Anyone carry a canoe on their diamondback cover?

I'm looking at the Diamondback tonneau cover. They offer a canoe/kayak carrier accessory but only ever show pictures of a kayak mounted. And usually those pictures show the kayak mounted in the optimal position for harvesting rainwater.

Does anyone have any pictures of a canoe mounted to the carrier? I'm curious how it works with the larger size of a canoe as opposed to a kayak. Conceptually I like the idea of throwing the boat on the Diamondback carrier because it looks like a good height. Alternatively I might just get the OEM roof rack and call it a day.

 

Following.

I was looking for an example of someone with a canoe on that rack as well.

It looks like the kayak would go over the cab a bit to prevent overhang in the back but it's hard to tell in the photos. Hoping you could do something similar with a canoe.

 

I carry mine on my roof rack. Other than getting that heavy sucker up there it works great.

 

Thanks for the picture. I was leaning toward the roof rack option as well but am starting to doubt my ability to throw the boat up that high. I’m not a tall dude. How do you do it?

I wrote to Diamondback and asked them to send some pictures. If they respond I’ll share them here.

 

Long bed, hitch extender, 15' yaks. If you don't need the bed for something else at the same time.

 

How long is the canoe? Even with a cover, I think you are going to need some sort of roof rack or bed rack for a long canoe if you want it on top of the truck. You could put the canoe in the bed with the tailgate down and get one those Harbour Freight tow hitch bed extender things to stabilize the end sticking out.



Another option to seriously consider is to get a small trailer. I use to load my fishing kayak up on top of my FJ; doable but at the same time a real pain in the ass. Years ago now, I found me an old jet ski trailer on Craigslist for cheap. I think I paid a $100 bones for it. I strap my kayak onto the trailer and off I go!

 

I agree Buck. I’m going to need some sort of a rack. There seems to be no way that Diamondback carrier will work as advertised unless it’s a very short canoe. I’m still shopping for the canoe but let’s assume almost 17’.

Right now I’m considering two alternatives. Either I’ll carry an aluminum cotterman step to make reaching the roof easier. Or I’ll use a ladder rack. With the ladder rack I can probably tip the front of the canoe up when I’ve got it in the air and then slide it the rest of the way.

Anyway, I know there are some good threads on this forum about carrying canoes. Given the popularity of Diamondback covers I was hoping someone tried the canoe carrier and could share a review.

 

At 17' a rack or trailer are really your only legit options.

 

This option works for me as well

 

I am not a big dude either so I just get one end on the back of the rack and then just slide it up on the rack. Put some foam feet under then strap it down. Not easy for sure but not too difficult and not bad at all with a second person.

 

Yakima makes a overhaul with an adapter for the track on the diamondback. You could've just said whatever height you would like. They were great for anything long like a canoe or kayak.

 

I'm getting the Yakima rack/Retrax tonneau combination for the upcoming paddling season but for the last number of years I've been successful with this set up. This is a 15' Swift Keewaydin and it works well for it. I also have a 17' Souris River boat, which puts me close to the legal limit for passenger car length and makes finding parking spots a little harder. The only downside is when you're on gravel roads you can tag the inside of your hull occasionally with stones thrown up from your back wheels.

 

https://diamondbackcovers.com/produ...verhaul-hd-rack-system?variant=39663403532387

 

There's only one downside to a boat hanging 10ft off the back of your truck?!

The tailswing on that setup is crazy!

You are at the legal limit for vehicle length maybe but where I am that's an illegal load.

 

Eh, call it what you will. I've been transporting canoes like this for years without any issue whatsoever. That photo was taken in 2017 halfway though a 3000+ km trip, most of it on the Trans Canada Highway. Lots of cops saw me in transit, and parked, and not one of them said a word. In February I brought a new canoe home from London, about 500 km, the same way...in the middle of a blizzard...no problem. As with anything to do with a vehicle, as long as you're being attentive and driving defensively, you'll be good.

 

I've got the bed extender and like Billy, got some pool noodles lining areas of the extender and inside the bed where my kayaks touch. Was looking for either a roof rack or bed rack though so I can use the bed space especially for camping.

Roof rack biggest con seems to be noise and the bed rack issue I have is I have a soft, tri fold tonneau cover. Not that I fold it back often, so I think I could use the extended brackets and be ok. Any thoughts? I see a lot of mixed reviews on them actually fitting properly.

 

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