www.iFourWinns.com

Looking for ideas on a secure method of mounting multiple (up to four) sea kayaks on a 318. The kayaks are fiberglass and about 18 feet long.

The only way I've seen kayaks mounted is tied to the inside of the bow rails. The trouble with doing that is unless you're on a boat with a flybridge that blocks far too much of your forward visibility. That and you greatly decrease the safety for anyone walking the bow area since the rails and gunwales are no longer as easily accessed.

I don't there's a secure way to mount FOUR of them.

Thanks for the response. I suspect the kayaks might have to take a different route to our destination. Glad I won't be the one with the short straw who drives the car around the Lake.

Well, if you're only taking a short trip across a lake then it might not be "too hazardous" to double them up and tie them to the inside of the bow rails. But I'd never want to make a regular habit of it. The loss of visibility would be a killer here on the Chesapeake (crab pots). That and the added windage would certainly have a negative effect on your fuel consumption.

But if the trip is more than just 'getting to the other side', with lots of stops along the way, I don't think I'd want them lashed up on the bow. It'd look like hell, be an obstacle to walk around, block the visibility and just generally seem like a bad idea.

If you've already got a rack for the car that'll properly handle them then just stick with that. Draw straws on who gets the 'to' and the 'from' trips. The better gas consumption on a road vehicle alone might make it better to leave the boats and gear there instead of on the boat. With one less person and all that gear you'd probably be talking at least 500lbs saved. That's enough to notice when running on plane.

Lake Michigan. Thanks for the suggestions.