SETUP of “The DockSider”
TM
- continued
3 - Load your Kayak into your rack and rotate to the Kayak Storage Position by:
a: Rotating the Cradle toward the water such that the handle is parallel with the water.
With the Dockside Operation model do this using the tether strap.
With the Waterside Operation model do this by standing in the water centering yourself to the rack, grasping the
handle and rotating toward you.
b: Floating your kayak into the rack (between the handle and the webbing) such that the front of the cockpit
seat is centered in the cradle. For tandem kayaks, float your kayak in such that it is centered between the handle.
The goal is to have the center of gravity centered between the arms of the handle / cradle.
c: Lift your kayak just out of the water.
If your kayak wants to lean to the right or left, check the straps to see if there is an excessive amount of strap on
the side that’s leaning, if so
shorten.
Also, you may want to adjust the position of the kayak in the rack. If the lean is to the left, reposition the kayak
slightly to the right to have the center of gravity positioned between the straps. Reposition the kayak to the left if
the lean is to the right. By holding the handle with both hands, you ca
n “Feel” if there is more weight on
one side
versus the other. Remember this positioning for normal operation.
d: Grasp the center of the cradle or use tether strap and SLOWLY rotate the handle to the Cradle / Kayak
storage position. Rotate SLOWLY,
to understand the “feel” of t
he lift when your kayak rotates
toward the
Dock. As the Kayak starts to rotate, grasp the top of your Kayak and guide to its storage position.
On the Dockside Operation model, rotate Latch Plates (both sides) into position to maintain the
position of
the Kayak and Rack.
If your Kayak in it’s storage position looks like :
Page 10 of 12
To Short To Long To Long
The webbing strap length is:
Note: If the dock surface to water height is between 10 and 15 inches, the figure above on the left maybe the
best that can be achieved with the contour of your kayak.
To adjust the Length of the webbing straps:
Depress Cam Buckle lever and pull in the direction shown
The ideal storage position should look like:
Pull to Lengthen
Pull to Shorten
Never adjust such that the bottom of your Kayak is closer than 2 inches to the end of the cradle.
Note: the closer the kayak is to the end of the cradle, the greater the reach of operation.
Suggestion: If the Webbing length is to short, lengthen significantly.
Manually, position your kayak in the storage position at the desired angle, and then tighten
straps by shortening.
