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Perfect kayaking vehicle

Subaru Crosstrek

it's got the most clearance of any Sub, has plenty of space for gear for two paddlers, and can go places that my Ford Ranger, frankly, could not. I've done some SEEERIOUS offroading and yes, while the vehicule is not meant for that purpose i have been able to access some areas I would have never thought possible with a car.

Frankly, best kayak haulin' mobile base camp i've ever owned. Pretty good on gas too, i am running at 8.8/100 combined, sitting on 68000 km. Keep in mind I actually have winter were i live, so they are more expensive to operate in the cold. if i were living on the west coast i think that figure would be closer to 8/100 combined.

Frankly, only a 4x4 pickup or overland type vehicule would be better suited to epic adventures. for all the rest plus the highway driving, i am sold on my Crosstrek.
 
I'm soon to be in the market for "the perfect kayak vehicle".
Wish list:
Nice big rear hatch to keep me dry when I am taking my drysuit on or off in the rain. I'm tall, so it needs to open up high.
Comfortable spot to sit in the rear hatch opening when the hatch is open.
SUV like seat height. I like to slide into my seat rather than down into my seat after a long day of paddling.
Long roofline, which a hatch design that won't hit the kayaks on the roof when opened.
Good cargo space, easy to clean.
AWD. We have some property that I cannot access without AWD. Does not need much ground clearance.
Not so tall that I get charged overweight fees on the ferry for having a kayak on the roof.

So far, the cars I have narrowed down to area the Honda Element and an older (second gen) Mitsubishi Outlander. Both meet the above requirements for the most part and both have a nice little "tailgate" that drops down making a nice changing bench.
 
I started with a Toyota 4-Runner and the height (I'm only 5'5") was a challenge. When it came time to replace it, I found this Jeep and it has worked out pretty well - though I do miss the increased interior carry space (and door pockets) of the Toyota. However, with the Jeep and a strong partner, I can lift/load the boats from the side instead of having to push them on from the back.



I tried one of those tricked out racks that articulate down to the side of the car. I found out that handles on both front and rear racks have to be pulled and lowered at the same time. At my height and arm span, that meant the separation between contact points was only about 4 ft. Mariner said that was okay and maybe it would be if I put the boat on it's side. But it just doesn't look right to me to have that much boat handing out over the supports, front and back. So I went back to the system in the photo above.

But my eye notices the fitness of cars for kayak carrying as I walk through parking lots. One day I saw a station wagon that could double as an aircraft carrier. Not only was the roofline two blocks long. And I could easily reach the roof without standing on my tippy toes. It was the Volvo 740 mentioned at the beginning of this tread. If, [insert your deity here] forbid, something should happen to the Jeep (and I survive), I'd strongly consider a low mileage (if there is such a thing) Volvo 740.

However, a paddling friend in Seattle has a pretty good setup with a something like the Tacoma pickup. His has the four doors so he can open both if he needs privacy for a quick clothing change, plus extra storage in the cab. The real benefit is the rack he had made. It extends over the cab for wide support and he as rollers on the cross bars so, if alone, he can lift the bow to the back roller, then pick up the stern and push the boat forward. In addition, the rack has a welded "shelf along it's length, just wide enough for secure footing. so he can easily climb from the top of the tire to the shelf an walk along the side of the rack to tie down boats. The boats rest on their keel, not their side, so he can only get three across. But with the addition of some vertical posts to supporting them on their side, I'm guessing he could easily carry four boats.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

A few weeks later and I'm still undecided. The Volvo is still kicking around (yup, it's a 740 wagon, Designer!) while I wait for ICBC's "offer". It is doomed, though, as they told me the damage flagged their total loss warning and that basically means they will do anything they can to get it out of the road. Short of me withdrawing the claim, the wagon is done.

I've been looking at the more rugged wagons out there - Volvo XC70 and the Subaru Outback. Pretty nice, but repairs (particularly on the volvo suspension and AWD side of things) can be pricey, and the Subie engines aren't known for being all that bulletproof.

As much as I have an irrational dislike of SUVs, a CRV is starting to look pretty nice.. Reasonably cheap, very reliable, easy and cheap to fix. It's a realistic option, but those who know me know I don't always work off of logic and sense :p

The most "out there" option so far was a local 2004 E500 Mercedes wagon. 300hp V8, AWD.. An 11 year old luxo barge, now cheap enough that I wouldn't feel bad scratching the paint with a boat. If only I could afford the upkeep.. :mrgreen:
 
Fun exercise, but what is your budget? Like with "what boat should I buy?" questions, how much can you afford to spend?
$1,734.92 isn't going to go to far...$31,734.92 will.
 
It's looking increasingly likely that I'll be driving a Subaru Outback soon.. Heading out to see a really nice one tomorrow, hopefully. Nice and comfy, fast enough to be fun on the odd occasion where such a thing can be appropriate, rugged enough for any kayaking launch spots we're likely to need access to. The reliability is.. Well, it's not bad, but it's no 1990 Volvo :D

The roof rack looks a bit tighter than on our old Volvo, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Can't wait!
 
I ended up buying the outback! The price was too good to pass and it's in really nice shape.

The rack is.. Dissappointing :evil: With the factory crossbars, it's impossible to fit my old Mako saddles. That is, the bars aren't wide enough for two pairs of saddles to fit on each bar (two boats..). The plastic around the clamps takes up almost 4 inches on either side that the saddles can't wrap around! So I'm either gonna have to buy new (used) J-style carriers, or get rid of the factory crossbars and install Thule feet and bars. But even though the Thule setup gives me a few more inches of usable space, it might still be very tight. The side rails really aren't spaced far enough apart to be ideal. Uggggghhhh.
 
tiagosantos said:
But even though the Thule setup gives me a few more inches of usable space, it might still be very tight. The side rails really aren't spaced far enough apart to be ideal. Uggggghhhh.
Click to expand...

You may have considered this already (and I may be misunderstanding the situation) but on my VW I use longer bars and put cradles 'outboard' of the towers/legs.



It's pretty tight; on the outboard cradles I had to replace the Thule cradle 'wingnuts' (with the long arms) with SS nuts .
 
Used the same tricks on a Yakima rack to load an 80 inch bar for carrying three boats, two 24 inchers and an even wider double. Even so, we had to alternate bow and stern for a tighter fit.

Planting cradles outside the mounts is key, ditto the lower profile hex nuts in SS.

PS, I think you can find conduit the same OD as the Yakima bars. I just beefed up some 1 inch galvanized iron pipe with duct tape and called it good. Carried this load to the Charlottes ... about 1500 miles each way. The only casualties were sore spots on our noggins from hitting the crutch tips on the ends of the pipes. Without padding or tennis balls, we would have had lacerated scalps.
 
Thanks guys, looks like that's the best solution :) the factory bars are the now common aero blade style and fit entirely within the width of the side rails. Both Thule and Yakima make feet that can adapt their respective bars to the side rails.. I'll probably go with Thule so I can reuse my old bars, unless I find a complete used set for sale.
 
Whidbey said:
I'm soon to be in the market for "the perfect kayak vehicle".
Wish list:
Nice big rear hatch to keep me dry when I am taking my drysuit on or off in the rain. I'm tall, so it needs to open up high.
Comfortable spot to sit in the rear hatch opening when the hatch is open.
SUV like seat height. I like to slide into my seat rather than down into my seat after a long day of paddling.
Long roofline, which a hatch design that won't hit the kayaks on the roof when opened.
Good cargo space, easy to clean.
AWD. We have some property that I cannot access without AWD. Does not need much ground clearance.
Not so tall that I get charged overweight fees on the ferry for having a kayak on the roof.

So far, the cars I have narrowed down to area the Honda Element and an older (second gen) Mitsubishi Outlander. Both meet the above requirements for the most part and both have a nice little "tailgate" that drops down making a nice changing bench.
Click to expand...

Of the many kayak-carrying-worthy vehicles I've owned, the BMW X5 seems like it would cover your needs. Most years have a drop down tailgate as well the hatch. I owned mine for about 3 years and drove it over many 4x4 roads in Colorado. It was fun to drive (very much like a sports sedan/wagon) and is the most capable vehicle I've ever driven in the snow...and I love heading out into the snow. Of course, this is a more expensive option than the examples you listed, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Currently we have a Toyota 4Runner and a highly efficient VW Jetta Sportswagen. The 4Runner is nearly as off road capable as a Jeep Wrangler and it very good on the highway, the VW wagon isn't off road capable but can go 600 miles on 14 gallons of fuel and is fun to drive. If we went down to one car then it among our top choices would be the diesel BMW X5 35D.

TS: I owned two Volvo 245s a 244 and 242. Put 145k miles on the last one I owned (bought it from the original owner with 100k on the clock). Had a late model S60 and it of course wasn't as easy to maintain as any of the 240s, but was more fun to drive.

I've considered Subarus in the past but it's been a few years since I test drove one. How's the Outback working for you so far?
 
Well, so far so good - but we haven't actually been out kayaking since I bought it! :| Just finally had time to sort out the racks today.

I'm really enjoying the car, but the Outback XT is an incredibly silly car in some respects. It's safe and comfortable, nice family car with tons of room, decent sound isolation (by far the quietest car we've had!), rides pretty well albeit very wallowy with the soft suspension and tiny sway bars. On the other hand, gets terrible fuel mileage and is incredibly fast. Again, the fastest but least sportiest car I've ever had haha. It accelerates easily and eagerly but doesn't quite have the handling or the brakes to back up all that horsepower. So I'm working on that.. I've swapped the suspension from a Legacy GT wagon (lower and slightly stiffer, but still comfortable). It's now about 2" lower than a normal Outback, but still about 1" higher than a Legacy. Plenty of ground clearance for anywhere I'd consider going! Huge difference in handling or at least driving feel. Also replacing the brakes (rotors and calipers) with the stock Legacy GT pieces, which are bigger and stronger but bolt right in. Have a few more brake "upgrades" I want to do which should make the brakes feel much better and give the driver (either me or Ana) much more confidence.

As you can see, I've been having way too much fun playing cars..! I do love that the Outback is a very capable and playful platform but not quite as obnoxious as say a WRX. I wish the fuel consumption was a bit more reasonable. A normally aspirated Outback would have been a MUCH more sensible choice, but I would miss the opportunity to drive like an idiot every now and then.
 
tiagosantos said:
Well, so far so good - but we haven't actually been out kayaking since I bought it! :| Just finally had time to sort out the racks today.

I'm really enjoying the car, but the Outback XT is an incredibly silly car in some respects. It's safe and comfortable, nice family car with tons of room, decent sound isolation (by far the quietest car we've had!), rides pretty well albeit very wallowy with the soft suspension and tiny sway bars. On the other hand, gets terrible fuel mileage and is incredibly fast. Again, the fastest but least sportiest car I've ever had haha. It accelerates easily and eagerly but doesn't quite have the handling or the brakes to back up all that horsepower. .......
Click to expand...

Congrats on finding the car and on getting it dialed in!

I thought the same things about the Forester XT and Outback XT when I test drove them new in 2008. Power yes, handling and braking…not so much, and fairly poor fuel economy for that size of a car with a turbo 4. Makes a lot more sense to me it the way you are approaching it.

By coincidence, we are looking into replacing both of our vehicles. I’m searching the country for a clean, used AWD BMW wagon with 6spd manual tranny. Great for road trips and a lower roofline than the 4Runner. Not as fast or as off-road worthy as turbo Subarus though.

When you get a chance, post a shot of your lowered Outback XT.
 
M2G said:
I thought the same things about the Forester XT and Outback XT when I test drove them new in 2008. Power yes, handling and braking…not so much..
Click to expand...

Long about '07 or '08 I was in the Netherlands and rode along with a colleague to a business meeting in Germany. We traveled the autobahn for a couple hours in a Forester at 100mph++...interrupted by near panic stops for traffic tieups, only to floor it and be off again. I can atest to the Forester not being a handling car..nor breaking. That thing may have gone a wallowy 100mph+, but it had nooo business doing so. I have no issues with driving fast, but that ride still gives me chills.
 
Being from Portugal, I've driven far worse things at +100mph.. Yes, scary to think about it now! Growing up and seeing everyone else doing it, you just don't realize how silly it is.

M2G, a manual BMW wagon might be a unicorn! :)
 
tiagosantos said:
......

M2G, a manual BMW wagon might be a unicorn! :)
Click to expand...

Long ago I had a 2002 325iT (RWD wagon) with a 5spd manual. Used the heck out of that car and traded it on a very rare 2006 X5 with a 6spd manual.

So far, I've found two 2006-2011 328XiT (AWD wagons) with 6spd manuals, but they were not optioned the way I want, and/or not in a color I'm looking for. The search would be easier if dealers didn't have the annoying habit of listing automatic equipped BMWs as having manual transmissions. Such a car should be good for about 30mpg on the highway, without kayaks on the roof.
 
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