PaddleWise by thread

From: Shawn Baker <shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] PU as Kayak rig (was: Volvo maintainance)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:54:47 -0800 (PST)
MJKory_at_aol.com wrote:
>I would like to get a used pickup to haul my kayak, but it seems like
a 
pain to figure out an effective way to haul the boat on a PU. How do
you do it? 

As Steve Cramer mentioned, a pickup topper.  When I had an 89 Nissan PU
as my kayak rig, I had an aluminum topper ($150 used), and welded a
rack for it.  But the "artificial raingutters" will work on an aluminum
shell as well as 'glass.  Make sure you bolt through the aluminum tube
frame of the shell.

I didn't have them, but wish I'd had the
"fully-opening-from-the-outside side windows".

Now my kayak rig is a 93 Dodge Grand Caravan.  The ultimate kayak rig. 
maybe not the ultimate whitewater shuttle rig (sometimes ground
clearance and 4wd are keys here), it's the ultimate surf and sea kayak
rig.  Plenty of room to sleep in the back, seats 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7,
depending on which seats you install or remove, rear heat and air, and
a much lower roofline than 4wd pickups and SUV's.  Room to carry long
paddles inside.  Room to change inside.  Raingutters!!!

Shawn

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
From: Gary J. MacDonald <garyj_at_ncf.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] PU as Kayak rig (was: Volvo maintainance)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 13:43:05 -0500
Shawn Baker wrote:
 
> Now my kayak rig is a 93 Dodge Grand Caravan.  The ultimate kayak rig.
> maybe not the ultimate whitewater shuttle rig (sometimes ground
> clearance and 4wd are keys here), it's the ultimate surf and sea kayak
> rig.  Plenty of room to sleep in the back, seats 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7,
> depending on which seats you install or remove, rear heat and air, and
> a much lower roofline than 4wd pickups and SUV's.  Room to carry long
> paddles inside.  Room to change inside.  Raingutters!!!

I miss my 93 Caravan.  I miss raingutters, too.

I found that the regular 93 had pretty good ground clearance, esp with the
shorter wheelbase.  (I have a Grand now, and it has the same or tighter turning
circle, but is otherwise not nearly the paddling vehicle.)  I recommend the
93-95 Caravans.  92 was the same basic model, but IIRC a few more problems.

GaryJ
-- 
Director, Family Canoeing Centre
Recreational canoeing courses for the whole family.

        +--------------------------------+
        | /"\                            |
        | \ /                            |
        |  X  ASCII RIBBON CAMPAIGN      |
        | / \ AGAINST HTML MAIL & NEWS   |
        +--------------------------------+
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
From: <MJKory_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] PU as Kayak rig (was: Volvo maintainance)
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 03:21:16 EST
I used a 1989 Plymouth Voyager with nice big RAINGUTTERS as my kayak vehicle 
for a couple years, and you are exactly right about this type of vehicle 
being ideal for kayaking. The middle seat and rear seat were easily 
removable, which left LOTS of room for equipment storage and changing. The 
roofline was low enough that you did not break your back getting the boat up 
on top.    

In a message dated 1/16/03 8:42:19 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
shawnkayak_at_yahoo.com writes:

> Now my kayak rig is a 93 Dodge Grand Caravan.  The ultimate kayak rig. 
> maybe not the ultimate whitewater shuttle rig (sometimes ground
> clearance and 4wd are keys here), it's the ultimate surf and sea kayak
> rig.  Plenty of room to sleep in the back, seats 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7,
> depending on which seats you install or remove, rear heat and air, and
> a much lower roofline than 4wd pickups and SUV's.  Room to carry long
> paddles inside.  Room to change inside.  Raingutters!!!
> 
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:32 PDT