If internal carriage is not an option, then you’ll need some rooftop hardware to carry your watercraft on a car or truck. The lowest cost, temporary rooftop carriage options are straps that buckle around the roof and through the doors with paddling between the watercraft hull and the vehicle roof.

To use a vehicle as a more permanent watercraft transport it will likely include:

• Side rails: Metal bars running along the sides of the roof to attach carriers and other equipment.
• Crossbars: Railings that run across the roof width and attach to the side rails to support the kayak/SUP rack(s).

Next, you’ll need to choose a rack for holding the boat in place during transportation. Some of the more popular options are:

• J-racks: Also known as J-cradles, these side-loading roof racks support a single kayak or SUP at a angle in a J-shape design.
• Saddle racks: These roof racks have padded platforms that extend to support the bottom or top of the kayak or SUP so you can transport it while it’s laying horizontally. A lower end version of a simple saddle rack is roof pads or pool noodles. We do not recommend a pad/noodle compression rack for significant distances or highway/interstate speeds.
• Stacker racks: These vertical kayak racks allow you to arrange multiple kayaks or SUPs on their side rather than flat as a space-efficient, single or mulit-watercraft solution.

It’s not recommended to transport inflatable water craft on a rooftop carrier at highway/interstate speeds, as they could buckle or fold in ways they were not designed for and either rupture or become permanently misshaped. Local, slow-speed transportation of soft-hull watercraft should not be too hazardous with bow and stern lines backing up the hull straps. Use your judgement as it’s better to be safe than sorry.

A trailer will be required if you have to transport multiple watercraft. Casual Kayakers went with a small utility trailer with crossbars on top of its hard cover .

The solid hull kayaks/SUPs go on top (2, 3, 4 or 5 depending on the weight) and the inflatable/backpack or nesting SUPs and kayaks can fit inside. For more kayaks or SUPs, a dedicated kayak, canoe, or SUP trailer is probably a reasonable investment. The same roof rack requirements apply for the trailer as your vehicle.

Strap down your Kayak/SUP. Whatever transportation you decide on, securing the kayak or SUP to that transportation to vital to your safety, the safety of those around you, and the safety of what you are carrying. The load straps need to strong enough for the load and positively cinch down so your watercraft doesn’t move or come undone.

Now that you’ve figured out how you will move your watercraft, now let’s look at how to secure it to your vehicle or carrier with straps and cordage.

Straps: It is recommended that the straps have a 500-pound or greater working load limit (WLL) and a minimum breaking strength (MBS) of 1000 pounds or greater. One-inch wide polypropylene webbing straps usually meet this strength criteria. Another aspect of the strap is to have minimum stretch characteristics. All straps will and need to give some, but not too much. Consider putting a new strap under a moderate load (25 to 100 pounds) for a while before using them on the road for the first time. The strap needs to be able cinch down and hold tight.

The types of buckles that work well include cam buckle or a ratchet buckle. We recommend the cam buckle as you have more control of the tightness and you’re less likely to overtighten. You want the straps snug but not so tight you bend, crumple, dent, or oil-can the hull. Typically as tight as one can pull with one arm is tight enough. Straps sold with kayak/SUP pads or carriers are made for the expected loads. If you buy your own straps, consider getting them from a watersports dealer or the watercraft carrier manufacturer.

Bow and stern lines: Kayaks and SUPs may not be overly heavy, but they are long, ungainly and somewhat aerodynamic. The last thing you want is your watercraft lifting off your carrier and taking an unscheduled trip into the pavement or worse the car behind you. That’s a liability no one needs. The way to avoid such unpleasant occurrences is to use bow and stern lines. These lines are usually 3/8″ or 1/4″ soft nylon rope that is tied to the ends of your watercraft. Dedicated tiedown sets usually have nylon loop straps to connect the watercraft handle or strap to the line or line ratchet.

The other end of the tiedown connects to the front or back of the vehicle or trailer. If there isn’t a natural tiedown point on the vehicle (this is more common in the front), one can usually find a place under the hood for a short loop of rope or a purpose-designed hood loop or hood anchor (a flexible plastic/rubber tube and a strap loop that compresses between the hood and bay frame). As with the straps, you want the bow and stern lines snug but not so tight as to oil-car, dent, or crumple your watercraft.

Secure the leftover straps and lines. While the straps and lines are not stiff, at highway speeds they can be whipped around with significant force by the wind, they can damage your vehicle, the paint job, or trailer or anything else they come in contact with. Wrapping the straps around themselves or the carrier and tying the bow and stern lines to minimize slack is a good way to keep them from thrashing about and better secure your load. Ratchet lines avoid load-bearing knots (if your not comfortable with knots), but basic line/rope management is a good skill to develop.

Check the lines after a couple of hours and anytime you stop. Both straps and lines/rope have some give and will stretch out a bit over time, especially in warm weather or under direct sunlight. A little tightening along the way will keep you safe and your load from nasty accidents as you go down the road.

Worn or damaged straps and lines should be replaced promptly. You should check the straps and lines at the beginning of the season and before each use. These are made to be used in wet and sunny conditions and will last a good while if maintained properly (allowed to dry when get wet, rinsed in clean water thorough if exposed saltwater or dirty water, and stored in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight). Eventually they do wear out and can get damaged by sharp edges, rubbing, excessive force, or fraying.

If you wouldn’t trust a strap or line to support a significant weight above hung above you, then they probably should be replaced. You should also check any hardware the straps or lines connect to. Please note that the lines, straps, ratchets and watercraft handles, vehicle loops, and cross bars are not rated to support a human and should not used for such purposes! Always use human rated gear for supporting or rescuing people and their weight.

Kayak and SUP position for transport. As a general rule we recommend kayaks be transported and stored on their sides or on their tops (keel up). Keel up is more important for sit-inside kayaks as their lighter construction (compared to sit-on-tops) make them more susceptible to warping and oil-canning. This carry position keeps the keel straight. It is also important to not rest the kayak on small hull points (front, back, sides, top or bottom). The hull needs to be supported sufficiently so that the hull retains its designed shape. This is particularly true in warm temperatures or when the hull is exposed to direct sunlight. These are plastic boats and vinyl SUPs, they will soften is hot conditions or under direct sunlight and deform to relieve any stress or load they are subject too. The good news is they will usually straighten themselves out to their original shape if allowed to slowly rewarm under adequate support.

We recommend not placing your kayak or SUP on a narrow, rigid support (metal cross bar, etc.) as this could damage the hull. If transporting using a roof pad, make sure the kayak’s or SUP’s weight is not on a single point. If using a kayak/SUP carrier, make sure the kayak/SUP is resting on the carrier pads and not the hard metal or plastic of the carrier frame. If needed, we recommend picking up a kayak pad – a closed cell foam with a shallow “v” shape to better support the natural hull shape – or a flat pad for a SUP.

Pool noodles can also be used to spread the contact point of cross bars or other inflexible load points. The good news is pool noodles are cheap and easy to find (in season). As stated, sit-on-top kayaks are generally heavier, thicker, and tougher than a similarly sized sit-inside kayak and are better able to withstand less than optimal transportation situations. Plastic kayaks (sit-on-tops or sit-insides) and SUPs (inflatable or rigid) are tough but not indestructible, so the nicer you treat them the longer they will last.