Hello everyone - I'd love some advice! (1 Viewer)

[Steve_123]

Hi, I am brand new to motorhomes, but am very keen to buy one for my wife and I to enjoy in our semi-retirement. My friend has one and advised that I join this Forum as hopefully I can tap into your advice and experiences.

I want a motorhome that I can also transport a 16ft double kayak on. Does anybody have any experience or advice on how this is best done? Which are the best sort of motorhome for this?

I would use a Thule Hullavator (thats bit kayak geeky, sorry!) so really need a motorhome with roof bars fixing points.

Finally, Im thinking of an Autocruise (the converted minibuses - I don't know the technical description) as I could put my kayaks inside through the rear doors, if needs be. Any thoughts, advice or things to consider with this type of motorhome?

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you in advance. Steve

 

[Howard H]

And ​

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi Steve and a big plus welcome to the world of motorhoming,you will get all the advice you need here.

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[Baycott]

Hi Steve and

There are a few kayakers (is that a word?) on here and I'm sure someone will be along with some advice.

 

[lorger]

Hi and welcome, I assume you mean a Panel Van Conversion or PVC for short, you will find a lot of van/motorhomes with roofbars on or able to have them fitted. I wouldn't pick a van for the Kayak id go for one I liked and find away to fit my Kayak

 

[Silver-Fox]

Plenty of good advice on here also some dodgy stuff as well

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[cliffanger]

@Armytwowheels are kayakers who will be along soon to give you all the gen - in the meantime...

 

[jollyrodger]

 

[EX51SSS]

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[Steve_123]

Thank you for all the welcomes, quite humbling to receive for a mere newbie like me. We are going along to the Motorhome Show in Peterborough in a few weeks time to start looking properly at which sort of motorhome really suits us. We want something not too large for just the two of us to enjoy life!

 

[EX51SSS]

Thank you for all the welcomes, quite humbling to receive for a mere newbie like me. We are going along to the Motorhome Show in Peterborough in a few weeks time to start looking properly at which sort of motorhome really suits us. We want something not too large for just the two of us to enjoy life!

Good place to start. There'll be lots of Funsters at Peterborough too.
Have a real good look round and be totally happy with your choice.
Talk to people, Funsters, Moho owners, anyone to get your answers. You'll find the Moho community brilliant and especially Fun.

 

[Stealaway]

Hi and welcome, I assume you mean a Panel Van Conversion or PVC for short, you will find a lot of van/motorhomes with roofbars on or able to have them fitted. I wouldn't pick a van for the Kayak id go for one I liked and find away to fit my Kayak

I would pick a M/H with a rear ladder and figure out how to fit the rack. M/H roofs are strong enough to walk on and fix to. Having a panel van to put the kayak inside means you would have to unload it every night and maybe lock it up under the van.

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[f6c]

Welcome aboard

 

[lorger]

I would pick a M/H with a rear ladder and figure out how to fit the rack. M/H roofs are strong enough to walk on and fix to. Having a panel van to put the kayak inside means you would have to unload it every night and maybe lock it up under the van.

Same here I wasn't telling the op to get a panel van he was asking in his post what the correct name was for what I thought he meant was a PVC. Thats why i recommended he find a van/MH first then make the kayak fit.

 

[Kingham]

....
I want a motorhome that I can also transport a 16ft double kayak on. Does anybody have any experience or advice on how this is best done? Which are the best sort of motorhome for this?

I would use a Thule Hullavator (thats bit kayak geeky, sorry!) so really need a motorhome with roof bars fixing points.

Welcome from the NE

A couple of things to look out for regarding carrying your sea kayak.

A lot of panel van conversions (PVCs) are fitted with longitudinal roof rails that run from front to rear and these are not always load bearing. For example, the latest Auto-Sleepers are fitted with cosmetic rails, unless an upgrade is requested at new build stage.

Coach built motorhomes such as the Swift Bolero, tend to have load bearing longitudinal rails fitted as standard (but not always) and you can buy cross rails to fit on to them, which in turn can be used to mount your carrier.

On both types of van you have the problem of physically dragging your kayak up on to the roof and securing it, which sounds simple enough if you are fit and strong, but in practice, it means you standing on the roof and putting quite a bit of weight through your feet as you do the dragging.
The seals on the rear rooflight of my Bolero failed after 2 years and I partly attribute this to dragging my kayak on to the roof.

I have a PVC arriving soon on which I have upgraded the roof system to allow me to carry my fishing kayak and to solve the problem of getting on to the roof, I intend taking it to Kari-Tek in Scotland to get a side lift carrier fitted. This winds down the side of the van for loading and unloading, then winds back up to the roof once the kayak is secured, or removed.

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[Steve_123]

Great advice everyone, thank you

 

[Kingham]

@Steve_123 I used Thule J-Bars on the last van, with extra length bolts to fit the oversized cross rails, as in the pics >>>>

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

.... p.s. To get the most from the forum you will need to subscribe. It's well worth £15 and will allow you to continue posting beyond your initial five free posts as well as letting you into areas that non members can't access.



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Wyn

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[irnbru]

@andy63 is getting some rail fitted to his van for a kayak. Im sure he will be along soon.

 

[Mickey1]

Mickey.

 

[andy63]

@andy63 is getting some rail fitted to his van for a kayak. Im sure he will be along soon.

Hi and welcome...
Don't think there's much else I can add...
Just reinforce what's been said... ie a 16 ft sea kayak is an akward bit of kit to be handling,especially on to a mh roof.. a pcv roof may not be strong enough to have you climbing round without causing damage, I suspect most coach built roofs are stronger...
I've only come across one firm who specifically address the issue of roof height and that's karitek. ..( have a look at their Web site ) the thule equivalent is really only designed for cars and similar. .... carrying a kayak doesn't do your solar panel set up much good a lot of the time... and it's going to take your height to over 3m in most instances...
But in spite of all the negatives I'm hoping to get karitek to do a job for me
Andy

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[suavecarve]

i have had a couple of 9 foot surf boards that i put on the roof of our previous van. (Have also canoed just not properly in 20 years)
Our van had lengthway side raised bars but nothing going across. Couple of bits of white angle iron connected by U bolts did the job for 7 years without issue and is a significantly cheaper way of doing it.
I agree with previous posts about the weight when you pick it up at the rear of the van. If the canoe is vertical and 16 foot in length and lets say your van is 10 foot, in theory you would only have to lift it 8 foot before you can use the back of the van as a lever. ************* That would be the temptation ****************** Make it a 2 person job because at that point there has to be a lot of stress going on the back of the van with your weight pulling it up as well.

Good luck and welcome

 

[Rapphil]

 

[Rapphil]

Spotted the above van this week with a Kari Tek rack.