We have a leased 2013 Prius Plug-In, and would like to carry a small fiberglass or aluminum rowboat of some sort. Not a canoe, not an inflatable, and certainly not a kayak, but an actual small rowboat or dinghy. It has to fit two adults, and we'd like to be able to carry it in the Prius, with the hatch partially open if necessary, and the rear seats folded, of course. No towing, and preferably no roof rack, although that could be a last resort. Has anyone managed to do this? I've seen listings for "Skimmar" dinghies, and they look like they might fit. A folding boat would also be great, but it would have to be used, and I never see those for sale. Please spare the gag replies, as this is a serious question.
I'm reminded of this Toyota ad photo: http://www.toyota.com/content/gallery/photos-videos/2016/priusv/full/PRV_MY15_0003.jpg I'm pretty sure that's a folding oru kayak, but how they will get the four of them into it is another matter. I used to have a nice inflatable, i'm not sure you should dismiss that option entirely.
out of ammo. There's been some discussion of fitting kayaks in, I ended up buying a 10-ft kayak which one guy sticks out the back of his Prius.
"I used to have a nice inflatable, i'm not sure you should dismiss that option entirely." One of us doesn't swim at all well. I do, but even I'd prefer not to go for an unscheduled Fall swim because of a puncture. We want it for small lake boating, and sharp rocks are very common. Do they make inflatables with 'armored skins' and hard bottoms? Picture a zodiak-type boat, but with hard panels all over the outside. Deflating it would only shrink it by about 50%, just enough to fit into a hatchback. If anyone builds that, remember it was my idea. ;-)
If you keep the back hatch open that is going to significantly affect drag and mpg. I tried a bike rack once and it felt like there was a parachute behind me. Dropped my mpg from about 55 to 45. Now I just put the bikes inside and they fit with the hatch closed. 2 full size adult bikes! Easier to fit if I take the front wheels off.
...if OP goes roof rack approach, one thing to look for is used Saris racks, these are so easy to put on a Prius but unfort they are not made anymore. I forget if they fit Gen3 but there are some prior posts to answer that question. I went with Yakima Whispbar on my other car, but nothing compares to the Saris ease of use. And they are sturdy and robust.
I bought a cheap sit-on-top kayak a year ago after renting them for three years. My criterion was the same as the OPs: had to be not longer than 10 feet so I could fit it inside my 2012 PiP. I found one during a November sale at Sports Authority that fit the criterion. We test-fit it inside the Prius (upside down, it juuuust fit). I was at the front passenger door during the test-fit. We took it out and back to the store to ring me out, and then loaded it back in the car. Gloating how much $$$ I had saved by buying it as the Sports Authority was clearing its Summer stock, I was at the rear this time, in the hatch. I gave the kayak a good manly shove as I knew already that it'll fit. Got home, and noticed in the driveway that I had cracked the windshield by pushing the prow edge against the inside (concave) windshield surface. Star-cracked it in fact, with some cracks well over six inches. Luckily this was a Comprehensive insurance loss, but it wiped out my super-clearance sale savings. Of note, the PiP Advanced has a special $$$$$ windshield to project its Heads-Up speedometer display onto the windshield for the driver to see. I've used the kayak nearly every day before work and or after work between May 2015 and now, and I just throw it onto (and keep it on) the Thule multi-car Aerobar whisper-quiet roof rack I got from my son the Hedgehog for the perfect price of "FREE". I bought an extra front-bumper towing pintle from Toyota ($40) and use two towing pintles in the front bumper and the two chrome D-rings inside the rear hatch as four tie-down points for the kayak. Lesson Learned: just because the Gen III Prius has loads of space inside, doesn't mean that anything and everything should be regularly loaded inside just because it can fit there. Just sayin... this lesson cost me the $200 deductible. Moreover, I likely would have bought a 12-foot kayak had I not chosen a selection criterion which turned out to be an unimportant one in the end. Best of Luck with your boat. Roof bars are quite easy to live with. I do recommend the Thule Aerobars. They also came in unexpectedly useful when I had to transport a special-order outside house door from Lowe's.
I'd never go past the back of the front seats, so I'm not worried about the windshield, but a roof rack remains an option. It would still have to be a small, light boat. An earlier poster wondered abut stability. The ...Skimmar, was it?.. has an interesting design: a faux tri-hull in front, then a full open bottom. It may also have the semi-tri-hull in the back - I haven't seen photos of the rear. It is supposed to be a very stable boat, designed to be hard to capsize.
IMHO a basic set of quiet roof bars are more multi-task useful (and wayyy less pricey) than a bona fide specialized boat / kayak roof holder. I use a cheapo $50 plain-roof kayak kit (two rectangular foam pads and all the tie-down straps) in combination with the Thule Aerobars I got from my son.
the skimmer does look stable, but it's 4' wide. i'm talking about the stability of a boat that would fit in a prius.
Remember that the shopping is half the fun, so do go down to the marina and walk the docks and look at the assorted inflatables that people have. The one I used to have was 20 years old when I bought it, tough as nails, and given a sharp knife it would have taken me hard to puncture one of the two sides. Rolled up it was about the size of a steamer trunk, plus the floor boards, and then little motor 10hp for it. Now I'm getting nostalgic. I seem to recall the top brand was Zodiac, but there are others of the same quality. I suspect you can sit in one at a big boating supply store. People buy them as the tender for their bigger boat. When I bought mine, used, i paid the seller to rent it first. Don't forget your life preservers
Yes the front window is def vulnerable when you put a kayak in the vehicle. I went with a 10-ft Tarpon 100 which I heard about from another guy on Prius Chat....he puts in his Prius (with the back slightly open/tied down). I put it inside my minivan...it seems pretty stable but I try to tie it down and put a cardboard box over the front. Another guy on the web knocked out his whole windshield when he hit a bump. So you really do not want to be having the kayak right up to the front window. I have not tried to squeeze mine into Prius yet as I am usually getting mud on it.
