Padding on cross bars for canoe?

[jerfo]

Hello folks, so I was wondering if anyone has some sort of foam padding of some sort to protect your gunnels from getting scratched up, and also give your canoe some cushion and grip on the bars, my crossbars are pretty slippery. I tried using some pipe insulation as a DIY solution (5 bucks from home depot), but it's just not durable enough, and starting to rip away.

I saw these and wonder if anyone has used anything like these.

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/1063/30-in-Extrema-Roof-Rack-Pads-Pair.html

Or if you have any DIY ideas let me know!

 

[redoleary]

I've bought the large diameter pool noodles with the hole in the center and cut it into about 1' lengths, slice it down one side and "clip" it on the gunwale. I have found these to be more durable than the dedicated foam blocks that many places sell and at a fraction of the cost...like less than $5.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Clear PVC tubing.. try I.5" ID. You only need four short ( maybe four inches each) lengths. Pool noodle and pipe insulation is deficient. If you have a racing buddy try to get some short lengths of roll cage paddling.

 

[Alan Gage]

I've used those little minicell blocks with good luck. Most have a notch that snaps over the gunwales and some have a notch on both sides so one will slip over the rack and the other over the gunwale. I've used them for years and never had them deteriorate to speak of. They add good traction on the rack and since you compress them as you draw down the strap they provide a little spring loading so if your strap loosens a little the foam expands and takes up some slack. Kinda like these:

I've used pool noodles and they didn't do so well. Worked ok for a while but didn't take too long for them to start to split and they seemed to have a memory. Leave them cinched down long enough and they'd hold that shape. Tried pipe insulation too and it was much worse.

I like the flexible PVC tubing idea.

Alan

 

[Jim Dodd]

Real old School, and ugly, but carpet wrapped and Duct taped, or carpet glued, maybe several layers.
Alan's mini cell suggestion is top notched.
I too used the pool noodles, and they were very short lived.
Jim

 

[jmhockey23]

I've used those little minicell blocks with good luck. Most have a notch that snaps over the gunwales and some have a notch on both sides so one will slip over the rack and the other over the gunwale. I've used them for years and never had them deteriorate to speak of. They add good traction on the rack and since you compress them as you draw down the strap they provide a little spring loading so if your strap loosens a little the foam expands and takes up some slack. Kinda like these:

I've used pool noodles and they didn't do so well. Worked ok for a while but didn't take too long for them to start to split and they seemed to have a memory. Leave them cinched down long enough and they'd hold that shape. Tried pipe insulation too and it was much worse.

I like the flexible PVC tubing idea.

Alan

I use these as well. They work fairly well. The kits come with straps which I found to be pretty poor quality, but the foam pads work well.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I think the roll cage tubing is probably the longest lived. I have a deceased canoe friend that used that method for twenty years and transported about 30,000 miles a year. I just don't have access to any.

 

[JagDaddy]

I carry my canoe on multiple vehicles, crewcab pick-up, Jeep Wrangler and my wifes Jeep Cherokee. Foam blocks work good on all of them. The kit I use has rope with steel 'S' rings that work good with all the bumpers on our vehicle. I bind the canoe down with 'trucker' knots.

We run some really rough roads to get to the water around here and except for an occasional re-tie, no worries
:- )

 

[martin2007]

Linoleum left over from flooring jobs. Wrapped around a layer or two of closed cell foam underneath which, in turn, is wrapped around the roof rack cross bars.The linoleum protects the foam against all weather, gunwhale rubbing, etc. HD zip ties keeping everything tight. The linoleum goes extremely well with the kitchen floor and attracts admiring glances from interior decorators in and out of canoe country. Typically lasts me 2-3 seasons of heavy, frequent hauling of boats without replacement fuss.

 

[sailsman63]

Inspired by the minicell blocks here, I decided to try something different...



The local MallWart has something called "Yoga Blocks" used for support during certain kinds of stretching or acrobatic exercises. They're firm and resilient, and a bandsaw cuts them very smoothly. My rack is a DIY special (Its what I learned to weld on) and i simply tie down with ratchet straps. I'd add a longer backup rope for long hauls, or any significant highway distance, but on the local county roads, I've never had the straps move at all. We'll see how long that foam stuff lasts.

 

[yellowcanoe]

you might groove the underside.. Trust me at 70 mph those foamies move..

 

[sailsman63]

yellowcanoe They are grooved, deep enough to cover most of the rack. That foam is firm enough for a human to do a handstand on the original block,

 

[sailsman63]

And, apparently, didn't do enough. I'm not sure what happened,either the crosswind was higher than I thought, or something, (perhaps the straps had gotten a little loose overnight?) but I almost lost the canoe last weekend. I did lose both foamies on the driver's side. I got the feeling that the canoe slid sideways and rolled them out.

 

[martin2007]

No Title

Linoleum.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Memo to self.. check tightness of straps before you start out. They can loosen overnight in the damp.

The foamies do have a tendency to escape. I have been using loadstops for years and am a firm firm believer in them. I have never seen any boat slide sideways. Sailsman you need something to stop lateral movement.. Something grippy

WIthout a bowline I would be afraid of that movement..

 

[Iskweo]

Yes, we put loadstops on the racks to keep things in place. We just use pieces of wood that we can screw in place depending on which canoe we are using, or how many. A stop at the end of each rack is good too...eyebolts work as well as anything and give you a place to tie down to.

We also use carpet on the racks..just get a piece of the short pile door mat that they sell everywhere and cut it up to fit. We use 2 x 4 racks that are U-bolted to the actual manufacturers rack on top of the Highlander. Just muffler clamp u-bolts. It has worked really well for us. You get a grippy, non marking finish, tie down point on the rack itself, and load stops that are infinitely adjustable. All totally Karin's concept.

We use the small ratchet straps with bow and stern lines as well to secure the canoes. We have weathered some brutal prairie storms with this rig.

Christy

 

[yaricoy]

I use pipe insulation foam on my round Yakima bars and then do a full spiraling wrap with duct or Gorilla tape (depending on what color you want). It usually lasts a few years before it needs another wrapping of duct tape. If you do it loose enough, they will spin and allow you to easily position the canoe before you strap it down. Once it's strapped down the friction keeps everything in place and the straps tight. It will also work on a Thule rack, but you probably just won't get the spin.

 

[tump_lion]

pipe wrap and duct-tape on the ends over yakima bars...decades of fun for pennies...

 

[sailsman63]

@yellowcanoe: Something like this?



This baby dates from when I first built my roof rack. I'd gotten out of the habit of using them because I always have to take the end of the rack off to remove them between uses.

The canoe gripping surfaces are covered with spray-on undercoating, which adds a slight give to the grip, and the steel dowels through the body grip the rack tube when tension is applied to the strap.

 

[sharma]

Hello folks, so I was wondering if anyone has some sort of foam padding of some sort to protect your gunnels from getting scratched up, and also give your canoe some cushion and grip on the bars, my crossbars are pretty slippery. I tried using some pipe insulation as a DIY solution (5 bucks from home depot), but it's just not durable enough, and starting to rip away.

I saw these and wonder if anyone has used anything like these.

https://longboardsgeek.com/longboard-vs-cruiser/ https://longboardsgeek.com/onewheel-vs-electric-skateboard/ https://longboardsgeek.com/comparsion/

Or if you have any DIY ideas let me know!

I use pipe insulating foam on the Yakima round bars and then do a full spiral wrap with duct tape or Gorilla (depending on the color you want). It usually lasts a few years before another duct tape wrap is needed. If you do it loosely enough, it will rotate and allow you to easily position the canoe before tying it down. Once you tie it up, friction keeps everything in place and the straps tight. It will also work on a Thule rack, but you probably just won't have the rotation.