Forum Discussion

trikepilot's avatar
trikepilot
Explorer
Dec 17, 2015

Best toad for carrying a canoe?

I am looking for a toad that can carry a 16 foot canoe on the roof. I considered a Honda CR-V but the rack spacing is only 4 feet between rails (leaving 12 feet hanging unsupported) and the hatch will not open all the way with the canoe on top.

I considered a Chevy Colorado because I could space the rack rails 6 feet apart (length of the bed) and even mount a front support on the base plate to extend upward and hold the front of the cantilevered canoe. The truck does not have as much usable space as a CR-V and the bed will probably never get used for anything making it wasted space.

Can anyone suggest any other easy to flat tow vehicles that can support and carry a 16 foot canoe on the roof?

9 Replies

  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Dec 28, 2015
    trikepilot wrote:
    Gjac wrote:
    I would pick a vehicle that you want to use as a DD. I would not buy a Jeep or truck just to carry a canoe unless you wanted it to drive all the time when not towing...


    The point is that the canoe will be stored on the roof of the toad when it is not in the water. If I plan on spending 4 or more years on the road and putting the canoe in the water once a week or so, an easy to load, secure mount would be much less frustrating than using ropes and foam blocks on a vehicle not designed to carry anything.

    If you have ever loaded and unloaded something 52 times a year (I load and unload a motorcycle every weekend to a rack 2 feet off the ground)you will understand the importance of a good mount. In this case the "mount" includes the vehicle supporting it.
    Your OP did not state that you would be full timing for 4 years, that is a different issue.
  • trikepilot's avatar
    trikepilot
    Explorer
    Dec 27, 2015
    Gjac wrote:
    I would pick a vehicle that you want to use as a DD. I would not buy a Jeep or truck just to carry a canoe unless you wanted it to drive all the time when not towing...


    The point is that the canoe will be stored on the roof of the toad when it is not in the water. If I plan on spending 4 or more years on the road and putting the canoe in the water once a week or so, an easy to load, secure mount would be much less frustrating than using ropes and foam blocks on a vehicle not designed to carry anything.

    If you have ever loaded and unloaded something 52 times a year (I load and unload a motorcycle every weekend to a rack 2 feet off the ground)you will understand the importance of a good mount. In this case the "mount" includes the vehicle supporting it.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Dec 26, 2015
    I would pick a vehicle that you want to use as a DD. I would not buy a Jeep or truck just to carry a canoe unless you wanted it to drive all the time when not towing. I carry a kayak or my friends canoe on top of my Toyota Corolla with no rack. I use two 4 in dia foam noodles across the top and two tie downs from the front of the kayak to the tow bar and two in the rear going to the back bumper. I also use a safety strap around the kayak or canoe through the windows. The front an rear straps are what stabilizes the canoe you don't need a large flat roof to carry the canoe.
  • Solo's avatar
    Solo
    Explorer
    Dec 22, 2015
    We end up in places that a 4X4 is necessary and so our Jeep Wrangler is our toad of choice. Our signature pic is not large enough to really show what we do but, we carry two full size (18' and 19') composite touring kayaks with a Kongo Cage on our Jeep. It works very well as our toad/kayak mule.
  • Big_Katuna's avatar
    Big_Katuna
    Explorer II
    Dec 17, 2015
    No pix. I have seen a support that bolts into a ball mount and supports the rear.

    I made my rack out of uni-strut. I made the mounts from 1" aluminum bar stock.

    Drilled three holes in each: the two outside holes mounted it to the factory mounting points and a bolt up from the bottom thru the uni strut.

    You can get uni strut at Lowes.
  • trikepilot's avatar
    trikepilot
    Explorer
    Dec 17, 2015
    Any pictures of the CR V and Canoe Big Katuna? Looks like you are towing backwards Ivylog!
  • Big_Katuna's avatar
    Big_Katuna
    Explorer II
    Dec 17, 2015
    I have carried a 17' Grumman on my CRV and Element many a mile. I made my own rack though that bolted onto the factory mounting holes. Stronger than the factory rack.
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Dec 17, 2015
    Since you will have base plates on the front for the tow bar, I would make a A frame out of conduit that supports one end of the canoe. My A frame is rigid enough that I can load it myself by fastening one end to it and then I can pick up the other end and put on the roof racks. The A frame bolts together at the top where the conduit is flatten making it easy to store the two pieces when not in use. I added a eye bolt to the canoe that goes between the flatten conduits at the top.

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