Will Two 30 Inch Wide Kayaks Fit on Lower Deck of Yakima EasyRider Trailer

Question 1

Question:

Can I fit two 30 inch wide Kayaks on the lower rack between the bars? What is the width? Can I use a Jayhook or similar on the lower rack to haul more than two Kayaks? What is the height?

asked by: Dave A

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

I don't believe your two 30 inch wide kayaks will fit on the bottom deck of the Yakima EasyRider Double Decker Trailer # Y08129 . I confirmed through my contact at Yakima that the width of the bottom deck is 54 inches inside to inside of the 2 inch diameter tubing that make up the frame.

Because the bottom deck has a height of 21 inches, you would not be able to fit your 30 inch wide kayaks on their side, as you mentioned. You could, however, fit one on the bottom and a second or third using a J-Style carrier like # Y04042 on the upper crossbars, which have a capacity of 350 lbs.

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helpful expert reply by: Carla M

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Question 2

Question:

Carla. Thanks again for the information. I am working through other solutions to my issue. The plan was 2 kayaks on the bottom, 2 bikes on the top with a Skybox or similar. So now I am considering the 2 kayaks on top, sky box on bottom and bikes on one of those double hitches that have 2 receivers. So back to dimensions. Will my bike rack Kuat NV 2.0 fit with the bikes installed in one of these double receivers assuming the kayaks are far enough back and will there be an issue in opening the Skybox or similar on the bottom rack? The box will fit, but I can not find how much height is needed to open the lid, like will the lid hit the bottom of the top rack? Thanks

asked by: Dave A

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

I have a solution for you, but there isn't enough space to allow you to fully open a Yakima Skybox or any other similar roof box without making contact with the bottom of the crossbars on the Yakima EasyRider trailer.

Take a look instead at the Malone MegaSport 2 Tier Trailer with MegaWing Kayak Cradles # MPG550-TM. The open design of the trailer will easily accommodate your two 30 inch wide kayaks on the bottom and a roof box, like the low profile Thule Alpine # TH613, on the top, which is only 25.5 inches wide. The top cross bars are 50 inches long, so you could potentially carry your two bikes alongside the roof box. It will be a tight fit but you could alternate the direction of the bikes so one is pointing toward the vehicle and the other one is pointing toward the rear of the trailer, to create more room. The Yakima FrontLoader Roof Mount Bike Carrier # Y02103 would be my recommendation, as it only uses about 7 inches of crossbar space. You may need to remove one of the bikes in order to gain access to the inside of the box though.

The Malone MegaSport 2 Tier Trailer comes fully equipped with 2 MegaWing kayak carriers, a 5.5 cubic feet sliding dry storage drawer, an 8 cubic feet wire storage basket and a spare tire with a galvanized rim. So, depending on how much extra cargo you need to carry, a smaller roof box may do the trick, or you may not need one at all.

As an alternative, since you already own the excellent Kuat NV 2.0 # # NV22B, you could very well use the Curt Multipurpose Ball Mount # D210 to carry the bike rack while also towing the trailer. Normally, hitch adapters such as this one, cut the hitch's tongue weight capacity in half. However, this will not affect your tongue weight capacity, since you'll be using the ball mount to tow the trailer, which promotes overall stability. Although the receiver portion on the # D210 is rated for 500 lbs of tongue weight, you'll want to double check your vehicle's TW rating and your hitch receiver's TW rating as well and use whichever is lower as your limiting factor.

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helpful expert reply by: Carla M

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