Has anyone ever placed a canoe on top of a Toyota Camry? I'm buying a car soon and am not sure if it will work. If not, how about a Subaru Outback? Thanks!

I tried to haul one on my Camery last year. I was saddened by the fact that there are no tie down places under the car to lace a rope through. Everything is all sealed by solid plastic. I still have my camery, and if I were to haul it again, I'd have a roof rack installed.

I'm having the same hiccups as you, and I haven't figured out how I'm going to do it yet. Install a roof rack or wait until we buy a different car. ?? I don't know.

I cartop my Prius with a canoe on foam blocks. Under the hood you may need to install webbing loops to use as tiedown points. Same is true for the trunk if there's nothing underneath. A lot depends on the age of your car, an older one is more likely to have eyelets in the undercarriage for transport.
Since my Prius rode across the Pacific there are very nice points in the frame underneath at each corner.

I recently saw that REI sells the webbing straps for installing under the hood/elsewhere now.

Also, check out this thread.

Well, my wife has a Camry, and I have an Outback. What are the odds?
First, I will find a way to haul my canoe on anything that gets me there... one way or the other.
The Outback is easiest since it has crossbars on the roof. My Northwind, which is narrower than many other boats, fits on fine, but is a hair wide and basically one side rests on the crossbar mounts. It still works that way, so it's fine with me. For a wider canoe, one may choose to mount a longer board on each of the crossbars.
I haven't tried a canoe on the Camry, but as said, you'll need webbing straps under the hood to tie to. It seems to me that there were some tow loops underneath, in the rear that one could tie to. In the case of the Camry, you'd need to use the foam blocks. When using the foam blocks, especially on a rounded roof like the Camry, you should have a loop of rope going through all the blocks or they will likely slide down the roof.
My first choice would be the Outback, as this requires less prepping than the Camry, and no foam blocks.

Edited...
Other comparisons of these cars...
The all wheel drive Outback is way better on snow and ice.
The Outback gets 24 MPG, while the Camry gets 31 MPG.
The Camry does ride better.
If getting the Outback, search for the six cylinder.
I got the LL Bean edition and that car is much better thought out than the Camry.
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loader and rear canoe support

front support

This summer I will be using this system with my Jeep Patriot. I have roof side rails with no cross bars and a rear hitch. There will be a rear support and a front support. I can use the side rails to help hold it down. I also got these Tie down straps for the front tie down.

This may be of no help to smaller car drivers but thought I'd offer the idea. Bapabear

I think you will be fine. We took our 17'6" canoe from Madison, WI to Gunflint Trail on my wife's 2 door civic and had no problems. Can't imagine you would have it any worse.

Not a Camry but a corolla probably about 20 times from the twin cities to Ely. Foam blocks, front and back tie downs.

T

quote Jestrem: "I tried to haul one on my Camery last year. I was saddened by the fact that there are no tie down places under the car to lace a rope through. Everything is all sealed by solid plastic. I still have my camery, and if I were to haul it again, I'd have a roof rack installed.


I'm having the same hiccups as you, and I haven't figured out how I'm going to do it yet. Install a roof rack or wait until we buy a different car. ?? I don't know."

My Toyota has some areas underneath I can hook into, but mine is probably older. You can buy trunk and hood tie downs to the car pretty easily. Trunk tie down
Hood tie down

I've only used the hood tie down, but heard they both work well.

Just throwing out some options.

T

I haul my canoe on top of a 02 Mustang GT, bought a Thule roof rack and it works great, I do use tie down points under the hood [thanks to whoever had a post about that tip]. 8o mph down the road meeting, following, or passing semis that canoe doesn't even wiggle. FRED

Although I have a couple of vans for hauling my boats, (both full size & mini), the last few years I've been using my Toyota Solara when going solo or with one partner, because of the Solara's better gas mileage.

It's not a problem with the right canoe rack. Pictured below is my Solara with a Yakima Rack, Gunnel Brackets, and "Stretch Kit". As you may know, the Toyota Solara is also known as the Solara Camry Coupe.

The rack system securely carries my Delta "18.5 Expedition" touring kayak, Wenonah "Voyager", and/or Sawyer "Shockwave", which are fairly long boats. (The picture on the far right, was taken at "Rutabaga" when I traded the Perception Eclipse for the Delta 18.5 Expedition K1 in 2011.) I included the Perception Eclipse photo, because it depicts the kayak saddles on the Yakima Rack.

Last year I drove from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Atikokan, Ontario with my 17.5' Wenonah "Voyager" without incident. (Approx. 1,400 miles round trip by way of Fort Francis on the way to Atikokan, and back through Thunder Bay on the way home.)

In 2011, my nephew and I hauled our touring kayaks to Grand Portage, Minnesota, to catch a boat to Island Royale. No problems with the Yakima rack system, and we ran into some fairly stormy & windy weather on the way there.

If I can carry the aforementioned boats around on the smaller roof of the Solara-Camry Coupe, your Camry Sedan should be just fine with the larger roof area, provided you're using a quality rack system.

I also use the Paje Products "Top Ties" for tying down the front of my boats. (The "Top Ties" should be fairly visible in the photo taken at the Dawson Trail Campground at Quetico Provincial Park.) I have not felt the need to tie down the stern of any of the boats when I've used the Yakima Rack, Gunnel Brackets, & Stretch Kit.

PAJE Products - TopTies (1 Pair)

Hans Solo

quote mirth: "Under the hood you may need to install webbing loops to use as tiedown points.
I recently saw that REI sells the webbing straps for installing under the hood/elsewhere now."

I bought some of the webbing loops from Red Rock Store for about 5 bucks. Then I made a pair with an old webbing strap and grommets. Both of them work well.

I have hauled canoes on small cars for decades. Just make sure you tie them down really well.

It'll be totally fine on top of a Camry. Like alreayd mentioned, tie down pts are on issue on many cars. I would by hood loops, yakima, thule and other's mathe them. They're cheap. It's a strap loop that attachees under the hood using one of the already avalable bolts. When not in use they can be folded under. I've put them on the hood and truck of my ford focus, which by the way with the yakima rack has carried three kayaks hundreds of miles - no issues.

It will be fine. I've carried canoes on our Carolla for years, and prior to that a Mazda Protege.

Have you gone out to Yakima's Fit My Car?

Thanks for all of the great feedback. This is a GREAT site. I bought a used Camry on Saturday and picked up a MN 2 canoe on Sunday!

So, you've put together Monday and Tuesday's cash to pick up a rack system? Sweet.

Almost every newer car, and I think all Priuses, have a screw in tow eye for towing purposes.

This makes an easy, free, and rock solid tie down point. You can buy another eye if you want one for the front and back. You will have one eye in your in with your spare tire kit in most cases.

It makes tying down canoes really easy. Do it!