want to spend $500 to haul a boat you improvise. Geez you guys make it sound like you need to spend a grand to have a successful trip.

Can’t do it without a guide, or a boat, or the correct boat, or the correct gear, or the correct way to haul a boat. By the way at $500 it’s a trailer for me. It’s fishing. Find a way and make it happen. 

That is a stack for a little car.  But it is a Yoda, it can handle it.

I remember a time when the truck went in to the shop because a garbage truck hit it while picking up trash and the only rental was a Dodge 2 door Shadow mini car.  Foam blocks and 17' Grumman on top, roped off good front and back.  Almost a weekend of firewood in back seat and camp gear in trunk.  I drove it with overdrive off and used cruise control to control speed.  I was peeved that it was all they had to offer as a rental.   Garbage company had to pay a little extra in the long run.  I was nice and warned them, I have a truck.