question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

[oldjeep]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

the truck don't have gutters. i was thinking maybe bolt some angle iron on the roof to prevent it from slipping off? pretty bad engineering, but it might fill the bill for it sliding off the roof.

You don't need gutters, they sell universal hooks that hook inside most door frames. I'm not a big fan since they can really mess up the door seals, but if you are thinking of bolting stuff to the roof I'm guessing you are not concerned

Cheap solution would be to just open both doors, run a ratchet strap through and around the canoe - that should take care of it.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

it does have a custom 4x4 wood rear bumper though

In that case, some wood screws and 2x4s will make a nice rear rest for the canoe!

 

[sccatfish]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

I don't get what would be wrong with ratchet straps either. I tried cam straps once, don't plan on ever going back. You can tighten a ratchet strap down a lot more than a cam strap. With either one though you need to stay away from the cheap ones and watch the load rating.

 

[lncoop]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

I don't get what would be wrong with ratchet straps either. I tried cam straps once, don't plan on ever going back. You can tighten a ratchet strap down a lot more than a cam strap. With either one though you need to stay away from the cheap ones and watch the load rating.

I've seen ratchet straps overtightened to the point at which the hull is warped. I've seen them stretch and I've seen them loosen due to a compromised ratchet. I've also seen them pop loose and the mechanism gouge the hull. I will say again to anyone who is convinced cam straps are not the better choice; there are cam straps and there are cam straps. The cam straps found at the big box store will not secure a canoe as well as ratchet straps, so if you are unwilling to seek out the right cam straps you're better off with ratchet straps. However, it has been proven over and over again that the right kind of cam strap as shown in the previous example is more than adequate for this application despite uninformed insistences to the contrary, and it is much easier to use and cheaper to replace. That's why people with years of experience prefer them. That's not just my opinion. That's the informed consensus of people who log thousands of miles a year with boats on their rooves, but hey, don't take my word for it. If you want to find out for yourself whether we're right why not order a few? You might even find them locally if you have a mom and pop canoe/kayak shop in your neck of the woods. They're only five bucks a pop, and I promise you'll wonder what you ever did without them. I know since I saw the light I haven't broken out the ratchet straps once, but to each his own.

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup



Don't bother with the fancy canoe blocks, get a pool noodle like the purple one, cut out sections (1-'-3') and slice them lengthwise. you can then attach the noodle to the gunwalel. It stays on better than the blocks, and actually provides good friction that prevents the canoe from slipping side to side.

As for the overall setup, I would highly recommend building a sawhorse to support the rear. That way you can place the boat further back and the the width of the boat being supported by the cab is less (more margin of error!). I also use two straps up front to provide more stability side to side.

Lastly, make sure you have at least one strap dedicated to keeping the boat from shifting forward in case of of panic stop!

 

[ziggy]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

again, all outstanding ideas folks. i sure do appreciate all the feedback.
as for now. i went to the lake yesterday to see how well what set up i have worked.
it worked ok and i didn't loose the canoe. that's a plus, . it did however shift one time while in route to the lake. it shifted sideways a little bit. not much, but some shift. i'd have liked it better if it wouldn't have shifted at all.
yesterday was a good test day for how well it was held on to the truck too. 54*F + wnw winds at 33 sustained, gusts to 45. a tree down the street got up rooted. it was very windy. so i figured my trip at city speeds of 35-40mph + varying head, cross, tail winds was between 0mph and upwards of 65-70mph. depending on which way i was heading. so i was mildly please it stayed put..
as for actually going canoeing. i gave up. a real small city lake w/white caps. geeze it was really blowing... i hate it when good sense overtakes my want to go out boating... this weekend looks better weather wise. 70*F temps at the very least. maybe i'll get to try it out again real soon...

 

[lncoop]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

Nice little breeze.

 

[ziggy]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

Nice little breeze.

yep it was. that's about as strongest of a breeze as i've been on my local watering hole in my Nineteen. it was a real bummer, but that's another story. i think ya can find the story in the archives on sht....:redface:

anyways. i didn't like my yoga mat. the canoe did slide sideways in that crazy breeze.
so, my local sheels store came through. some foam canoe support blocks. this seems to be the ticket.

again, i shook it hard after i got it mounted. it seems better yet than what i was using. a step in the right direction i believe.
it is a little aft heavy. the rear block is about the pivot point. i may need to go with some kinda rear support. a sawhorse A frame would be the direction i'll likely head, if it don't travel well.

hopefully i'll get to splash it tomorrow. sure hope it don't leak, , from inspection it shouldn't. hope my inspection was good.. assuming it makes it to the lake as mounted... :facepalm:

 

[ziggy]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

final follow up.
as it sits in above post #28. it worked well at 55mph. no shifting, no signs of coming loose. i think it'll travel as is. cool

had a wonderful day at the lake. went to branched oak area 2. paddled around the whole sw end of the lake. what a great day too. 80*F, mild east breeze producing a ripple on the windy end (sw end) of the lake.
both me and the gf have canoed before. her in her childhood, last time for me would have been 2003 or so. we don't have much experience, yet. we didn't tip over. did wear pfd's. it was everything we'd hoped for. i'm into it for $200 + $21 for the canoe foam blocks to transport it. didn't spend a dime on boat fuel. wow. that's cool with me...

lastly, my 'good' truck runs. this was it's first test drive out of the city limits. 55 mile round trip. it made it w/o a sniffle or sneeze. this truck has run intermittently poorly for a long time. this last month it hasn't run at all. i think i fixed it. for free too. the repair was black electric tape over a wire (inside the wiring harness) that had wore through and was grounding out. took for ever to find it. but i now think my 'good' truck is back on the road and may be trustworthy again...

again. thanks for everyone's input to get me and my canoe safely on the road..

 

[lncoop]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

Awesome. Good work Zig. Enjoy!

 

[rbh]

Re: question on transporting a canoe on the roof of a small pickup

Ziggy, hey right on!!

When our canoe gets trucked to the small fishing lakes we do almost the same thing, except I had a ladder carrier built that fits into the hitch receiver,
(kind of a T shape on top with places to attach the strap hooks)
I found that the roof would do the compress thing if we hit to many pot holes before we used the ladder carrier. (spread the weight out)