The Thule Hullavator 898AU ($1499*)
* Freight: $35Who wants to be the envy of everyone on the lake, river or beach? The Thule Hullavator is the ultimate way to carry your kayak. On the road it will be held securely to your roof racks with 2 tie down straps in the middle and an easy to operate ratchet strap at each end to secure the extremities of the kayak to the vehicles towing eyes. While the 4 included straps hold your kayak firm the thick padding on the cradles and the rubber covers for the buckles protect your water craft from damage.
Once you arrive at your venue, a turn of the key and pull on the handles and your kayak is lowered with gas struts to a convenient height to remove it without damaging your back. The gas struts will also lift the kayak back up top for you when you are finished. What a relief after a long day of hard work on the water.
Roof rack specs:
The Thule Hullavator works best with Thule roof racks where we can make the security the same for both roof racks and Hullavator but it will also fit to other roof racks with a suitable t-channel in the top face or a 32x22mm square bar. There just needs to be enough overhang from the roof rack support to fit the unit. The Hullavator can be used with a Rhino heavy duty cross bar with fitting kit 897XTRC ($50). It will not work with Prorack Whispbar or any racks that do not have a cross bar that goes beyond the end support. The minimum bar length to fit an additional unit for a second kayak is 135cm.
More info:
- Gas assisted struts lift and lower a kayak up to 35kgs
- Load and unload kayak at waist level
- Fully padded cradles
- Corrosion resistant materials and coatings
- Carries 1 kayak with 1 person operation
- 2 carriers can be fitted to crossbar of 135cm length or longer
- Includes tie down straps plus bow and stern straps
- Kayaks up to 85cm wide and 35kgs
What Steve thinks......
The Thule Hullavator is in a league of its own. It is expensive, but less than the cost of a week off work with a bad back. It is bulky but it is easily removed after a day trip.
Very often when we sell a Hullavator the buyer has already seen his/her mate using one and just has to get one for themselves. I can't compare the Hullavator to anything else because I simply do not have a comparison. There are aids you can purchase to support one end of your kayak while you lift the other. These are effective but nothing actually takes the strain for you like the Thule Hullavator.
The kit also comes with additional front and rear tie downs for securing the ends of the watercraft. I always give an extra tick when they are included in the box.