BWCA Rack that can hold two canoes (no home builds) Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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halvorsonchristopher
distinguished member(1163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/23/2020 10:14AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
New truck = new rack

Looking through the market, and only finding a few options that I know will work.
- Yakima Outdoorsman 300: 78" load bars
- Spring Creek Tuff Truck Rack: 100" load bars

Both are fine options, but I'm curious WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE that can definitely hold two canoes, without modification.
Not looking to build or modify, looking for something more permanent.

Input & Pictures welcomed! ??
Thank you BWCA family! You are better than any internet search.
 
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Jackfish
Moderator
  
01/23/2020 02:18PM  
My buddy has a Yakima rack for his pickup. Could be the Outdoorsman 300 - not sure. Canoes ride rock solid. No worries whatsoever.

I have a VW Atlas SUV with roof bars. I had to buy new towers for my Yakima rack (I already had the 78" bars) and it works perfectly. With a roundtrip of 1200+ miles to Atikokan and the northside of Quetico, along with many local trips, I couldn't be happier.

Side note: We bought a Yakima hitch-mount bike rack, too. Couldn't ask for a better piece of equipment. Very much a Yakima fan.
 
01/23/2020 04:10PM  
Is it a double cab? I used Yakima towers and 72" (can be cut down if needed) cross bars with that and it it worked great. Plenty of span between bars. When I got a topper I added a channel and the Yakima tower for that. That's the best possible option unless you plan on going on very rough unimproved roads. You only need the top straps. No bow or stern straps needed. I'm a big fan of Yakima products.
 
01/23/2020 07:39PM  

Only one one here, but will hold two. Spring Creek, bought hitch on eBay and cab suction mount on the "For Sale" section here. Still can use my truck tonneau.
 
halvorsonchristopher
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01/23/2020 08:53PM  
Blatz: "Is it a double cab? I used Yakima towers and 72" (can be cut down if needed) cross bars with that and it it worked great. Plenty of span between bars. When I got a topper I added a channel and the Yakima tower for that. That's the best possible option unless you plan on going on very rough unimproved roads. You only need the top straps. No bow or stern straps needed. I'm a big fan of Yakima products. "

Thanks for the reply. Which Yakima towers?
2019 f350, crew cab.
Looking to keep both towers on the bed. Nothing over the cab.
 
halvorsonchristopher
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01/23/2020 08:58PM  
KevinL: "


Only one one here, but will hold two. Spring Creek, Bought hitch on eBay and cab suction mount on the "For Sale" section here. Still can use my truck tonneau. "

Kevin, nice to hear from you. We meet about 3-4 years back at the VNO bunkhouses.
Definitely nice that it's still allows you to use the tonneau cover. Just not looking to use a suction cup option any longer. Don't like the wear and rear on the door moulding/flashing.

 
amhacker22
distinguished member(1205)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/24/2020 07:10AM  
I use the Thule 78 inch bars. They handle 2 canoes just fine. Even if the max width of both canoe exceeds the bar length, you just need to be able to strap both ends down. The center of the canoe can go beyond the width of the bars and still be solid. I’d be more concerned with exceeding the max width of my vehicle, which I don’t think you can do in MN at least. The 100 bars would certainly go well over the max width of my 4Runner.
 
01/24/2020 08:15AM  
halvorsonchristopher: "
Blatz: "Is it a double cab? I used Yakima towers and 72" (can be cut down if needed) cross bars with that and it it worked great. Plenty of span between bars. When I got a topper I added a channel and the Yakima tower for that. That's the best possible option unless you plan on going on very rough unimproved roads. You only need the top straps. No bow or stern straps needed. I'm a big fan of Yakima products. "

Thanks for the reply. Which Yakima towers?
2019 f350, crew cab.
Looking to keep both towers on the bed. Nothing over the cab."

Unless you're getting a topper and don't want to use your cab, the towers I use won't help This will help you with what you can use from Yakima. Also check out etrailer.com
 
HappyHuskies
distinguished member (418)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/24/2020 08:24AM  
I've used TracRac's on my last three trucks and been very satisfied. Will probably use them again when I buy a new truck.

Two canoes easily fit. For kayaks I use Yakima conversions. Just simple risers that fit into the top of the TracRac and allow me to use Yakima saddles. I don't remember where I bought these, but they were cheap and I've used them all of the TracRac's I've owned.

I also have a Maine Rollon attached to help when I'm by myself. I don't think these are made anymore. I know TracRac changed there design a bit for my most recent truck and I had to do a little fabrication to make these fit.
 
01/24/2020 08:42AM  
No home builds? That's no fun
 
HappyHuskies
distinguished member (418)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/24/2020 08:45AM  
AmarilloJim: "No home builds? That's no fun"


I too like diy fabrication projects, but the OP indicated that he was "Not looking to build or modify". Maybe a topic for another thread?
 
01/24/2020 01:22PM  
I've used Thule's 78'' load bars to haul 2 canoes up to the bwca a couple times and they've performed well. This last trip one of the foot mounts was slightly loose when I took them off at the end because we had 30-40 mph side wind gusts on our drive between Duluth and Mpls. I've found I like the square bars over the rounded or aero bars as they seem more sturdy and heavy duty.
 
Cedarboy
distinguished member(3437)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/24/2020 04:22PM  
Thule 78 inch for 2 canoes for past
20 years, no issues.
CB
 
01/24/2020 06:38PM  
>




Kevin, nice to hear from you. We meet about 3-4 years back at the VNO bunkhouses.
"
Yes sir I knew that we had ran into each other before, but couldn't remember the location and you are correct. VNO.
 
Bearskin Lodge
senior member (68)senior membersenior member
  
01/24/2020 09:04PM  
I'd recommend Vantechs p3000 racks. I have the 84" bars, they are really wide. I had the 72" rack from thule on my previous truck, and I love the wider bars. No need to stagger the center of the canoes, even with a 4 person and 3 person.

The racks themselves are of as good, or really probably better quality than the thules. The only thing I miss is the ability to quickly pop off a tower if I needed to haul something tall, like an upright refrigerator.

Here is a photo.
 
halvorsonchristopher
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01/25/2020 08:26PM  
Bearskin Lodge: "The only thing I miss is the ability to quickly pop off a tower if I needed to haul something tall, like an upright refrigerator.
Here is a photo. "

Please explain more as to why you can not easily remove a tower? Are they bolted down? I thought I saw a clamp on option.

Love your recommendation. Hit me with any additional info that you can.
 
Bearskin Lodge
senior member (68)senior membersenior member
  
01/25/2020 09:27PM  
It's not impossible to take them off, just harder than the Thules. With the Thule Rack, it was easy to take off the cross piece and towers as one unit, but leave the mounts in place. With the Vantech you would need to undo the clamps and remove the whole assembly.

My racks are actually bolted on, but that was just to get them to work with my Tacoma and the sliding rails in the bed. Plus the truck is more or less a dedicated canoe hauler.

If I remember right, the Vantech racks don't come with the rubber stripping for the top of the bars. It's a cheap add on, and without it, they are hard on gunnels.

We had the Outdoorsman racks on a lodge truck and they just fell apart (although depending on our staff, that truck leads a pretty tough life). The same truck now has my old Thules.

Quinn
 
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