Can a Kayak Fit in a Jeep Wrangler
Your family couldn’t be more ecstatic about the new kayak that you just bought. You are planning to go kayaking twice this summer, and you have already made reservations for both trips. But now you’re left with the question, “Can a kayak fit in a Jeep Wrangler?”
Using a utility trailer is a pricey choice. When it comes to loading your Jeep’s roof, you have no idea how much weight it can support. However, it would be best to choose a secure place to transport your kayak. When everything is said and done, there is nothing more disheartening or risky than having your brand new kayak capsize on the freeway.
Does Your Vehicle Have Room for a Kayak?
When driving at highway speeds, a kayak’s length determines how it will be lifted and swayed by the wind. Consequently, the most important objective is to fasten the kayak to your vehicle properly. Ratcheting down straps with bow and stern load straps at an angle is the easiest way to protect them from dangling over your hood or into traffic.
As a result, we strongly suggest keeping the length of kayaks to a minimum of three feet. Because of this length, the tie-down points may be fixed in a snug position at both the front and the back. It is best to begin by ratcheting the two straps at the bow tie-downs.
Should You Transport Your Kayak on a Roof Rack?
It is necessary to have kayak racks to transport kayaks on the roof of a vehicle. There are cradle mounts and a roof rack included with this package. By design, car kayak racks mount to a vehicle’s naked roof. It is possible to transport kayaks weighing up to 165 pounds (75 kilograms) on the roof of a vehicle using either a stock rack or an aftermarket rack.
Kayaks may be damaged by DIY kayak racks, such as pool noodles, that bend and distort the kayak and dent and deform the vehicle roof. In the worst-case scenario, the kayak could end up falling off the rack if the DIY rack was not built appropriately. If you and the other drivers on the road value your safety, stay away from homemade racks.
Installing a Jeep Wrangler Kayak Rack
The standard roof design for a factory Jeep Wrangler is a plain roof, sometimes known as “rain gutters,” which does not include rails or built-in mounts. However, if you purchased a special-edition trim or the previous owner was a paddle lover, you may have some form of a bespoke kit. In a similar vein, having a 2-door model instead of a 5-door model has a significant impact on the number of processes necessary to finish installing your Jeep kayak roof rack system. Having said that, the methods outlined below are not universal. They will very certainly be different depending on the size of your Jeep Wrangler and the configuration it is now in.
1. Choose a specified kayak transporter
This is a necessary step for people who own more than one car. Install your Jeep kayak rack on that one vehicle that will certainly transport your kayak to whatever place your heart wants. If you had opted for the larger vehicle, loading and unloading your kayak could have been more difficult. Additionally, if you have a Jeep Wrangler, a smaller vehicle may make attaching a kayak roof rack easier.Can a Kayak Fit in a Jeep Wrangler
2. Make preparations to the top of your vehicle
Making your vehicle’s roof ready for rack installation requires washing the whole roof of your car, not just where the racks will go, and masking areas where racks will be installed aftermarket. Performing the latter action is essential because it helps to guarantee that you will not scrape the top of your vehicle when you are mounting the kayak rack on your Jeep. On the other hand, if you choose to install a rack that does not require drilling into your Jeep or if you have a soft top on your Jeep, you may skip this step.Can a Kayak Fit in a Jeep Wrangler
3. Remove the rack system from its packaging and turn the screws counterclockwise
Your standard set may have as few as two (2) crossbars and two (2) gutter mounts or as many as four (4) crossbars and foot mounts, depending on the rack system that you choose to buy. Assuming this is the case, it’s a good idea to flip the rack over so you can see where each piece belongs. It is possible to build gutter mounts and position them atop the roof of your car for use in marking (although they should not be permanently attached at this point; that step comes much later). In preparation, it is unnecessary to unscrew the screws and nuts on other kinds of kayak racks, such as stackers, j-cradles (or j-bars), and pads.
4. Put cushions and caps on the mounts and crossbars once you’ve done so
Pads and caps are included with most aftermarket rack systems, including some Jeep Wrangler kayak racks for soft tops, to prevent the kayak rack from scratching the roof and allowing water to penetrate the crossbars (modular crossbars are usually hollow). If you use J-bars or stackers, the caps are already securely attached, so you won’t need to do this step. Depending on the design of the roof rack system that you have selected, before continuing with this step, you may first need to secure the crossbars to the rack.
5. Put the crossbars in place
Rack systems that include a foot mount in the form of a square should have very little difficulty when it comes to attaching the crossbars to the foot mount. Nonetheless, some aftermarket variations only have two (2) foot mounts, forcing you to estimate the distance between them to fit the crossbars. As was discussed in the previous step, the easiest way to put up rack systems like these is to first lay out all of the components on a table. This will make assembly much simpler. First, loosely join all of the ends, and then, after the parts are appropriately aligned, tighten them into their proper positions.Can a Kayak Fit in a Jeep Wrangler
The process outlined above applies to installing kayak racks on Jeep Wranglers with either a hardtop or an open roof. It is necessary to use a different mount for Jeeps with solid or elevated roof rails. Mounts must first be affixed to a solid roof rail’s rails for crossbars to be fastened to the rails. In the meantime, elevated roof rails will have their foot packs created in two (2) separate pieces: one component will go above the roof rail, while the other will go below it, creating a sandwich that will hold the crossbars in place.
The crossbars for roof rails must be installed on the roof, which means they cannot be built on a table. Installing a kayak rack on a Jeep Wrangler with a soft top will also be slightly different. And this is because these Jeeps typically require a backbone structure to be bolted to all four corners of the vehicle before a kayak rack can be set up in the correct position. The procedure for installing a kayak rack on a hardtop Jeep Wrangler will remain the same.
6. Place the kayak rack in the appropriate place on your Jeep Wrangler
In Step 2, you should have already centered the kayak rack on the roof of your Jeep Wrangler before moving on to the next step. Assuming this is something you haven’t already done, now is the time to get it done. Place your kayak rack on the roof in the appropriate location, considering the safety requirements provided by the manufacturer and any other factors that might cause your auto insurance to be voided (if you have one). If you go with kayak pads, stackers, rollers, or J-bars, you could find that you need to adjust your approach to some aspects of the process.
7. Secure your kayak rack to the roof using the included hardware
It’s now time to firmly attach the kayak roof rack to your 44, assuming it has gutter mounts and crossbars like a regular rack. There should be no need to assemble any light brackets or other attachments if your rack already has them. Installing short-roof adapters may be necessary to raise the load capacity of your kayak rack and support the correct spacing between crossbars for better weight distribution, depending on the roof surface area.
There are roof-rack methods that do not require drilling at all. But for most that do, like Jeep Wrangler Unlimited kayak racks, the best way to make sure water doesn’t get in is to put a lot of silicon in the holes where the bolts go. This will stop water from getting in when it rains. Because this sort of rack goes through the doors and up onto the roof of your vehicle, you need to make sure that the weather stripping on your Jeep is in good condition so that you may use temporary pads.
Can a Kayak Fit in a Jeep Wrangler
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Wrapping up
As you should know by this point after reading the whole post, a kayak can be transported in a Jeep Wrangler. Also, remember that having the appropriate kayak rack for your Jeep Wrangler plays a significant part in this scenario. The installation step comes next, and to execute it securely, you may require a few different tools.
