Roof rack for a canoe

[nick_m]

I have a 16' Kevlar canoe that I'd like to carry on top of my camper (2010 Eagle Cap 850). There appear to be 3 options for mounting a rack:

1. Fixed crossbars with a foot at each end attached to the roof.
2. Crossbars attached to rails, which are fastened at each end (e.g. Maggie).
3. Crossbars attached to rails, which are fastened throughout their length (e.g. Thule, Yakima).

Is one of these methods best for mounting on a TC roof?

[nick_m]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
I have my 13.5' Hobie kayak on crossbars using Thule footers to secure it to the Maggie rack

My buddy Pat uses the same set up with his kevlar canoe. He did add a fore and aft deck cleat to the roof to tie in a bow and stern line for extra security

Are the cleats directly below the canoe, or are they fore/aft of the ends? I'm trying to figure out whether it's better to have the lines pull straight up from the roof, or at an angle. I think a straight pull would hole the canoe more securely, but would have greater potential for pullout over a bump. Any suggestions?

[Kayteg1]

I used Thule towers to attach wood bar, but Yakima has hundreds of options, so go on their site and find what works best for your application.
And again, for front mount, where the biggest forces happen - i put bolts thru the roof next to skylight, so they kind of blend with skylight frame.

[nick_m]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Yakima bars are 3/4" steel pipe with plastic coating on it.
Whazoo's canoe has ends curved up, so flipped canoe goes on the top of AC.
Looks like it adds `18' of height, so not possible for most of solid walls TC.
My canoe is flatter, so canoe "hugs" the AC, while adding maybe 4-6" to the height.
Also being flatter- all it takes is 2 bars to stay solid.
Weight is important. My first canoe was 80lb and even I could easy carry 150 lb at the time - pulling 80 lb sucker on the roof was quite a challenge.
So I got 45 lb Wenonah and that thing makes everything much easier.

I'm familiar with the Yakima bars - that's what I've used on past SUVs. I wanted to know how the towers that hold the bars are attached. Yakima offers a track system that appears to be fastened every 12-18 inches, which seems like it would do a good job of spreading the load. It would also raise the canoe less than a Maggie rack, which adds its own height.

I have a solid wall TC (Eagle Cap 850) so height is a concern. If I remove the yoke and mount over the AC I don't think it would add more height than mounting on either side (which would present other challenges). In either case it shouldn't sit much higher than the AC - sounds similar to your case.

My Northstar 16 weighs only 39 lbs so hauling it up shouldn't be too bad, and the additional weight on top will be minimal. I'm more concerned about the lateral and lifting forces. That's why the load-spreading of the Yakima tracks is appealing.

[Kayteg1]

Yakima bars are 3/4" steel pipe with plastic coating on it.
Whazoo's canoe has ends curved up, so flipped canoe goes on the top of AC.
Looks like it adds `18' of height, so not possible for most of solid walls TC.
My canoe is flatter, so canoe "hugs" the AC, while adding maybe 4-6" to the height.
Also being flatter- all it takes is 2 bars to stay solid.
Weight is important. My first canoe was 80lb and even I could easy carry 150 lb at the time - pulling 80 lb sucker on the roof was quite a challenge.
So I got 45 lb Wenonah and that thing makes everything much easier.

[nick_m]

whazoo,

Wow - 4 crossbars... that's not going anywhere!

Where does the canoe make contact? Is it only on the front and rear crossbar saddles or is it stabilized by something behind the AC? Mine doesn't have as much rocker so it wouldn't clear the AC. I might have to remove the yoke as Kayteg1 did.

I've used nothing but Yakima for the past 25 years, but mounting on a camper roof has a new set of challenges, so I'm looking at all options. Still, I like the Yakima tracks because they attach over a very long span. Is that what you use, or are your towers fixed directly to the roof?

I'm not familiar with the slide out bar (although I can guess how it works). What is the advantage over tipping it off the rear?

[whazoo]

Yakima all the way, bars, and saddles for the front and back. 16 foot canoe curves over the a/c nicely. I now just use the two center straps for tie-downs.




Also use a boat loader slide-out bar for single loading.

[Buzzcut1]

nick_m wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
I have my 13.5' Hobie kayak on crossbars using Thule footers to secure it to the Maggie rack

My buddy Pat uses the same set up with his kevlar canoe. He did add a fore and aft deck cleat to the roof to tie in a bow and stern line for extra security

Thanks, Buzzcut1. Does your Maggie rack have an intermediate support or is it ends-only? I was wondering what to do about the bow/stern lines; deck cleats - great idea! Did he just use standard cleat hardware?

both of our Maggie racks have a middle support as they are 8' long. he used some smaller deck cleats as he used 6mm cord for the lines. the cleats are screwed in and sealed with dicor

[Kayteg1]

My 16' Wenonah will not fit on the roof on the side of the AC, so I am removing center bar from it and putting it over AC.
For front mount, what is narrow, I drilled 2 holes next to skylight and bolted plank of wood where I strap the canoe.
For rear, I used factory rails with double 2x4 across what is hold by couple of those SUV rack holders.
For loading I wrap foam sleeves, from rack place again around rear factory bars and just pull the canoe over them.
I think the canoe adds to aerodynamics mounted this way, but not enough to measure bigger mpg.

[nick_m]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
I have my 13.5' Hobie kayak on crossbars using Thule footers to secure it to the Maggie rack

My buddy Pat uses the same set up with his kevlar canoe. He did add a fore and aft deck cleat to the roof to tie in a bow and stern line for extra security

Thanks, Buzzcut1. Does your Maggie rack have an intermediate support or is it ends-only? I was wondering what to do about the bow/stern lines; deck cleats - great idea! Did he just use standard cleat hardware?

[Buzzcut1]

I have my 13.5' Hobie kayak on crossbars using Thule footers to secure it to the Maggie rack

My buddy Pat uses the same set up with his kevlar canoe. He did add a fore and aft deck cleat to the roof to tie in a bow and stern line for extra security