Worrying about excessive height is rather akin to worrying about asteroid strikes. It really takes some inattention to be so high as to result in damage. Such as pulling into a parking garage with a mini-van and a bicycle strapped standing up on top.

Trailers are handy things, once in a while. The rest of the time they sit there, in the way. The tiny ones you can get at Home Depot are cute, and useless for the most part. They weigh quite a bit (especially when trying to stuff it out of the way), and don't hold much. However, if you do find yourself needing to carry a riding mower around, they are handy. I have a trailer, two in fact. One tiny one for the motorcycle (very light, very small), and a larger utility trailer converted from an old camper. It's light to work hard or particularly effectively on the farm, but since it was free, I took it.

Trucks are nifty. My wife has one. And 99.9% of the time it's used like a car. So she pays a lot more in gasoline then she would if she had a car. But, when it's time to go get a load of lumber or bricks, a truck is wonderfull. Don't even think of trying to haul a load of bricks on a single axle trailer behind a lightweight car. Of course, being a truck there is no trunk. So everything goes into the bed to be seen by all, and to get soaked in the rain. And being a truck, it spends its life trying desperately to be stuck every time it rains or there's snow on the ground. I've pulled that truck more times with the tractor then I do the trailer. And I pull the trailer a lot!

Cars are effective. Lots of people like them and find them immensely usefull. I own several. My current big car is a Honda CRX. Which hauls around my kayak and bicycles just fine. Not to mention goodly amounts of lumbers, fencing materials and quite a few other things that look odd sitting on top, like the lawnmower. With a nice rack up there that I got at a junk shop for $25, and my beloved cinch straps, I can put the world up on top and haul it without problems or fear. It does mean everything gets wet up there when it's raining of course. With a kayak, that shouldn't present a problem of course.

Minivans and such are nice as well. They hold a heck of a lot more then a car. Some insurance companies love them and will consider you a responsible person for owning one and reduce your rates. Of course a kayak will not fit inside one. But a whole sheet of 8' plywood often will. Of course you will suffer the derisive social stigma of being a minivan operator.

Big vans are much like modern minivans when it comes to hauling capacity these days. You get more power of course, but how much does a kayak weigh anyhow?