I'm buying a 2017 Honda CR-V and am curious which roof rack ya'll would recommend. I am not getting OEM roof rails because they are flush mounted, which means there's no ability to tie down a load because the entire rail touches the roof. Worse still, the OEM cross racks for these rails are only spaced around 24" apart, which seems way too narrow for my 18' Wenonah Champlain.

My main goal is 1) do not lose the canoe 2) protect the paint 3) do NOT lose the canoe!

Thoughts on Thule? They have a Traverse fit kit which clamps on to the roof/rail above the doors, then the Traverse feet attach to that, then 53" AeroBlade load bars attach to the feet. The blades are supposed to be quieter. Finally, Thule Portage canoe pads attach to the load bars.

Here's a picture in action of the entire setup. I'd secure it with straps at the bow and stern, of course, using hood straps at the front.

Is this Thule system good? What other brands are good?

Can I use these quick hood straps under the front hood/tail gate, or are they no good/not safe?

I have Yakima so I can't comment on Thule. You
can make or buy hood tie down straps.

Tie down straps

these are essential in my opinion. My Suburbans have bolts that can be used. They really help...especially with wind and semis.

dr bob

Except for the aero bars (mine are square), I use the same Thule rack system on my Jetta, and it's rock solid. Well, Thule has updated the canoe brackets since I bought mine (which have the nut underneath instead of on the side of the bracket), but they do the same thing. I don't use under-the-hood straps, but many folks here do (I think Butthead has pictures of his set up on an older, searchable canoe tie down thread). If I'm driving in the city, I don't bother with a front tie down, but if I'm driving some distance, I use a rope on the front.

This same rack system also works splendidly with my Thule upright bike mounts and my Yakima roof box. You won't go wrong buying it.

quote fsupp: "I use the same Thule rack system on my Jetta, and it's rock solid."

Any paint damage from the brackets themselves? Do you leave them on all year, just put them on for canoe season, or just add them for each trip? I'm not sure how easy they are to remove/reinstall.

I use these -

Universal roof rack

not typical of myself to not use name brand high end gear but I got them free and they do work great. On my truck, wife's SUV,, etc. We've used them on several cars.
I did cut up an old dish rag and put them under the clamps - I'm not sure if they would have damaged the paint or not but I didn't want to test it. They've carried the canoe on many 9hr drives up to the BWCA without a problem.

I too have a fair amount of Thule gear though and had I not gotten these free I likely would have overlooked them and gone with Thule - very nice equipment

quote newguy: "

quote fsupp: "I use the same Thule rack system on my Jetta, and it's rock solid."

Any paint damage from the brackets themselves? Do you leave them on all year, just put them on for canoe season, or just add them for each trip? I'm not sure how easy they are to remove/reinstall."

I tend to leave them on a long time, taking them of only to apply car wax in the fall. They're not hard to remove or put on; I'm just lazy. The metal parts that grab onto the door frame have a coating that protects the car's finish. After 7 years, I've experienced at most only a few scuffs in the clear coat inside the frame, not in the paint itself. The rubberized bottoms of the feet tend to stick when you remove them, so it's best to do so when it's cooler outside. But they haven't damaged the paint at all.

I have been using Thule for close to 30 years and everything that I purchased from them did the job exceptionally and protected the paint. I have been through about 6 vehicles and I only need to get the tower fit kit to adapt to a new vehicle. $ $ $ $ .You can try Malone if you wish to save some money for say a new carbon fiber paddle or CCS fly.

The front tie downs are a necessity for a bow line for the highway, anything with a grommet and bolted under the hood will probably suffice, I had one for years sticking out by the wiper blades secured by the hood hinge bolt.
The quick hood straps may be OK but I would not want to test them.
Congratulations on your new Truck.

I use the quick hood straps with rental cars. They seem to work great. No hint that they are going to pull the hood open and no rope going across the front of the hood and car to scratch it up. On my car at home, I have them screwed in but also know where the good tie points are underneath and often use those.

Very happy with the Thule Aeroblade bars I have on my '14 Forester. Plenty wide for a canoe, and I'm particularly fond of the rubber stripping on the top which prevents the gunwales and/or the bars from being scratched.

I'm a Yakima guy. I have a white car. I've found that leaving the rack on the car results in dirt collecting around the base of the tower and the discoloring of the paint. However, my car is a 2005 Honda Accord and I really don't care.

I also have a 2016 C-RV with the factory installed rack & rails. They work fine for carrying my 18' Wenonah Sundowner. But if I'm only transporting one boat I generally take my old Accord. To carry two canoes I would put the Yakima Racks on my new CRV but only while actually transporting the canoes. For the week I'm on the trip I would remove them and stick them inside the car.

I use the quick hood straps all the time for both local trips and the 2day drive to Ely. They work great. I didn't really have bolts in the right place for the others. Just make sure your hoods latched well.

Thanks everyone, this is great advice. I'll move forward with basically the setup described in my original post. Glad to know I am on the right track and am using a setup that will work well.

A good system is essential for peace of mind for everyone. Nothing would ruin a trip faster than a flying canoe causing a major accident. I had a '84 suburban with the gutter mount for the front which was OK and then the roof rack with 2 by 4's. One time I notice the roof rack pulling up slightly from the sheet metal of the roof. I then discovered that the roof rack was mounted to the roof with sheet metal screws... Must have been an aftermarket install? I can't imagine GM doing that. Anyway I ended up spending a long afternoon taking the inside ceiling out and remounted the rack with nuts and bolts and good washers...

dr bob

I have the aero bar system on my 2016 Hyundai Tucson. The flush roof rails are a pain because you can't run straps under them, but that's a minor hindrance. The rails work great, and the feet are very sturdy/secure. I haven't had any trouble yet. I thought I might see a bit of a drop in MPG with the bars on, but in fact, it went up a little bit. I'm not sure how - I'm not an engineer, but that was a pleasant surprise.

I bought the kit online from etrailers.com - they had great customer service. One of the bolts that clamp the feet down on the roof rails had a wonky thread and I couldn't get it to mount so I contacted their customer service and they had me a replacement bolt in a couple days. They also have a useful "how to install this kit on this car" video for just about every conceivable kit/make/model/year combination. Also, they had the best price.

I did have some concerns about stability/security with the feet mounted on the roof rails at first. I preferred non-flush roof rails and cross bars all in one piece, but I needn't have been concerned.

I don't have the Portage things, though they look interesting. I also don't tie down on the front or back and haven't had any problems.

"I also don't tie down on the front or back and haven't had any problems."
So you would do it after you lost a canoe at 70MPH? Too bad for the vehicles in back of you. Make sure your insurance is enough to cover lawsuits for negligence.
I am sure that the wind load on a canoe is enough to break a 8 -10 mm bolt that the roof rails are secured with.

I know the 2 ft space between the rails is not encouraging, but I had less on a Subaru Outback, and I took an 18.5 ft Bell Northwoods all over the place without an issue. One strap around each rail, one each at the bow and stern, and it was rock solid. I tied an additional strap around the boat and around the roof for some extra security once in a while, but I think that may have been overkill. It did make me a bit more comfortable with everything though.