Carrying 2 Kayak in bed: super-easy hauling without accessories

[spearmanp]

My wife and I wanted to check out the ability of our cybertruck to carry our kayaks, without roof racks. We have the tailgate pad, and just laid the kayaks over this and used two straps for a tie down. Super simple and it was a very stable ride to the lake and back. Lots of thumbs up! signs along the way.

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[LS95]

Did you experiment at all with closing the tonneau cover against the kayaks as the only method of locking them in? Once I get mine (hopefully in a week or two) carrying kayaks will be frequent for us. Would be super convenient for shorter drives if the cover could just hold them down, but not sure if that would be too much pressure for it.

 

[spearmanp]

I’m not sure the tonneau is designed to take much pressure, so we didn’t want to test that. We did partially close it but not up against the kayaks.

 

[Fabville]

Did you experiment at all with closing the tonneau cover against the kayaks as the only method of locking them in? Once I get mine (hopefully in a week or two) carrying kayaks will be frequent for us. Would be super convenient for shorter drives if the cover could just hold them down, but not sure if that would be too much pressure for it.

I still use a single tie down strap and an adjustable ratcheting cargo bar similar to this one for hauling our kayaks and a rubber mat to protect the tailgate trim.

 

[CKLenYLA]

12ft kayak?

 

[LS95]

I still use a single tie down strap and an adjustable ratcheting cargo bar similar to this one for hauling our kayaks and a rubber mat to protect the tailgate trim.

The cargo bar is a great idea! Not sure why I didn't think of that. Out of curiosity, where do you use your tie down strap when using it in conjunction with the bar?

 

[Fabville]

The cargo bar is a great idea! Not sure why I didn't think of that. Out of curiosity, where do you use your tie down strap when using it in conjunction with the bar?

I’ve used the tie down strap on the rear d-rings that are in the wall of the bed or some of the “ring” l-track attachments that I bought, and the cargo bar toward the front to keep the kayaks from possibly tilting. I’ve actually had the tonneau partially closed with this setup, but open enough not to touch the kayaks.

Since the walls are a composite material, they do flex a bit with the cargo bar, so I try to make sure it’s just tight enough without damaging the walls.

 

[spearmanp]

12ft kayak?

These are 10 ft. kayaks.

 

[Wonderful]

This is how I bring my paddle boards to water. Easy to throw them in, tie down, add a flag, drive off.

 

[HaulingAss]

Since the walls are a composite material, they do flex a bit with the cargo bar, so I try to make sure it’s just tight enough without damaging the walls.

I would avoid using cargo bars like that without knowing what was behind them. There might be a particular spot where a ratcheting cargo bar would be safe and effective, but I doubt it. It's not designed for a ratcheting cargo bar. It sounds like you have got away with it so far, but I would suggest even more caution.

 

[Stuck4ger]

I still use a single tie down strap and an adjustable ratcheting cargo bar similar to this one for hauling our kayaks and a rubber mat to protect the tailgate trim.

Good solution. Seeing if the tonneau cover is strong enough by itself seems like a poor test program. “Oh dang, no, it’s not strong enough to handle that speed bump.”

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

I’m not sure the tonneau is designed to take much pressure, so we didn’t want to test that. We did partially close it but not up against the kayaks.

It’s fine. I have UltraGooves on my Fords that are the same style electric tonneau cover as the CT and it works fine for holding down kayaks.

 

[Jow]

how about tailgate down, tonneau closed, then just have to tie the kayaks down with them getting virtually no wind

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