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Guest
Guest
I noted elsewhere that our Ford E-150 van (5.4L V-8 engine) recently got a steady 13mpg going cross-country with three tandem canoes on the racks. That is still effective for cost-sharing when carrying multiple boats and people on group or family trips, but not so much for long solo outings.
Looking at past MPG road trip records for the van it gets better MPG when carrying multiple kayaks or decked canoes, 16mpg or better with 3 or 4 decked boats up top.
I took a long solo road trip a few weeks ago carrying a single solo canoe on the van. That boat has 60” airbags for the bow and stern, and I put them in for the trip (your opinion about travelling with floatation bags in boats may vary; I don’t usually do so). The van averaged 17.4mpg. I deduce the obvious:
Kayaks and decked boats cause less drag than open boats.
Multiple boats cause more drag than a single boat.
And the theoretical:
Leaving floatation bags in the canoe(s) may help reduce drag.
Shorter boats (the solo I was carrying is 14’) catch less air than longer boats.
I suspect that the position of the canoe(s) fore and aft on the racks, and aerodynamic (or not) shape of the vehicle, has considerable impact on open boat air capture/increased drag. The boxy hood and windshield of the van forces a lot of air over the roof, and if that air is trapped by the open hull more drag must be created. The equally boxy and much shorter roofline CR-V (4cyl manual) drops MPG badly with even a single boat on the racks (from 23 to 19mpg average).
I’ve seen folks travelling with their boats fully encased in an exterior bag, and always assumed that such bags were largely used to protect pricier composite hulls and finely tuned racing boats from chips and dings during travel. They also seem like a PITA to deal with at the put in or take out.
I wouldn’t travel with my CCS covers installed on the canoe, but I bet occluding the airflow up into an open boat would be MPG beneficial.
If you drive to paddle enough any MPG improvement could provide a return on investment. Someone else can figure the math, but a 2mpg improvement times X number of miles driven with boat, times X price of gas, over X number of years would seem worthy of some experimentation.
Maybe a rigid panel, sized for the specific boat/vehicle rack, could be placed atop/between the crossbars and secured within the edges of the gunwale stops before loading. That might serve as as simple to install drag-reducing air deflector. The panel could hinged in the center (-) for easier storage when the boat and racks are removed
I’m curious if anyone has played MPG improvements by the occluding airflow into an open boat, adjusting the position of the canoe fore or aft on the racks, using a fairing, leaving floatation bags installed or etc.
I have seen one vehicle transporting a canoe more aerodynamically gunwales up; a poorly tied Coleman atop a minivan. In a NJ Turnpike rest stop. Just before an impending black sky pounding rain. We lingered long enough to give him lots of highway miles before the first time he hit the brakes.
I pretty certain that method isn’t my preferred MPG solution.
Looking at past MPG road trip records for the van it gets better MPG when carrying multiple kayaks or decked canoes, 16mpg or better with 3 or 4 decked boats up top.
I took a long solo road trip a few weeks ago carrying a single solo canoe on the van. That boat has 60” airbags for the bow and stern, and I put them in for the trip (your opinion about travelling with floatation bags in boats may vary; I don’t usually do so). The van averaged 17.4mpg. I deduce the obvious:
Kayaks and decked boats cause less drag than open boats.
Multiple boats cause more drag than a single boat.
And the theoretical:
Leaving floatation bags in the canoe(s) may help reduce drag.
Shorter boats (the solo I was carrying is 14’) catch less air than longer boats.
I suspect that the position of the canoe(s) fore and aft on the racks, and aerodynamic (or not) shape of the vehicle, has considerable impact on open boat air capture/increased drag. The boxy hood and windshield of the van forces a lot of air over the roof, and if that air is trapped by the open hull more drag must be created. The equally boxy and much shorter roofline CR-V (4cyl manual) drops MPG badly with even a single boat on the racks (from 23 to 19mpg average).
I’ve seen folks travelling with their boats fully encased in an exterior bag, and always assumed that such bags were largely used to protect pricier composite hulls and finely tuned racing boats from chips and dings during travel. They also seem like a PITA to deal with at the put in or take out.
I wouldn’t travel with my CCS covers installed on the canoe, but I bet occluding the airflow up into an open boat would be MPG beneficial.
If you drive to paddle enough any MPG improvement could provide a return on investment. Someone else can figure the math, but a 2mpg improvement times X number of miles driven with boat, times X price of gas, over X number of years would seem worthy of some experimentation.
Maybe a rigid panel, sized for the specific boat/vehicle rack, could be placed atop/between the crossbars and secured within the edges of the gunwale stops before loading. That might serve as as simple to install drag-reducing air deflector. The panel could hinged in the center (-) for easier storage when the boat and racks are removed
I’m curious if anyone has played MPG improvements by the occluding airflow into an open boat, adjusting the position of the canoe fore or aft on the racks, using a fairing, leaving floatation bags installed or etc.
I have seen one vehicle transporting a canoe more aerodynamically gunwales up; a poorly tied Coleman atop a minivan. In a NJ Turnpike rest stop. Just before an impending black sky pounding rain. We lingered long enough to give him lots of highway miles before the first time he hit the brakes.
I pretty certain that method isn’t my preferred MPG solution.