: About that pickup: Might be the wrong vehicle for transport. They
: are higher than cars, and by the time you add a rack over the
: cab, and a rack of similar height over the bed, it gets to be
: pretty high to lift the boat. Sure, you can prop up one end,
: climb in the back and lift it from there, but it is more work.

: Consider getting a 4x8 utility trailer kit. It will take about 6 to
: 8 hours to bolt it together and probably another 6 to 8 hours to
: fabricate racks for it so it can carry several boats.

[snip]

: PGJ

Yes, sold the PU, sold the S-class Mercedes and bought a Pruis plus a folding trailer from Northern Tool - 12" tires and free shipping. I've made stake sides and the kayak rack in the picture. Its been painted since the photo. The rack is made so that the 17 1/2' boats overlap the rear of the car and only project about 2' from the back of the trailer. This way I didn't have to extend the tongue. They are still low enough to load pretty easily, much lower that a car-top rack.

The car + trailer combination is amazingly useful. I also have a hitch mount bicycle rack which we use quite a bit. It takes about 15 minutes to unfold the trailer and put on either the stake sides or the kayak rack. And the Prius is simply remarkable.

Jim Ham