Thule Hullavator, trying to save my back

It seems one of my biggest challenges is going to be getting the Kayak to and from the water. Im 59 years old and dont want to hurt my back. Im looking at the Thule Hullavator to help me. My car is a Ford Expedtion which does not make things any easier for me. I want to be able to manage the kayak on my own (Hobie revo 13) I may not always have anyone to help me. Does the hullavator work well. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Save your back and get a well used small boat trailer off Craigs List, throw away the rollers, cover the deck with plywood, add some tie downs and your back will thank you. A pickup works well but not everyone has one.  I'm 74 and wouldn't consider using any type car top setup. Hurt your back at your (my) age and it could be the end of kayaking..

Check the maximum weight for the Hullivator, I believe it is 72 lbs., how much does your 'yak weigh?

I used a hullivator with my revo.  It helps, but you still need to be able to lift the kayak to waist height to put it into the cradles, then you have to dead lift it to about chest height until the springs kick in.  I counteracts about 30 or 40 lbs of the weight.
One nice thing is that you strap the kayak in, in the down position - no need to strap it on top of your vehicle.

Check the maximum weight for the Hullivator, I believe it is 72 lbs., how much does your 'yak weigh?

The guy at RackAttack showed it to me when I was there last week....cool setup, but he said 50 lbs max.  I purchased some Thule racks for my Tacoma. ..Gonna be easier than lifting my Outback to the rack on my lifted Suburban, lol. Great guys, by the way....

Hullavator works great for me, but I use it for my Hobie TI.  Since it is a tendem and I always have help with me.  Hullavator is rated for 70-80lb. My TI is about 85-90lbs which exceeds the limit, but it works because they have lots of wiggle room and over engineered it, but had to put some weight limit.

I have a Toyota Sequoia and use a tow hitch extension I got on sale from Harbor Freight for $35.00 For my 14ft Hobie PA.

I got two 6ft. white 2in.PVC pipes from Home Depot and screwed them perpendicular onto two 2x4x8in. and laid them straight into the SUV (pop out the very rear seat and folded the middle seats up).

I lift the rear of my Hobie PA onto the PVC and then go to the front of the PA and lift it up to stomach height and push it into the SUV using the PVC as the rails to help guide and slide the kayak into the SUV. Tie it down and stick a red flag on the kayak.  Hobie forum or YouTube have videos and pics.  Have been using the PVC since 2013 w/o any problems.  By the way I just turned 54 this July.

Good luck.

I have a 4 runner and slide my outback in the back window. Tie it in and flag it.

bruce50 -

send a PM to Wobbler. He just yesterday asked me if I knew anybody that was interested in buying a Hullivator.

I have a friend who uses the item for his Outback with no issues. I tried it and what a difference it makes for back, shoulder and old guys like us. Im 58 with all of the above and Im now just using my pickup with bed extender to haul the yak. I have to have help to get it on a rack.

Thanks for everyone's input