A kayak carrier for a vehicle hitch includes an elongated support having a lower portion configured to engage a vehicle hitch and an upper portion that is configured to provide support to an intermediate section of a kayak held by the kayak carrier. A tip receiver is coupled with the lower portion of the elongated support, where the tip receiver includes an engagement portion that is configured to receive and engage a tip section of the kayak. When the tip section of a kayak is received in the tip receiver, the kayak carrier is configured to hold the kayak in an upright orientation.