Carrying a canoe on the roof??

chag67 wrote:
I've tried to do a search and nothing has come up about canoes on the roof.

2007 Itasca Impulse 31C and it does NOT have a roof rack. The roof is actually fiberglass.

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to bring a canoe with us when we don't bring the trailer and we only have the RV. Attaching it vertically to a hitch rack will have it still up to tall. Our canoe is 15 1/2' long and 120 lbs.

As an active canoer for almost 50 years and have had numerous kinds and lenths of canoes the latest being 17' and weighing in at 60lbs, what is your 15.5' canoe made of to weigh 120lbs? The heaviest boat we have ever had was one that weighed 75lbs and was 18.5' long. The reason for asking is the heavier the boat, the harder it is to manually lift/pull it up on the roof.

First off, you need a front and rear bar rack. When we carry our canoes on the RV, the rear rack is close to the back. Our canoes always had a yoke in the middle for portaging so when on my neck and shoulders, I would lift the bow of the canoe high enough to just rest on the back rack dropping the stern on the ground. Lifting the stern and pushing the canoe up until just past the balance point and holding on to the stern rope, I would gently lower the bow onto the front rack. Climb up ladder and tie down canoe.

Dave