Thule Hullavator Kayak Rack Earns Silver IDEA Award

Johnson Outdoors and Thule Car & Truck Rack Systems have teamed up to overcome the dilemma of kayaking's popularity among women and older kayakers, and until recently there was a perceived barrier to getting involved with the sport - that being the physical strength required to transport a kayak or canoe. The Thule Hullavator car roof kayak rack, an innovative watercraft transport system born out of a partnership between Johnson Outdoors and Thule, has received a 2005 Silver Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA), one of the most prestigious, global awards for innovation in product design.

The Thule 897 Hullavator is a transport system that assists in the loading of a kayak to a car or truck’s roof. The innovative system uses a gas strut assembly that cuts in half the strength needed to lift a kayak to the top of a vehicle. The design also reduces the traditional loading height by 40 inches, allowing for strapping to be done easily and conveniently at waist level. The lowered load height also makes the Thule Hullavator ideal for shorter paddlers and SUV and larger vehicle owners.

"Consumer research identified car top kayak transport as a major problem area due to the physical effort lifting a boat to a roof requires," remarked Johnson Outdoors Watercraft Vice President Mark Leopold. "The Thule 897 Hullavator makes it easy for one person to load and unload watercraft and has generated an enthusiastic paddler response." The Thule Hullavator stood out as a Silver winner from a design submissions field of more than 1,380 from around the world. The 897 Hullavator’s ability to revolutionize the process of watercraft transport is what caught the IDEA jury’s attention.

"The Thule and Johnson Outdoors designers have done a wonderful job tackling paddlers’ long-standing problem of straining to load and offload their watercraft," exclaimed Budd Steinhilber, IDEA jury member. "They have devised a well-conceived, cleverly-engineered and handsomely-detailed, transport system that I believe will do wonders to help grow their sport."