I'm getting a Yakima rack, got a great deal on feet from ebay. I'm now looking at getting bars. Next summer I'm planning a trip to the Boundary waters, and we will be taking a boat from home and renting one in town. So I will need to take two canoes from Ely to EP16. I'm torn because the 78" bars will hang over the side of my Explore quite a bit. I won't need to carry two canoes very often. So I was thinking about getting shorter bars that could carry a canoe and two bikes, more common for me, and looking for another solution to the two boats. Could I get one inch diameter bars from a hardware store that would work for two boats? I could just hit my head on the longer bars every day, or get two sets of bars. Thought about getting s shuttle but for the price I could buy a set of bars. The one solution I have thought about and decided against is 2x4s. If any one has a suggestion it would be nice. I think I will use my 20% off at rei for bars this next week.

Just get the 78 inchers. You will be glad you did.
I have 2 sets 50 and 78 and never use the short bars anymore.
CB

i believe that ive read (probably on here) that a certain sized steel water pipe can be substituted for yak bars. maybe check that out and get two long ones for cheap.

I have Honda Pilot, I don't see how anyone could get their head hit with 78 bars unless someone is very tall.

I have the 66" bars and they work well for a canoe and one or two bikes. With the rack bars about 45" apart, I can put a 36" and a 30" boat on the rack with no room to spare. This suits me because if the bars were any longer I'd be whacking my head on the left front more often than I do.

If I needed longer bars I think I'd put a 2x4 across and attach it to the round bar with a U-bolt. It may be possible to extend the bars by putting a piece of pipe outside or inside the bars, but the gunwale brackets may not work on the extensions.

quote Cedarboy: "Just get the 78 inchers. You will be glad you did.
I have 2 sets 50 and 78 and never use the short bars anymore.
CB"

I have the two sets like Cedarboy. However, you probably could jerry-rig something by having a longer 2x4 (or 2x3) run long the top of the bar and secured using U-bolts.

I have had the issue of occasionally hitting the bars on my Xterra - just barely,I'm 6'2". However, my daughter is slightly taller than me and my son is 6'9" so I take old tennis balls, and using 1 inch slits slice an "X" into them and force them over the ends.

You're not going to leave the bars on there year 'round, are you? Just get the 78" bars and the gunwale brackets and you'll never look back.

And don't get the Yakima towers, then cobble it up with pipe bars from the hardware store. Do it once with the right products and your canoe(s) will never ride better.

I have 2 sets of bars myself. One other thought is that if you want, you 'could' always cut the 78" ones down later on if need be. Or you can pick up a shorter set later on from eBay pretty cheap.

On my long bars, I have old tennis balls (with a small "X" cut in them) covering the ends. There have been a few people who otherwise would have seriously hurt themselves.

Ok Maybe I can rig something with 2x4s. But yes I will be leaving them up for most of the year. I will have bikes and skis up there as well. One of the reasons for wanting shorter bars. I will be getting a set of Yakima bars just don't know what size yet.

Electrical conduit (the heavier stuff) from home depot is what I use for my Yak rack. Its cheap enough that you can make as many sizes as you want. I want to say it was around $10, and they cut them to length for me for free. I wouldn't classify it as "cobbled up" its just a piece of metal pipe that is exactly the same size as the $90 dollar yak bars.