How Far Down Does the Thule Hullavator Lower the Boats From Your Roof

Question:

Looking at Hullavator ....concern is how low will this bring kayaks down? And towing a Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel so how adaptable is it to accommodate that? Kayaks are 12 footers..

asked by: Susan

Expert Reply:

The official word from Thule is that the Hullavator Pro # TH898 will bring the kayaks down around 36" from the tops of your crossbars. Our review video on this does a good job of showing exactly how the Thule Hullavator Pro # TH898 works and how far down the arms on the Hullavator extend down; on a sedan or wagon the arms are going to come down to allow you to put the boat onto the carrier around waist high- so it's very easy to get your boat loaded at that height. On a truck like the 2019 Ford F-350 it's going to be a bit higher than that, but I've included a photo that shows the Hullavator mounted on a Ford truck and it's going to stop right above the wheel wells.

With all of that being said, I think you're going to have issues trying to carry kayaks on the roof with a 5th wheel trailer attached; namely with getting the proper clearance from the 5th wheel trailer with 2 kayaks on the roof as well as not overloading the capacity of the roof with kayaks that large. I recommend making sure you've got at least 24" minimum crossbar spread, sufficient capacity on your truck's roof (check the owner's manual for load capacity) and at least 5 feet from the rear roof rack crossbar to the front of the trailer to allow for sufficient clearance from the truck cab (you may require more for turning).

If you're finding that your kayaks are either too heavy or too long to be carried in this manner, the best solution is going to be using a front mounted hitch on your truck like the Draw-Tite # 65076 and then using the Rhino Rack T-Load Hitch Mounted Load Assist and Support Bar for 2" Hitches - 49" Long # RTL002. Since this load extender bar comes with a load assistance feature, instead of the Hullavator I recommend using the Malone Deluxe Kayak Carrier Pads # MPG152 (you will need 2 sets to carry 2 boats). These pads simply fit around the crossbars on your roof rack and the Load Assist and Support bar to protect your boats from scratching. This will be a much better solution to carry 2 kayaks on your truck and not interfere with the 5th wheel trailer.