DCSB - options for hauling a canoe/kayak

Ya I'm looking for the railing system should of putthem in when I ordered my leer

 

I don't understand what's the big deal about carrying a canoe. I have an '11 DCSB. I put a 14.5 ft. canoe on OEM racks and tie it down with two belly straps and one each in the front and rear. I particularly like the OEM racks as they are "always there", don't have to be installed or uninstalled, and when not in use they fold away there is no wind noise. I believe they cost about $ 200 and took an hour of self install time. Apply Occam's Razor (look it up!) to any question and you will usually find the right answer. You can spend a lot more money (many here do), but I suspect that those options will do nothing more than the OEM: carry the canoe.

 

I was just going to get the OEM rack but they don't have the greatest weight capacity. I think its 90lbs? Please correct me if I'm wrong. The kayak on my truck in the profile pic weighs 75lbs though so that just limits me to one up there. So if your just needing to carry one kayak or canoe OEM would work out good too.

 

I'm new to my Tacoma....and I'm looking to address the same issue, with a 17' canoe.

While I'm new to the Taco, I've carried this same 17' canoe on many different vehicles over a couple of decades. Something to bear in mind, a Canoe catches A LOT more air than a kayak. both from driving down the road and crosswinds. Aside from two belly straps, you should at LEAST have a bow strap as well.

I think a Prinsu (or Yakima/Thule/et al) on a DC with the bars maxed fore and aft gives you enough spread to safely carry the canoe on the cab, and aligns the bow of the boat such that you can strap it to the recovery hooks and not worry about the paint on your hood.

I don't cover my bed, and I'm in a AC. I plan to combine a single Yakima Outdoorsman tower with a single Yakima cab bar for canoes and ladders. Gives me lots of spread flexibility. It'll look stupid as hell when empty, but I won't leave it on when not actively carrying.

This way I can put the center of the boat over the center of the truck. Our trucks are 17' 3" long, so that will work perfectly for fore and aft straps.

 

Leer campers only come with thule racks on their website, but the dealer i bought it from (Boss Van Chattanooga, TN) was super awesome and installed yakimas for no extra charge. You will need bars, I recomend the longest you can fit, four control towers, four landing pads and one set of tracks.
https://www.yakima.com/42-tracks-w-plusnuts
The racks come off with just a quick turn of the key and you can have the bars off in less than a minute.

 

Really like your truck. Looks good. Does it have any lift or Leveling that's been done?

 

Eventually we'll be ordering a Prinsu Cabrac for out DCLB, mainly to carry our 16ft Prospector.. When we ordered the canopy we had them put roof bar cleats on the side, but because we tow a trailer the canoe needs to be centered over the cab instead of the canopy. There isn't room for it to hang off the back of the truck.

I've looked at both Baja Racks, FrontRunner, OEM, Equipt's new rack, and Yakima bars. Prinsu is my choice.

 

I really like my prinsu rack. It does have a little bit of noise but nothing unbareable. Crosswinds is when it makes the most noise. Between my tires, supercharger, and radio it's really easy to forget it's there. They're all great racks just seems like it's more of a personal choice for which one to get

 

curious, why ya'll hatin' on the Yakima Dry dock? Something we should know?



NOT a dry dock in the photo, but the same idea

 

it would depend on the size/weight of yak and how many. OEM works for mine, with 2 ratchet straps - one I use to strap it down tight onto the cross bars, then the second I anchor it straight down to the anchor points on the side rails. didn't budge, even at 85 or while offroading
that being said, my yak is only 9' 45lbs

 

So you're only going to mount the canoe to the Cabrac? Definitely post back on how it works, if you felt the need for extra straps, etc...

 

That's definitely a good point.

 

If you won't be getting a cap and your only intention/need is for carrying a canoe, simply go with OEM rack or a 2 bar system like Yakima or Thule for your roof. No need to spend the $$ (they are quality products) on a baja or prinsu type cargo carrying system...way overkill.

If you want the ability to haul other stuff, then the prinsu, Baja, etc. would make more sense.

 

I use a Thule set up for my canoe. 16' 6". 3 hours one way on the highway for duck season, moose season and deer season. No problems on the logging roads as long as I have bow and stern tied.

 

Looking for a rack that looks good, is built strong, ships up here to Canada well, and won't rust.. Hard to beat Prinsu
The boat will have bow/stern lines, and double straps.. We already run Yakima setup on the Forester;

 

I've got 2 twelve foot yaks that I haul with an old pwc trailer. Found it on c list. Works great as long as you're not opposed to a trailer.

 

I definitely want the ability.

 

[QUOTE

It holds up better than you'd think. Plus, at $1.00 per 6 feet, it's not like you can't afford to replace it.

 

Bed Extender from Harbor Freight Tools, $60. Way cheaper than Yakima Drydock. Used several times on 4 hour trips to Northern Wisconsin. 16 foot Royalex canoe. 65 lbs. No problems in stability or security.

 

This setup hasnt failed me yet -



I like that idea of using the hitch post. It distributes the weight of the canoe better. I couldnt imagine just 2 load bars of a roof rack holding 80lbs. I like that the hitch post supports the back side of the canoe

I run this setup with both my tonneau cover and Bestop Supertop