Roof rack that can hold two canoes

[tomo]

Finally got a Yakima rack, thanks for all the input. I can get my solos up there and I think I’ll be able to get a tandem and solo, but two solos is my priority. Got the gunwale clamp thingies. Question, when hauling one canoe should I am to strap it to the middle or doesn’t it matter?

 

[Alan Gage]

When hauling solo I always have the canoe offset to one side just so things are easier to reach.

Alan

 

[tomo]

That’s what I was thinking/hoping.

 

[scoutergriz]

Finally got a Yakima rack, thanks for all the input. I can get my solos up there and I think I’ll be able to get a tandem and solo, but two solos is my priority. Got the gunwale clamp thingies. Question, when hauling one canoe should I am to strap it to the middle or doesn’t it matter?

with me it depends on the setup- if I'm using my naked, short bars I centre the boat, if using my longer, beefier extensions, I'll offset the canoe to the driver's side so I can simply tip my mirror up to check for loose, dangling, or missing straps, I also have heavy eye bolts at the centre point of both extensions that I can anchor the straps to, to prevent any side to side motion.

 

[Erica]

I’m currently driving back to Florida from Quebec with my Colden Dragonfly on a Yakima rack. It is 29 inches wide, the boat not the rack.

In NC I plan to pick up a royalex MR Explorer which google says is 35 inches wide.

Neither Yakima nor etrailer.com will sell me the bars long enough to put both canoes on my car, which is a 4Runner. They tell me that the 64” is too wide for my car. They will sell me only the 58” bars, which clearly aren’t long enough.

Google seems to agree, stating the bars cannot extend beyond the width of my car not including mirrors.

Is there anyway to get both these boats on my car safely?

 

[GeoBoy]

Not sure what year your 4 Runner is but Yakima says up to 78” wide round bar is available for 4 Runners.
Erica, what type/shape of Yakima bar do you presently have?
I have a 2023 Subaru Outback that I use Thule 65” long square bars.
I just went on Inno racks website and they have a rack for 2010 - 2024 4 Runners with up to 65” wide.

 

[Gamma1214]

Stop at Lowe's & have them cut two 2x2x8s down to 6 feet. While in the store, find a bag of heavy zip ties & zip tie the 2x2s to the cross pieces of the rack & then throw both canoes up there & drive home. (Lowe's will also have extra paracord & ratchet straps)

Sure, it'll be wider than the 4 runner & you'll want to watch your head when you stop for gas... I guess you could probably hang a red flag or two on them for "safety" but I wouldn't. It would probably just alert the cops to the fact that your load is beyond normal limits AND that you are aware of that fact.

I tend to figure that it's easier to get forgiveness than permission though so you might want to consider that before taking my advice.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Is there anyway to get both these boats on my car safely?

If there are laws that limit the length of vehicle crossbars, they likely vary from state to state.

35 years ago I had 78" crossbars on my Ford Taurus sedan, specifically so I could carry two tandem canoes side-by-side. No one ever complained or gave me a ticket. And, as a practical matter, the vendor of the bars had no idea, nor was it their business, what vehicle(s) I was using the bars on. I'd just buy a sufficiently long bar and tell them if they're nosy that you're going to take the bars home to put on your big pickup truck or van. Then drive around the block and install the long bars yourself. What's probably going on is that the vendors want to avoid any "legal liability," real or imagined, for helping to install long bars.

That said, if you are limited to 58" bars, you may still be able to carry the two canoes using these approaches:

1. Put both canoes on their sides, butting up against each other. This requires some clever roping.

2. Put the Explorer upside-down all the way over to one side of the bars, and lean the Dragonfly against it. (____)\ -- or try leaning the Explorer against the upside-down Dragonfly.

3. Take the seats and thwarts out of the Explorer and put the Dragonfly inside it. If this works, you may have to carry the nested canoes rightside-up.

4. Affix some 70+ inch 2x4s on top of your current crossbars. This will require some creative clamping to keep the wood affixed to the metal crossbars.

 

[GeoBoy]

I am not seeing any state laws regarding roof rack widths but the legal vehicle width is 8.5’ and under.

 

[Boatman53]

There you go Gamma, being helpful again.
Jim

 

[Tsuga8]

I got 2x3s long enough to fit a tandem canoe and kayak side by side laying flat, 62in if I recall. U-bolted them to the factory rails. The bars stuck out wider that the sides of the roof but not the mirrors (nor the widest part of the car). No one ever said a word about the legality of driving around with that rig for 2-3 yrs. More recently I've been using ski straps to attach 72in closet rods to my Thule 48in square bars and fit 2 canoes side by side. Still no complaints from cops. Your mileage can always vary though when it comes to interpretation of the law. I've heard 'failure to safely secure load' is an offense.

Failing that, I've used Glenn's method #2 to get two canoes on the 48in bars. The one leaning on the other will catch a lot of wind and can shift. I always strap the flat one on by itself first as a solid foundation, then make sure you strap the leaning one on accounting for it to catch the wind. That's one time where I really check it after a few miles, as I have had some movement even when I thought everything was completely tight. Bow and stern lines recommended. Also beware that depending on gunnels and rack materials, the leaned canoe may want to slide off the side of the rack - having a second person hold it while you strap is always safer. This is part of the reason I strap one completely first. I had a kayak skitter off one side while I was getting a canoe off the other side once. Side mirrors are very expensive to replace these days.

I did once fit a solo and a tandem on the 62" bars, but they would only fit with one gunnels down and the other gunnels up - the tumblehome sides meant they fit better that way. But if you need wider bars anyway, might as well do wide enough to do both gunnels down, I'd think.

 

[Pseudonym]

I've managed to put a Bell Yellowstone/Wildfire inside an Old Town Tripper, like a Russian nesting doll, by removing the Tripper's seats and thwarts. I lashed the Bell down first, so it was steady inside, and then the Tripper thereafter. It worked great but my hunch is that @Erica's Dragonfly isn't likely small enough to fit inside the Explorer.

@Gamma1214 and @Glenn MacGrady have good advice. I'm in agreement that if you want a plug-an-play solution, you can specify any bars you want regardless of what the manufacturer advises.

 

[Boatman53]

I saw this arrangement when I was in Ely, Minnesota 3 years ago. They had used wood for the cross bar but I staged this pic with pipe as that was handy. I do like the strength of the pipe too and used it in my Subaru set shown on the first page.


Jim

 

[Erica]

Thank you all. I’ve ordered the 78 inch Yakima bars from - of all places - Target. You can get them at REI and many other stores, but none could deliver within a week.

Now, where can I get, or more important, what do you call the stabilizer that fits on either side of the canoe gunwale when it is sitting, upside down on the roof rack?

 

[Alan Gage]

Now, where can I get, or more important, what do you call the stabilizer that fits on either side of the canoe gunwale when it is sitting, upside down on the roof rack?

I hear them referred to as load stops.

LoadStop

Prevent loads from shifting side to side on your RoundBar roof rack without having to stuff a whole bunch of folded-up blankets onto your roof.

yakima.com

Alan

 

[Pseudonym]

the stabilizer that fits on either side of the canoe gunwale

I would offer that they are unnecessary if you strap the canoe with tension, like this:

 

[Erica]

I would offer that they are unnecessary if you strap the canoe with tension, like this:

View attachment 148888

I do attached my canoe in the manner you have pictured. But the extra security of the load stops has really helped me.

Thank you.

 

[Erica]

I hear them referred to as load stops.

LoadStop

Prevent loads from shifting side to side on your RoundBar roof rack without having to stuff a whole bunch of folded-up blankets onto your roof.

yakima.com

Alan

Thank you, Alan

I just looked them up. I’m not sure what the difference is, but that link comes up with $150, which seems unreasonable. I found them also for $78 for the set of 4 which seemed a standard price. Yamaha must have some kind of lock on the pricing.

FYI note: Yamaha charges about $78 for shipping. Etrailer has same price, but shipping is free.

 

[canube]

Thank you, Alan

I just looked them up. I’m not sure what the difference is, but that link comes up with $150, which seems unreasonable. I found them also for $78 for the set of 4 which seemed a standard price. Yamaha must have some kind of lock on the pricing.

FYI note: Yamaha charges about $78 for shipping. Etrailer has same price, but shipping is free.

Why are you buying them from a motorcycle place?

 

[Boatman53]

I think she mentioned yakama.
Jim