Factory Rack for Canoe?

THREAD REVIVAL!!!

How do y'all get your canoes on your truck? I have a 17ft Alumacraft, about 85 pounds, and there is NO way that I can do it by myself.

Right now there is little chance that my wife can even help me get it on top of the cab/bedcap.

I have a suitable rack for the canoe, just don't have a way to get it on/off the truck.

 

For one person loading, try lifting one end at a time. Depending on your racks and cab set-up there are two ways that may work. If you have racks that come to the back of the vehicle you may be able to lift the bow on the rear rack upright and then push/side the canoe on top from the rear. It's pretty easy to flip once you have it up.
If you can't get the bow to the rear rack and must load from the side, something like the Yakima Boat Loader works:

Yakima - BoatLoader, Canoe and Kayak Side Loading System

http://www.amazon.com/Yakima-BoatLoader-Canoe-Loading-System/dp/B000MB2KIW
You lift the bow on the extended bar, lift the rear onto the racks, then shift the bow onto the racks and remove the cheater bar.
I made something similar out of the right diameter conduit that can slide into my cross bar.
Finally, there is a method that makes dead lifting the canoe easier, but I still find difficult at the end of a long day of paddling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku5Apd8G84Y

 

So I installed the OEM roof rack a couple days ago and fitted the canoe. It seems to fit well and I don't think I will need the goal post style support in back as long as I get some stronger ratchet style tie downs to strap the canoe to the rack. I will post a pic in a couple days...

 

Ratchet style straps are known for deforming canoes/kayaks and dinging up rooftops. "Cam straps" are the recommended manner of strapping canoes to racks and you should make sure that they are snug, but don't put all your weight into them either. It's not a matter of strapping the canoe tighter to the racks, it's a matter of not applying more strain on the rack than the rack can handle. Be sure to use front and rear tie downs. The front ties with keep the nose from lifting and putting too much upward torque on the racks. Good luck.

 

roger that no ratchet idea. With rope eyes made up to go around the rack crossbars I was hoping to secure the canoe and bars equally against each other but I have been over confident in the rack. The crossbars are not as strong as I had hoped being made up of 3 pieces so I will order the goal post support for the back so I can slide the canoe back and attach in 3 locations.

 

One of the woodstrip canoes I made. Strapped to the factory roof rack and the bed rack I made.



Older pic of my truck

 

How does the rack attach to the truck?

Thanks,

David

 

the feet sit on top of the bed and are attached to adapters that lock them into the bedrails.

 

That's sweet! Easy on/off?

Thanks,

David

 

Roof Rack

The unique Tacoma roof rack integrates with roof rail channels and features stowable cross bars. The cross bars unfold to a locked position for use and can be stowed inline with the roof rails when not in use. Offering a 75-lb. load capacity, the roof rack is available for Double Cab only and comes with mounting hardware.

-- http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/accessories.html#!section/Exterior/15

 

yeah, slot in rack they slide into and one bolt to bolt it into the rail. there are 2 on each foot, 8 total. rack is rated for up to 450 lbs. Comes in handy for longboards or any other long stuff you might haul.

 

Thank You!

Good information!

David

 

So my final outcome with two trips complete after installing the OEM roof rack with a bed extender/goal post from Harbor Freight in back. Worked great but lots of air turbulence at 80MPH...

 

The above situation might be helped with raising the HF rack a bit higher so the canoe isn't catching so much air.

 

yea, the angle is the problem but if I level the canoe there is not enough lateral support because the rear roof rack bar does'nt come into contact with the canoe..

 

Gotcha. Smart idea crossing the straps in the back. I do the same but utilize the rear corner D rings in the bed which really stops the sway. I also don't have a tonneau cover so going from the D rings right over the top of the hull isn't an issue. My longbed exacerbated the issue you have with basically the ends of the canoe having lateral support, so I fixed this by simply using only the rear factory rack crossbar which allowed me to slide the canoe back a bit and better use the HF bar.

 

13' kayaks strapped down and tied through scuppers just in case

 

I was already looking for some sort of blocking for that rear bar, that's probably the way to go...

 

So I already had Thule crossbars over the bed cap. This did not work well as my 17fter would have hit the top of the cab using only those two.

So I went and got another set of Thule crossbars to put over the cab. With this setup, I was able to put one end up first, have my wife steady the canoe, while I put the other end up and slid everything into place.

All the cross bars are within an inch of each other in height and everything cinched down tight. No turbulence at 65-70MPH.



Jeff in Flagstaff

 

Nice.. I read thru this entire thread, hoping to see this solution.

I haven't gotten a tacoma yet, but I want to. I have a long, heavy, Hobie Oasis tandem kayak, that is 14' 6" and supposedly weighs 90-115lbs. I was hoping to just rest it in the rear bed, and have the tailgate plus a rear hitch extender "T" bar to support the back end. I'm worried about the amount of kayak sticking out the rear, even with a red flag. Are there any rules of the road for this? or guidelines on what percent of a kayak needs to be fully supported on a bed versus hanging out the back? In you pick, it looks like my kayak would have about 50% sticking out beyond the tailgate!

Right now, I'm lifting it up onto a roof rack on my Honda Accord and that is getting to be a pain.

Thanks for reviving this post, and thanks to JLeephoto for directing me to this.

-J