Hauling and storing a Hobie Quest

I have ordered and am waiting for delivery of a 2006 Hobie Quest. It will be my first kayak and I am wondering about storage and hauling of the Quest.

I am planning to hang the Quest in my garage on it's edge from straps that are wide where they contact the kayak and are placed adjacent to the bow and stern ends of the cockpit.

I am also going to modify a low flat bed utility trailer that I own to haul the Quest.

Question 1:
Would it be better to haul the Quest cockpit down on padded bars like the roof rack of many vehicles or on it's edge supported in a cradle like it was leaning up against a building? When it is strapped down to the bars, wouldn't it be better to have the pull from the bow and stern tie-down lines pulling down with the kayak upside down rather than pulling sideways if it was sitting in a cradle being supported on it's edge?

Question 2:
If it would be better to haul the Quest in a cradle on it's edge; is there any way to get the dimensions and shape the cradle should be, from Hobie, so that I can build the cradles now as I wait for delivery of the kayak?

Thanks for your help on this. I am really stoked about being the owner of a Hobie Quest.
David

Congratulations on your new Kayak! I've heard nothing but good reviews on the Quest. Unless you'll be hauling more than one kayak on the trailer, I'd carry it deck side down on the cross bars. If you run your side-to-side tie down lines through the scupper holes your kayak will be restricted from fore and aft motion while you're towing it. Eliminating the additional bow and stern lines will simplify the loading and unloading process.

I would store hanging from the rails as you described with wide straps. I have my kayak stored in my garage hanging above the car, upside down. Weight is on the cockpit edges. Same with car racks. Upside down ion the rails is best. On it's side can give you problems in a crosswind. There is no rail sahpe info I can forward. Most of the cradles I have seen for that are soft / flexible to conform.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Matt,

Could I trouble you into posting a picture of your overhead garage storage. I am getting everything together to begin my kayaking adventure and I want to be sure that all the other aspects (transport and storage) are taken care of. Due to lack of available space in my garage, the kayak (hopefully an outback) will have to hoisted to the ceiling somehow. Any advice, suggestions, pix, would be very welcome. Thanks!

Best Regards,

Bruce

This is how I have my Maui stored. The boat rests on two webbing straps. Best if upside down with most of the loads on the rails. The webbing is just long enough to support the boat when fully hoisted. I tied line to the ends of the webbing straps to run up through blocks. The lines then run to a beam where I mounted a couple of cam jaws. I can pop the line in and out of the jaws when hoisting or for lowering. I then tie off around a nail for security. I hoist from next to the boat and then walk over to the cleats. Not hard to hold the lines.

I also tied stopper knots in the lines so the the system hangs as a sling, low, to make loading easy.

This system will tumble the boat on the way up or down. I give it a budge to rotate it if I want it to stay in one orientation or another.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Although Matt's solution would work just fine, some of us may not be so handy when it comes to putting a plan like this into action. For overhead storage of my kayaks I bought a couple of devices from my Hobie dealer called Harken Hoisters and they work very well. Cost seemed reasonable at under $100 each considering their quality and design. They use a compound hoist design that makes lifting easier and employ a self locking feature so you can't drop the yak if you accidently loose your grip on the rope. Just my $.02.

Here's a link: http://www.hoister.com/