Canoe

[newbury]

Build a ladder rack:

About $30 in U-bolts etc. (remember to use lock washers), $30 in PT 2x4's.
(That pic is down in Mississippi after I put sides on, loaded it up, drove from
Virginia, unloaded and took the sides off.)

I could not find a reasonably priced easily removable ladder rack for my superduty. Lowes carries a nice one for $300 but it's supposedly too low for my truck (I called the mfg).

And then when you decide you need to transport a whole bunch of loose items (in my case mainly cardboard boxes of books) buy some 3/4 PT plywood and more U-bolts. (They were out of shorter U-bolts.)

Then start using your tractor to fill it up.

I put down a large tarp (you can see it laying on the cab) then wrapped the tarp back after loading to keep it rainproof.

If you want to leave the sides on later I suggest putting a window in behind the cab (plexiglass).

Everything is bolted together (with lock washers!) and has withstood an 800+ mile trip from Virginia to Mississippi.

The U-bolts work well because they provide easy strap tie down points.

I probably should paint the sides.

The rack also unbolts easily. But I don't know how it will affect mileage.

 

[bcp]

Do a Google image search for:

canoe pickup rack

and

canoe pickup truck

for lots of good ideas.

Bruce

 

[Bird]

Nice looking job, newbury.

 

[RobertBrown]

I would haul my 16.5' square back on the roof of my pickup, worked great. I used the bumper hitch, I would load the canoe onto a fabricated pivot about 5' high and spin the canoe around so that it rested on the roof with a couple of foam pieces. Strap it down and no problem. I could load the canoe by myself.
if you want the details let me know

 

[DKCDKC]

I bought a 17' ouachita canoe in 1969 and a friend welded up a real nice ladder rack for my Chevy pickup. I don't know whether they still make them or not, but there used to be some pads that you put on the sides of the canoe then turn it upside down on top of your car and tie both ends.

I also bought a 17' Ouachita canoe in 1969, and still have it. Great canoe that has survived a lot over the decades. I bought some foam used for padding and put the canoe upside down on my car, tied front, rear and in the middle. I've gone 500 miles one way with that without problems. For short hauls in my pickup, I tie it in the bed and put a flag on the end. For longer hauls I make an "H" with wood to fit in the rear stake pockets, then use pads on the top of the cab... Again roping it front, rear and in the middle.

 

[RobertN]

Ended up using my sons Bronco yesterday. My wife needed the truck to get plants and compost... Put it on the roof with some pads made to fit the gunnal(sp?). Used two straps front and rear; front push/light bar, and rear bumper. Work very close to a nice lake(Lake Natomas on the American River). It was easy to buzz over for a little lunchtime trip.

Next Friday will probably go again; if so it will go on the truck using tips from this thread.

The canoe is an "Old Town" Penobscot 16'. I got it from a good friend 5 years ago and have been on a couple short trips, as well as local day trips. He had it over 20 years at least. For our Boy Scout trips, we used my flatbed trailer and some cribbing(2x4 and 4x4's) to stack 10 of them and tie them off.

 

[newbury]

One further thing -
IF you build your own ladder rack make sure it will accommodate things you need to carry, both above and below the ladder rack.

I'm in the habit of judging things by eye and cutting it where I think it will fit, then making the other parts the same size.

So when I made the upright I judged it so the ladder would clear the cab. I forgot that I'd probably like to be able to load IBC totes without dismantling the rack.

In Mississippi I had made an expensive rain water collection system comprised of a discarded cooler, a free IBC tote and some cement blocks.

It had worked well and collected over 300 liters of water, which I used for lubing the mill and washing up. However it needed cleaning and prior to improvement I needed to load it into my truck to move it to an easy place to clean it.
So I made a ramp of 4x4's and went to slide it in. It hit the top rail. DARN. and double DARN.
But when I removed the 4x4's it fit:

JUST BARELY!

So remember to plan ahead!

 

[handirifle]

A canoe going from side to side is a function of how well you have it tied down. IMO, it should take at least 4 ropes or (preferably) ratchet straps to tie a canoe down on the roof.
You need: Bow to left and right sides of the bumper, then (depending on your setup) I would put one from each side of the first thwart behind the cab down to the bed corners and then (just to make sure) I would probably put one or two from the stern to each side of the bed.

Would it be easier with a rack? Yes. Safer? Not if the canoe is properly fastened.

Aaron Z

That's BS guys. I DID have it securely tied (triangle) at each end. I even went to attaching a roap across the mid section and into the door jams. The issue was a multi faced one. First, in order to get the straps tight enough to keep the trucks from trying to remove the boat, it would literally put 12" wide dents into the top of the car (1990 toyota camry), and at freeway speeds even my one inch wide ratchet straps would NOT keep the boat from shifting front to back. If the OP wants to cave in the top of his car, go for it, but I can tell you based on personal experience, and yes I know and knew what I was doing when tying it down, I do not recommend this method.
Even pulled tight enough to be denting (I'm talking 3" below normal surface height of top) the roof flexed enough to cause it to be unsafe.

DO NOT assume what ever car you did it on is built the same as what the OP or anyone else is putting it on. Mine was most likely the fault of the car, but one CANNOT make a blanket statement that it wasn't tied on correctly.

Want to take a chance on ruining your car, or worse having it fly off in high winds at freeway speeds? Then be my guest.

 

[Bird]

Sunday, we were southbound on I-35W between Denton and Ft. Worth, driving the 65 mph speed limit, when a pickup passed us; probably only doing about 70 mph. He had the back end of an upside down canoe down in the bed of the truck with the front end up in the air over the cab. I didn't see any kind of padding where the edges of the canoe touched the back of the cab, and there were no straps, ropes, etc. across the canoe. You could see the ropes from down in the truck bed (obviously the truck's tie downs) up into the canoe; only one on each side. And the oddest thing was that they were to the rear tie downs, not the front ones. That canoe had to have been catching a lot of wind, but I didn't see any movement.

 

[aczlan]

Even pulled tight enough to be denting (I'm talking 3" below normal surface height of top) the roof flexed enough to cause it to be unsafe.

Where were the pads pushing in the roof? They should be right at the front and back of the roof where the roof is the strongest, not in the middle or you would indeed make a mess of your roof.
As for the back and forth movement, I will say again, if it moves it isn't tied down well enough.
Will a rack work better than just putting the canoe on the roof? Yes, but it can be done safely without a rack.

Aaron Z