Transporting Your Hobie Kayak
The most compact and common way to transport your kayak is to deflate it and place it inside the storage travel bag provided with the kayak. Follow the folding instructions on pages 9 and 10.
Another way to transport your Hobie kayak is on a roof rack purchased from your dealer. This normally involves a set of crossbars that attach to the car via the rain gutters or adapter clips mounted to the door frame. They come with a wide variety of attachments from kayak saddles to stack- ers. The racks can be used without the attachments but the racks should be padded. To help prevent distortion, place the kayak, cockpit side down, on top of the rack. It is best if the crossbars contact the cockpit sides and not the deck areas. Straps can then be laid across the boat and tied to the bars. Saddles cradle the boat and often come with their own straps. Stackers allow multiple boats to be placed on their sides without falling over.
An alternative to a traditional rack systems is a soft rack. It tends to be less expensive and will work with most cars. It has pads mounted on straps that sit between the kayak and the roof of your car. Some styles have a strap that wraps around the kayak and others strap the pad to the roof. To tie the boat to the car, straps are run through the car doors and the boat is tied to the roof as well as the bumpers, front and
rear.
A line run from the bow and stern of the boat to each bumper is required. If your bumpers do not have a gap to pass a rope around, look underneath. There should be a loop of metal, which is used by car transports such as tow trucks.
Many people like to use the Mirage Drive well to tie the boat to the car. This helps prevent the boat from sliding back and forth or the
IMPORTANT NOTE: When tying to your roof rack, a decrease in tube pressure could loosen the tie downs. Make sure that it is secured in such a way that it cannot move if you lose air in the chambers.
About PVC
Continuing Hobie’s tradition of offering the latest in technol- ogy at an affordable price, your new kayak is made from a durable PVC. This material will give you years of enjoyment with minimal care and maintenance. If a tear or puncture does occur, PVC is very easy to repair.
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