Anybody doing it? Have to take a canoe up north next month and was hoping to use stock roof rack.
Carrying Canoe (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter AHdon
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Hell yeah.
I started with factory rack. When I needed extra-wide, I used U-bolts and 2x3 boards to make it wide. Later I replaced the factory crossbars with 80/20 (I never had problems with the factory bars, I just wanted more versatility). I also purchased some extra-wide lengths of 80/20, and bolt those on when needed.
Boats are strapped to the roof with 2 camlock straps, with paracord bow and stern lines, tightened with taught line hitch knots.
I started with factory rack. When I needed extra-wide, I used U-bolts and 2x3 boards to make it wide. Later I replaced the factory crossbars with 80/20 (I never had problems with the factory bars, I just wanted more versatility). I also purchased some extra-wide lengths of 80/20, and bolt those on when needed.
Boats are strapped to the roof with 2 camlock straps, with paracord bow and stern lines, tightened with taught line hitch knots.
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- Thread starter
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Thx! So it looks the factory rack are a strong enough base.
I have carried one of these metal cargo rack thingies on my stock roof rack on one trip. I had the feeling the stock roof cross bars are very flimsy. The basket was fairly strongly moving up and down. I eventually stopped on the side of the highway and used a ratchet strap to pull down the basket via the side rails in the front. This helped a lot to avoid movement.
When I carry my canoe on my van (as well as this weekend on the LC and a Dissent rack) I mount kind of L-shaped stoppers to help keeping the canoe in place left/ right. Then tie it down to the crossbars.
Thule's version is called Portage Canoe Gunwale Brackets, they should fit around the stock crossbars.
On my van I have a DIY 80/20 rack and screwed a block of wood on, on my Dissent roof rack I glued a wooden stopper together and bolted it down. Then ratchet it down so it's not lifting.
In case you don't have a front/ rear bumper to tie down bow and stern the alternative is a "Hood Anchor" or a cheaper alternative at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KAPMOZ-Ancho...4019-B07GF8FSF5-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1&th=1
Tieing it down via the anchors also eliminates tieing the canoe down to the side rails.
When I carry my canoe on my van (as well as this weekend on the LC and a Dissent rack) I mount kind of L-shaped stoppers to help keeping the canoe in place left/ right. Then tie it down to the crossbars.
Thule's version is called Portage Canoe Gunwale Brackets, they should fit around the stock crossbars.
On my van I have a DIY 80/20 rack and screwed a block of wood on, on my Dissent roof rack I glued a wooden stopper together and bolted it down. Then ratchet it down so it's not lifting.
In case you don't have a front/ rear bumper to tie down bow and stern the alternative is a "Hood Anchor" or a cheaper alternative at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KAPMOZ-Ancho...4019-B07GF8FSF5-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1&th=1
Tieing it down via the anchors also eliminates tieing the canoe down to the side rails.
Just mounted mine for weekend. Different rack, same idea
fj40alex
SILVER Star
17 ft aluminum Grumman. Hauled many times in the factory rack. Two canoe/kayak straps on the cross bars and bow & stern ropes on the end (but not sure 100% required). Loading and unloading has scratched the black finish off part of the black-coated aluminum cross bars on the rack. But no one can see it.
I have an old Yakima setup (aka 1” tube), and 3d printed some gunnel brackets out of PETG and tie down caps with 100% fill. After seeing the above I might ditch it all for a lower profile 80/20 setup. I have several sticks of 15 series. Should be lower profile, I am curious of the whistling or wind noise.
Two NRS straps are all you need. Loop under the crossbar on each side of the canoe and cinch down. No stoppers or other hardware is required. Check the tightness after a few miles. You can skip the skip bow and stern straps with this method. All they will do is try to pull the boat forward and make wind noise. I have hauled our 92# Old Town on several vehicles this way, it's very sturdy.
www.nrs.com
Whitewater Kayak & Canoe: Rack Tie-down Instructions
Instructions to secure your kayak or canoe to a car top rack using tie down straps.
www.nrs.com
I have no noise from my bars. I've read where others do, but I ordered mine flat on one side (no channel) and put that side down, hoping it would help. I'm thinking that made the difference.
Just FYI, with that detail it is putting a ton of stress on the eye bolt (trying to pull it out of the rack). Regardless of the eye bolt strength, it would be a more stable connection to loop the NRS strap around the bottom of the cross-bar. Then you aren't relying on the strength of the eye bolt (which is being eccentrically loaded as-is) or risk of the nut backing off and are instead pushing the canoe into the rack (as the crossbar is many times stronger than the eye bolt and you would break the strap well before harming the canoe or crossbar). You might need some kind of a sheath around the strap for that connection detail, as your crossbars have sharper edges than an OEM crossbar. For a rounded OEM crossbar you can go sheath-less with a NRS strap. You can probably also skip the wood if you wanted, but it does not hurt anything (the gunwales on my canoe are already chewed up).
Fair point! the edges were the reason I didn't just wrap it around and I had to find a solution in ~1h
Got to think it through more I guess
gray rider
SILVER Star
Two NRS straps are all you need. Loop under the crossbar on each side of the canoe and cinch down. No stoppers or other hardware is required. Check the tightness after a few miles. You can skip the skip bow and stern straps with this method. All they will do is try to pull the boat forward and make wind noise. I have hauled our 92# Old Town on several vehicles this way, it's very sturdy.
Whitewater Kayak & Canoe: Rack Tie-down Instructions
Instructions to secure your kayak or canoe to a car top rack using tie down straps.
Load Straps
Malone Auto Racks designs, manufactures, and distributes auto racks and trailers for kayaks, canoes and bikes.
These locking straps from Malone are the Bomb, as they say.....
