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Do I Need a Truck Bed Extender For My Kayak?

Do I Need a Truck Bed Extender For My Kayak?

Truck bed extenders are good options for transportation of Kayak in distant places. They provide additional support and prevent your equipment from slipping. 

Do I Need a Truck Bed Extender For My Kayak? You need a truck bed extender for your kayak because it is not easy to load them on a short truck bed. These extenders provide safety to your oversize kayaks because they provide sufficient space for them to accommodate. It is better to load it with the tailgate down and secure it with straps. You can transport this on your short truck bed using bed racks and a roof rack system.

You should know the use of protective bed liners if you want to haul kayaks on your truck bed. 

What is a truck bed extender? 

A bed extender is also known as a tailgate extender and is a cage-like useful device to carry oversize equipment on your pickup like boats.

They increase the loading area of your truck’s bed by almost up to 3 to 5 feet to provide stability to your bigger and heavier loads.

It is a good option to use truck bed extenders to carry these loads because they can fit in almost all types of vehicles to reduce your worry of loading them.

Why do you need a truck bed extender for a kayak?

It is no longer an issue to face the problem of the size of your truck’s bed to carry a kayak on it because truck bed extenders are helpful in this regard.

Provides safety to kayak

Safety is the main concern when you load something on your vehicle for transportation.

It is not less than a challenge to transport a boat on your pickup because it is something larger than the standard size.

It becomes even more challenging to carry a kayak on your pickup if you have a small truck bed. 

These provide additional support to your kayak and ensure its safety. You can easily transport it through a long way without its safety concerns.

It is also an important point to prevent sliding during its transportation. These can be helpful to avoid slipping if you secure them correctly.

Similarly, they also provide safety to your surrounding vehicles because they are sufficient enough to accommodate them in place.

Easy to use

There are many advantages of using truck bed extenders, and one of them is their convenient use. In addition, they are great options to carry all types of cargo ranging from small to big size.

Loading your truck’s bed with a large item requires more effort, but truck bed extenders are beneficial because they do not require much effort.

It can take more time to transport your boat, but these are the solution to this problem.

They are easy to install, and this process requires less time and plays an essential role in saving your time.

In addition, they provide you with a quick way to transfer kayak anywhere.

It is easy to load your kayak and secure its traps on the bed extender, and also, it is easy to unload it because removing straps is also not challenging.

In addition, there is no issue with the space to adjust your kayak on a pickup.

These are a good investment for your vehicle if you want to haul a kayak on it. You can load it on your small truck bed.

How do you haul a kayak with a truck?

It is pretty easy to haul a kayak with a truck depending upon the size and shape of kayaks. However, it will be more convenient to haul a kayak that fits correctly in your truck bed.

You can use a truck bed extender if the size of your kayak is larger, but still, you need to secure it correctly with straps.

Transport with tailgate down

You can transport it with the tailgate down, but it also eliminates your ability to load other accessories.

It is easy to load your kayak on a truck’s bed with the tailgate open. Leave the tailgate down and allow it to extend out of your truck bed.

It is better to angle your kayak from one corner of your pickup to the other corner to minimize its overhanging.

Down tailgate of your vehicle’s bed will allow you to keep your kayak aligned parallel to your truck bed. 

You can also load it with your tailgate up, and it will retain your ability to transport other gears in the bed of your pickup.

Almost all types of vehicles have D-shaped metals that contain straps and help load a kayak into your truck’s bed.

These straps are strong enough that you can pull them tight, and there will be no worry about bending the body of your kayak.

You need to have your tie-down loops at the top, midway, and lower side of your bedroom walls.

You can install extra straps if the loops are missing on either side. This will provide you with extra safety and support for a kayak.

Transport on a truck bed

It is the most popular way to load your kayak on r truck’s bed without any fuss. It is the best way to transport kayaks in a pickup without racks installed in them.

For this purpose, you need to install bed liners in the bed. You should use high-grade bed liners that are made up of durable rubber mats to ensure safety.

Low-quality bed liners will not be effective in this regard, and therefore, you should focus on their material for better and easy transportation of heavier items.

It is a straightforward method to transfer kayak at very short distances. Moreover, it is the only affordable solution for you if you do not have an extra budget.

You can also use cable locks to provide more support to your kayak. They are a great way to prevent them from thieves.

Thread them tightly with handles and anchor points, making it impossible to take them away without your permission.

Kayak truck racks

Using kayak truck racks can be the best possible solution if you do not want to tie them on your pickup’s roof racks.

Truck racks have become popular, and they are made up of aluminum or steel, having more strength.

They can support heavier items in an upright position and support the long kayaks as much as we need.

They are available in various styles on the market, and it depends on you to select the types that give your truck a modern look.

Load your kayak at the center of racks and tighten it to the bars to prevent its sliding during driving. They are preferred over roof racks because they have more load holding capacity. 

Kayak roof rack

Kayak roof rack system is worth considering method when you do not want to load it on truck’s bed. They will leave your truck bed empty, and you can load other accessories in addition to it.

This system is installed on your truck’s roof, and it is easy and also non-permanent installation.

It depends on your choice if you want to install them permanently or not because they are easily removable.

Moreover, they also provide you the opportunity to transfer multiple kayaks simultaneously. You can use a set of straps to tie them tightly on the roof.

Intense wind force can cause hindrance in your process of transportation, but a bow and stern lines are available to protect them from the wind.

This method is also advantageous if you have a truck covered with a cap because it is not essential to remove these covers to use these racks.

Trucks utility racks

Truck utility racks are also beneficial if you want to transport more than one kayak. It is a combination of truck bed racks and a roof rack system.

Lift one kayak on the rack and secure it with straps, but still, there will be space to load other equipment. They provide a much bigger storage area with better load capacity.

How far can a kayak stick out of a truck bed?

It depends on the size of your truck’s bed and your kayak because they are variable in size. The kayak will stick out of a truck bed by 3 to 5 feet if it is large.

The small kayak will stick out to less length than a large one, which can range from 1 to 3 feet beyond the rear bumper of your truck.

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