With all the time and care I put into building a kayak I want to be certain it's going to stay on the roof. I used my deck beam bending jigs to form custom kayak cradels for my CLC boat. Two sheets of 1/4 plywood were bent over the jig and epoxied together. The cradels are about 18 inches wide. I built a frame and glassed it together with lost of fiberglass tape. The boat goes on the rack upside down. The cradels form perfect support for the deck. The cradels have closed cell 1/8 inch foam glued onto them to protect the boat. The cradels are held to the standard rack with hardware store U clamps.

The cost of a rack system is all the accesories. The basic rack is prety inexpensive.
> I have just about finished my Chesapeake 17'! I am dying to try it out. I
> don't have a roof rack for my car and I am looking for suggestions on ways
> to transport it without spending a lot (or any) money. I have been
> transporting a canoe using the blue foam blocks, and then using a pair of
> ratcheting webbing straps. I looped the straps around the canoe, put them
> inside the doors, hooked the ends together and then cranked the ratchets
> down tight. It was quick and really solid. Would it work for a kayak? or
> will I have to buy a special rack. Also, I don't have a paddle yet. I was
> taking a look today and saw wooden ones that were quite cheap. They went
> for about $90 (canadian) and then the non-wood ones all seemed to be quite
> a lot more money. Are the wood ones okay? I haven't paddled before, so I
> don't anticipate paddling across the seven seas this summer or anything.
> Also, are nylon spray skirts alright? Budget is tight, so cheap options
> are more attractive to me now.

> Your expertise is appreciated.

> Thanks, Paul