For my Illinois friends out there or others who use toll roads with a canoe on top of their vehicle. Have you ever had issues with the EZPass system reading your transponder through a canoe, especially a kevlar one?

I have never had an issue with the EZPass while traveling with a boat on the car. I've traveled with Kevlar and Tuffweave canoes and neither one presented an issue.

Just hauled my canoe last 2 weekends through ez pass lanes on tollway and no issues.

No... done it hundreds of times.

Have done about 10 trips with Kevlar canoe - no problem.
AdamX

Thanks everyone, just put one on my truck this week and with all the warnings on the installation guide it felt like it might be very sensitive with a canoe on top. Good to know it won't be an issue on future trips!

A little off topic, but I did have problems with satellite radio service with my carbon/kevlar canoe. No experience with EZ pass.

The Illinois system is I-Pass, which is compatible with EZPass but is a different system. The I-Pass system has license plates registered to the account, and in the event of a transponder failure they just use your license plate to bill you, with no extra charges or fees. I've had a fair number of transponder failures billed by license plate over the years, so I never even worry about whether my transponder is being blocked.

If you're really asking about EZPass, I know that I got overcharged on the NY State Thruway because my I-Pass wasn't read at one end of my journey, so they charged me the highest rate from the place my transponder was read - indicating that at least at that time, EZPass wasn't using camera backup like I-Pass does.

I guess the moral of my story is, if you're talking Illinois and I-Pass, it's not even a worry. If you're talking the EZPass states, I'd take the time to drive through a manual toll booth and confirm that your transponder is actually reading with the canoe on your roof before blasting through open-road tolls. You don't want to get an unpleasant surprise.

bhouse46: "A little off topic, but I did have problems with satellite radio service with my carbon/kevlar canoe. No experience with EZ pass."

Yes, my black gold magic sometimes affects my sat radio reception as well. Seems to make areas of poor reception worse.

I had it happen a lot. But I had more than A canoe. Haha! I used an Ohio ezpass...

nctry: "I had it happen a lot. But I had more than A canoe. Haha! I used an Ohio ezpass...



"

I wonder did you try waving it outside the truck in your hand?

nctry: "I had it happen a lot. But I had more than A canoe. Haha! I used an Ohio ezpass..."

Between the boats and all of that metal rack framework, I'm not surprised. I'd be surprised if a normal radio would work.

I had to place the canoes just right for it to work. The rack had no bearing. And yes, I did the wave thing often to no avail.

aruthenb: "Thanks everyone, just put one on my truck this week and with all the warnings on the installation guide it felt like it might be very sensitive with a canoe on top. Good to know it won't be an issue on future trips!"

There's an installation guide? Hmmm. Have used an I-pass on 3-4 vehicles and canoes of all lay-ups including carbon/Kevlar and never had any problem.

I also have satellite radio go dead with carbon fiber canoes and someone on another forum said the electrically conductive carbon fiber makes a Faraday Cage which I just interpret as "there's a logical explanation".

Enjoy your EZpass...great time-saver.

I'm not surprised you had difficulties Ben.... All that metal would do a good job of scattering an already weak RFID signal.

TominMpls: "The I-Pass system has license plates registered to the account, and in the event of a transponder failure they just use your license plate to bill you, with no extra charges or fees. I've had a fair number of transponder failures billed by license plate over the years, so I never even worry about whether my transponder is being blocked."

Illinois has changed the system so now if you go through more five tolls in a month without your transponder registering they charge you the full cash rate for the toll instead of the discounted I-Pass rate. Won't break the bank, but worth noting.

We have a tuff weave (fiberglass) boat and haven't had a problem with the transponder registering (once we got a transponder that actually worked).

prettypaddle: "Illinois has changed the system so now if you go through more five tolls in a month without your transponder registering they charge you the full cash rate for the toll instead of the discounted I-Pass rate. Won't break the bank, but worth noting. "

Oh wow, good to know. You're right, if there's no actual fine it's not a big deal, but it does still raise the cost a good bit. That's probably appropriate, as it has to be more difficult administratively when the transponder doesn't read.

Completed our trip up & back from South Carolina with no issues on the EZ Pass, all charges were posted to my account. I had tolls in Kentucky and Illinois, no issues with either. I have a single kevlar canoe mounted above the truck cab but obviously it didn't affect the signal. Thanks again everyone for the help!

Thank goodness for FREEways.