How to load a canoe on a car roof?

Question

What's the proper way to load a canoe on a car roof?

Answer 1

I tie canoes to my roof rack frequently.   What I do is:

1.  Place the canoe across the two roof rack bars with the gunnels on the bars.

2.  I tie a rope around each bar next to the canoe with two round turns and a bowline.

3.  I throw the rope over the canoe, around the bar on the other side, back over and around the initial bar.

4.  I crank down tight and secure with a trucker's hitch.

5.  Because roof racks or their attachment points can fail, I also tie two ropes to the bow and stern of the canoe (sometimes just one) and secure these two tie points under the vehicle, also using a trucker's hitch for snugness.  (I had one surprising experience on a long road trip the continued wear and vibration, actually tore a section of rain gutter right off the car, when I only had the canoe tied to the rack and not the car)

Over thousands of miles, I've never had a canoe come loose with the above method.

Note, I see no need for all the rack accessories when it comes to a canoe.  Tying the canoe straight to the bars works well.  For 20 years, I've been using the same basic method for securing canoes to the bars of our canoe trailer in the outdoor program I run.  Never a problem.  

On ocassion, I've just used the foam gunnel blocks instead of a roof rack.  In addition to the bow and stern tie downs, I'll tie a rope or length of webbing to a thwart , through the interior of the car with the doors open, out the other side of the car, around the thwart on the other side, back into the car and again pull tight and secure with a truckers hitch.  Shutting the doors ,helps  hold the cord or webbing in place so the canoe can not slide to the side.  This is an inexpensive option for short trips, but for frequent or longer trips, I recommend getting a real roof rack.

Answer 2

This is not always easy on a newer car.

I have a 2000 Malibu and a canoe.  It was a big problem attempting to mount a canoe on this car.

The canoe needs to be properly strapped down.  The front strap is one of the most important places to tie the canoe down as the wind wants to lift the canoe.  The problem is that the front end of my car is mostly plastic.  The only metal piece is the mount for the airbag sensor.  This would not have been a good choice to use to tie the canoe to the front of my car.

A roof rack would not have worked well either.  No rain gutters or anything else to mount the roof rack.  Because of this, any roof racks that would even fit my car were expensive.

My solution:

I bought a cheap trailer.  I got a folding trailer kit from Menard's.  The trailer cost about $200.  It was about another $200 for the hitch and wiring harness.

Now I can tow my canoe and place the extra gear on the trailer.  There is additional room for an additional canoe or a few kayaks if needed.  I can also use the trailer to haul other stuff when needed.  I also don't need to worry about scratching my car when mounting the canoe.

The trailer I selected folds in half and stands on end so it can be stored inside my garage taking very little room.

When I get a new car, I only need to have a trailer hitch installed and I can keep using my trailer.

The only thing I need to be aware of is that my car only has a 1200 pound towing capacity.  My trailer also only has a 1200 pound capacity, including the weight of the trailer.  I need to be aware of how much I load on the trailer so I don't excees the car or trailer capacity.

Answer 3

http://www.yakima.com/racks/kayak-rack/r...

for cars

Answer 4

upside down stretching the length of the car and make sure you strap that puppy down.

Answer 5

Upside down and secure with ropes.