Car Roof Rack

[AlanP]

I have a 2008 Toyota Camry (Mid-size car) and would like to carry two canoes: 15 ft, 28" wide, 30 lbs; 16 1/2 ft, 36: 50 lbs. The rack (Yakima Q-Tower with a 66 inch bar instead of the standard 58 inch bar) is rated for 100 lbs and Toyota states the roof will support the weight. I'm wondering if this will work at highway speeds?

 

[cflcanoe]

A couple of tips if I may. Just recently moved to using another vehicle other than my truck cap and Quick and Easy brackets. First off make sure you measure the placement of the foot correctly on the roof. The distance between the feet on the bar is also important. You MUST get good grip to the roof at the correct point to hold the weight and keep from damaging your car. If the rack is attached to the car correctly it should work. Also a clean roof and clean foot pads help to keep from damaging your paint and may make a better connection.

Their is a very interesting thread on this board about tying down canoes to racks. Search for it and read. Take the extremes (more than three canoes on a rack) of the tread with a grain of salt but the thread contains very good information. Also as I have just found out gunnel brackets or load stops on bare metal bars help out a lot. The connection of the canoe to the rack is as important as the racks connection to the roof. If I remember correctly there may be a separate thread a bout how they like to position there canoe on the rack. When I use the new used car with Thule racks. I really miss those Quick and Easy brackets and carpeted 2 X4's.

​Inspect your racks ropes and straps often to ensure you do not have a failure. A fellow forum member had a foot break after many thousands of miles of use. Having bow and stern lines saved their canoes and maybe an accident. Many here use Yakima and Thule racks with good results.

 

[Philtrum]

No Title

I have a 2008 Toyota Camry (Mid-size car) and would like to carry two canoes: 15 ft, 28" wide, 30 lbs; 16 1/2 ft, 36: 50 lbs. The rack (Yakima Q-Tower with a 66 inch bar instead of the standard 58 inch bar) is rated for 100 lbs and Toyota states the roof will support the weight. I'm wondering if this will work at highway speeds?

Yes, it will. I've used a similar Yakima setup for years with never a problem. The towers should be as far apart as possible. And be sure to tie them securely in front - not as shown in this picture. A crosswind taught me that I really needed to do it right - with each boat tied to both tie-downs.

 

[daveo4]

I have been using Yakima rack systems for 25 years. Never had a problem. They are engineered to do the job. I have overloaded the bars on occasion (by a lot!) and put slight dimples in the roof but since I consider my vehicle to be just another canoe accessory, I don't really care. The front tie-downs are critical as Philtrum points out, and I also use the load stops to prevent side to side movement of the canoe(s).
Regards, Dave

 

[latremorej]

Agree with all said already, but... go with the longest bars they make. 2 - 36" wide canoes won't fit on 66" bars! I hauled my 17' bell next to my 12' OT pack canoe from NYC to the daks on a few occasions using my chevy aveo Using Q towers never had any problems. As mentioned. .. tie each canoe down bow AND stern separately. Use those slam-in-the-hood tie downs if you can't rig up tie down points on your own

 

[latremorej]

Btw, to help the bar vs forehead collisions, I don't use the standard yakima end plugs, I press on those WHITE rubber press on chair leg bottoms. The contrast makes the ends of the bars more visible as they will be hanging off the side quite a bit

 

[BWCA66]

The 66 inch bars work fine for my 2 36" wide canoes, they are narrower where they rest on the bars. Done ur with a Chevette many times. Have also stacked a 3 rd one on top when using a larger van.

 

[Guest]

I stagger the two canoes to fit when hauling wide ones. A fellow paddler put me on to bright colored tennis balls with a hole poked through them on the end of the yakama bars. I still hit then sometimes,but it doesn't hurt so much. I invested in an extra set of short bars for my solo trips,should have done that long ago. I reinforce the practice of crossed bow lines for each canoe. I don't usually use stern lines,but the rear bar on my Focus wagon is nearly at the extreme rear anyway. I have total confidence in my yakama tower type rack.
Turtle

 

[Philtrum]

I wish I had a dollar for every time I hit my head on the end of the rack bar. Any color tennis ball works, especially if you use brightly colored electrical tape to hold it on with.
As for the length of bars, I use 66" bars and cannot mount two tandems at once, and mine are 36" and 34" wide. One one side I have a rack-bar extender (the gizmo with a sand dollar on the end) on one bar and a wooden extension on the other - with a tennis ball taped to it, of course. I have a set of 72" bars, but they're overkill - plus I'd probably be even more likely to whack the bar, no matter what's taped to it.

 

[Guest]

The rack (Yakima Q-Tower with a 66 inch bar instead of the standard 58 inch bar) is rated for 100 lbs and Toyota states the roof will support the weight. I'm wondering if this will work at highway speeds?

Rated for 100lbs....per bar?

I think that is the case, not 100lbs on a set of two crossbars. If anyone can verify how Yakima (or Thule) rates their weight capacity I'd be interested.

I would think it would be fine at highway speeds. Gunwale brackets will keep the canoes from moving sideways or becoming angled /, and that should help as well.

 

[Philtrum]

The weight designation is what the vehicle manufacturer recommends, not the rack maker.
Yakima's website states: "Q: How much can I carry?A: This varies by vehicle, load type and crossbar length. Check the fit list to find out what load types (bikes, skis, boats, etc.) and weight capacity applies to your car."

 

[Canotrouge]

We had thule and yakima on our vehicles over the years, with the widest bars available, and never had a problem with loads. I some time put 3 tandems, two side by side, and then one on top like a pyramid, and drive on the hwy and don't worry about them. I do put bow ropes to the front of the car/truck. In my experiences, the Yakima bars seems a bit stiffer than the Thule one...