DIY roller for roof rack?

rrdstarr, that thing looks like it may be an improvement over my prototype! Your keel roller looks like it will keep your yak centered while rolling. (However, my keel sinks a bit into the soft foam and doesn't slide any when using it). Well done!  Just make sure that you can attach or anchor it firmly to the rear rack, so it stays in place when you're using it.

FFT, as you can see from my photos, I load the bow end up onto the roller just far enough so it won't slip or roll off, and that seems to be at a low enough angle to keep it from sliding further back. I'll keep an eye on it and a hand ready to grab and "save" it if it starts to slide or roll off. So far, it hasn't.
I also have a small piece of rubber-backed commercial carpet that I put down where the stern will rest.

(I haven't been able to get out yakkin' or fishing for about 10 days, now, and I'm beginning to show symptoms of yak fishing deprivation. I had two molars pulled, also. One on each side. Then the BBQ invites started coming in. Dang! I'm really out of sync! )

I have a Hobie Outback and the Yakima "Show Boat" roller attached to my Yakima roof rack.
While my Hobie is on the ground at and angle behind my Subie Outback, I connect a 6 foot long line to the rear of the kayak any my trailer hitch....then I elevate and "rest" the bow of the kayak on the roller.
This prevents the kayak from slipping backwards off the show boat roller/loader.....this is a simple safety idea that works.

Those are really slick. Great concept CHM!

I gotta show this to Ralph, he has to have the back rack so far back that he can't get the yak accross the distance between the racks and the thing wants to slide accross his brand new canopy, so he hasn't used his racks much.

I like that small winch idea!   Getting my outback up on my racks is a chore at best.  My truck is a 2500 quad cab 4x4 Dodge diesel with a "Hi-Liner" campershell.  My rack system is Yakima, and at the time I choose to go inexpensive so I got the "Gutter mount" and bolt on bracketry, the "Gutters" are bolted to the side of the campershell which puts the bars close to 7 feet off the ground!
  I like that "proto type" roller also, just like the winch idea a little more.  Dammit, One more thing to think about now building now!  How to attach a little winch to my shell and possibility of dragging my OB up onto its racks.
  I'm using these to hold my OB
http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/top/gunwale-brackets-
Oh yeah I have the "Boat Loader" as well, and find that it only helps hold the front of my OB up, but it's still a PITA getting 60 something unbalanced pounds up onto the racks.
  Yeah I like the winch idea.  Wonder if I could utilize the 12,000lb hydraulic winch in my trucks front bumper for this purpose?   

http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/lift-assist/boatloader

From the stern

how it connects to the rack

Yeah I like the winch idea.  Wonder if I could utilize the 12,000lb hydraulic winch in my trucks front bumper for this purpose?    

http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/lift-assist/boatloader

Do you have a brushguard?  If so you might be able to mount a small Hawse fairlead or a small boat roller on the top of it to keep the line aligned and prevent it from wearing through your hood.  You would also need two more for your roof as well (one above the windshield and possibly another on the rear threshhold.


 

I love fabrication porn.  Looks awesome! 

If you want to keep from dealing with 12v winches and such, you could put a hand operated pulley system on the truck cap roof.  Run a roller bar through some bushings and fix it on some stand offs (vertical) near the front of the truck cap.  Loop your bow (pull) rope around the roller bar maybe twice, and back to you behind the truck.  Pull on the rope, as you push up on the yak.

I love fabrication porn.  Looks awesome! 

If you want to keep from dealing with 12v winches and such, you could put a hand operated pulley system on the truck cap roof.  Run a roller bar through some bushings and fix it on some stand offs (vertical) near the front of the truck cap.  Loop your bow (pull) rope around the roller bar maybe twice, and back to you behind the truck.  Pull on the rope, as you push up on the yak.

Awesome.
Your comments remind me of why there are people like you around - people like me don't know sh*&t  and someone has to figure things out 

 

  Thanks for the little truck diagram! Yes my 12K winch is in a "Winch bumper"  with a fairlead attached,  going back over the hood and windshield is possible, and a medium sized pulley installed onto campershell would have a lower profile than a small 2K electric winch.  I load kayak from the side as it's just too friggin tall at the back of the truck to try and push it up and over.  If I'm just going local someplace, I simply shove it the bed and tie it down. (Course when theres camping gear in the back, no room for kayak then)
   Harbor Freight has a small 2K winch now for $69  I think I've come up with a way to utilize the small electric winch and haul my hull up over the rack bars now, using some PVC tubing. Still on the drawing table though.