BWCA Car top canoe carrier question... Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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Scoobs
distinguished member (156)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/30/2021 01:02PM  
My first canoe is on order. (Check).
Car top canoe carrier? (um.... ?!?)

Neither of our cars have a luggage rack on top (2013 Mazda CX-5 and 2018 Honda Pilot).

We plan to get my wife a canoe next year, so we're already planning for a car top carrier for two canoes - working with Rutabaga on that. Not worried about it for now.

For the Mazda, this is likely where my boat will spend a bit of its time traveling from lake to lake.

Are these foam pads and straps enough?

I'd love to know (and possibly see) what you peeps are using, and what you'd recommend.

Thanks,

c
 
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08/30/2021 01:42PM  
Rutabaga will set you up. Long experience and a great reputation.
The foam pads and straps will get you by but for doubling up and long term use dedicated racks are best. Either or both of your vehicles can support canoe racks. If looking to double on 1 vehicle you'll need crossbars wide enough for two canoes 60 inches on up, Another good addition are gunnel stops on the crossbars. Keel over Portage Bow and stern loop to attach straps are easy DIY or purchased new Seals Quickie Hood Loops

I have been accused of overkill tie-downs but hey my canoe/vehicle/time.
Most often trucks but a Ford Freestyle snuck in here.


butthead
 
08/30/2021 01:44PM  
I haul my canoe thousands of miles every year like that. No problem. You will want to twist the straps between the canoe and car or you will get noise from vibrations. Also I would use a trucker's hitch instead of a surgeons loop(easier to get undone).
 
08/30/2021 07:15PM  
Long time user of Yakima racks and before that Quik-n-Easy racks until vehicle rain gutters disappeared. Still have my 78” Yakima round bars, although it seems we only haul two boats now when I go with my brother and then we use his RacknRoll (I think it’s called) trailer. Very pricey, but easy to use.

If you consider Yakima or Thule be sure to wait until their periodic 20 or 25% off sales, usually available several time per year.
 
OCDave
distinguished member(713)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/30/2021 08:34PM  
How long do you plan to keep the Mazda?

If more than just a couple of years, I'd highly recommend visiting your local Mazda dealer and inquire about the cost of factory rails + cross bars for the CX-5. You can run straps through the car but, for more than occasional use, I'd find this tiring.

For our CR-V, we went with factory rails then bought Yakima Skyline towers and Yakima Jetstream cross bars. I bought the towers and my wife bought the bars. Each of us used our 20% off one item REI coupon.

I went with 60" cross bar which works well for my solo and a kayak together but not as well with both my Northwind Solo and Polaris together. I kind of wish I'd have opted for the 70" crossbars.

 
08/30/2021 11:39PM  
Foam blocks will work just fine. I went many years with just foam blocks. But you won't regret a good quality roof rack from Thule or Yakima. So much easier and quicker to load and unload your canoe and those few minutes make a huge difference when your in a cloud of mosquitos trying to mess with foam blocks. They take a bit of fiddling to get mounted right but once you do it only take a few minutes to remove and install them. I use a piece of painter's tape inside the door so I know where I want them mounted on the roof. I ended up going with Yakima over Thule simply because Thule required mounting through the weather stripping on my door whereas Yakima did not so pay attention to that as well before buying. I also went with 66" round bars. Little noisy but I like them for the nostalgic factor. As stated earlier I think your going to want 60" at least and possible 66" for two solo canoes. And yes, get hood loops.
 
08/31/2021 06:49AM  
Rutabaga is a Yakima dealer. This is the way you want to go for the most efficient way to load, transport, and unload your canoes. It's an investment but will last for decades. I still have Yakima stuff from the early 90s
 
TechnoScout
distinguished member (434)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/31/2021 08:29AM  
When traveling overnight (or multiple overnights), is it a good idea to lock the canoe to the car in some way so that it does not "float" away while asleep?
I am thinking about buying a canoe for my future BWCA trips (from Texas)...this question has been on my mind for a long time. Easy enough to put a bicycle lock on a thwart and car rack.
 
Scoobs
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08/31/2021 09:06AM  
Blatz: "Rutabaga is a Yakima dealer. This is the way you want to go for the most efficient way to load, transport, and unload your canoes. It's an investment but will last for decades. I still have Yakima stuff from the early 90s"


That's the way I was thinking for the Honda, which will be used for the longer - to the BWCA, and family trips to Northern Wi.

For the local day trips to SE Wi, Central Wi, and Door County, I would use the Mazda.

I might just bit the bullet, and go with a Yakima on both vehicles. As someone mentioned, it would allow me to "lock the boat to the car", especially if I ended up staying overnight somewhere.
 
08/31/2021 10:17AM  
TechnoScout: "When traveling overnight (or multiple overnights), is it a good idea to lock the canoe to the car in some way so that it does not "float" away while asleep?
I am thinking about buying a canoe for my future BWCA trips (from Texas)...this question has been on my mind for a long time. Easy enough to put a bicycle lock on a thwart and car rack."


+1. While nothing will keep all borrowing attempts at bay, the above will keep the casual opportunistic removal of your canoe limited to those who have the time and resources available to take on this task. Definitely secure your canoe.
 
NordSteve
member (40)member
  
08/31/2021 12:22PM  
I also have a Yakima setup from the '90s and it still works great. I have a long roof box, bike racks, and gunwale brackets.

A couple suggestions:
* buy extra lock cores so that you can have a matching set across roof box, bike racks, and other things that lock
* don't be squeamish about buying some used stuff off of Ebay to complete your set
* most of the time the fairing is a must to keep noise down. Keep an eye on the pads where the fairing rests on the roof, those go bad occasionally
* There's an active market for the tower clips on Ebay -- if you buy a used car, go there to buy clips.
* you'll want a roll of 3M electrical tape to periodically replace the tape on the ends of the clips.
* bars that hang beyond the footprint of the vehicle can be dangerous to others; think about how to make it clear they're there to avoid hurting someone.
* the gunwale brackets are useful
* it's worth installing the fixed canoe tie downs that go under your hood. They protect the paint.
* you can use a couple hooks to hang the whole rack unit on the wall in the garage. This keeps grit off the pads so that you don't scratch your paint
 
08/31/2021 06:11PM  
NordSteve: "I also have a Yakima setup from the '90s and it still works great. I have a long roof box, bike racks, and gunwale brackets.


A couple suggestions:
* buy extra lock cores so that you can have a matching set across roof box, bike racks, and other things that lock
* don't be squeamish about buying some used stuff off of Ebay to complete your set
* most of the time the fairing is a must to keep noise down. Keep an eye on the pads where the fairing rests on the roof, those go bad occasionally
* There's an active market for the tower clips on Ebay -- if you buy a used car, go there to buy clips.
* you'll want a roll of 3M electrical tape to periodically replace the tape on the ends of the clips.
* bars that hang beyond the footprint of the vehicle can be dangerous to others; think about how to make it clear they're there to avoid hurting someone.
* the gunwale brackets are useful
* it's worth installing the fixed canoe tie downs that go under your hood. They protect the paint.
* you can use a couple hooks to hang the whole rack unit on the wall in the garage. This keeps grit off the pads so that you don't scratch your paint"


+1 - All great ideas, many of which I have used for years. Thanks for the tip on the eBay market for used Q-clips. I have 3 or 4 sets of clips someone can probably use.
 
Hockhocking
senior member (93)senior membersenior member
  
08/31/2021 06:35PM  
I have an old set of Q-towers and 48” bars, if you’re interested and can find out which clips you need. That will carry one canoe. Yakima discontinued this particular family of products about three years ago, but there are lots of them out there! The trick is, they don’t make clips for new cars anymore. But anything before 2018 would be listed in the reference guides to tell you what clips and how to set it up for your vehicle. I got my 2018 Toyota fitted with 60” bars and the newer tower design. The sport rack system makes everything easy once you get the fitting done. But it’s not cheap.
 
justpaddlin
distinguished member(540)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/31/2021 09:21PM  
With the foam blocks your bow lines are the main thing controlling side to side movement so they need to be tight and secure. I like to use load stops as butthead mentioned and I also prefer two separate bow lines versus the one line used by the guy in the Swift video since I think separate lines provide better resistance to crosswinds.

 
lionman
member (17)member
  
09/01/2021 09:57PM  
Whether you get a rack or stick with the foam pads, make sure to check that the straps are still tight a couple miles after you start driving AND right after it starts raining. In one of our early trips, it started raining and it took a while before we could find a good place to pull off to check. I was shocked to see that one of the straps had loosened in the rain and two of the foam blocks had been lost. The canoe was just balanced on the remaining two! I was happy that we had good bow and stern straps. We jury-rigged a solution, but it made for a nerve wracking drive back to the cities. After that I decided to buy a rack.
 
Erk
member (32)member
  
09/05/2021 07:36AM  
Many good points and suggestions have already be said. So I won’t repeat any, try not to. I have used both, Yakima/Thule and foam blocks many times. I suggest either of those brands for hauling anything on top. Here’s why.
• You have a more secure load, especially companied with yak/Thule canoe mounts. Or bar pads.
• canoes don’t weigh much (although… they can) but the force does! Roof racks distribute the weight more structurally sound on your vehicle. Seems like an overkill reason
• you can lock the rack AND the canoe to your vehicle. While in Ontario a couple weeks ago, I was told a few times to watch my boat. Scary thought.
• they’re not that difficult to sell when you’re done with them

My wife’s car is a 2019 Chevy equinox, common vehicle but doesn’t have the rack options like others, let’s say the Honda Pilot. So we use the foam blocks for that. Around town, and driving any distance under a real fast speed, they’re fine. They work as intended. Just get the kind with grip on the bottom. Or add it yourself.

The reason I discourage the foam blocks is this. At high speeds or higher winds, your investment isn’t AS secure as it would be on a roof rack. Winds can shift your canoe with no warning sending your heart into your stomach. To help prevent this, I would highly recommend having your bow and stern lines on the same side of the vehicle so they’re pulling against each other. Passenger/passenger or driver/driver. Your canoe won’t be able to pull L or R as easily. I’d have to points in the bow, I still like the same side method.

I advocate for a rack system but I’d be a hypocrite if I said don’t use them. Because I do! The blocks are also light and small, throw them in the trunk, back seat, shelf in the shed. Whatever option you choose, good straps, and a bow/stern method are always appreciated.

Oh! Few more things and I’ll quit. There are several locking cam straps out there. Worth the money! Or a bike lock. But thieves will be thieves is motivated.

And look for shorter foam blocks, my tall set seem to tip over when the winds are high, the short set always work great. And have an alternate route for rain water to go, otherwise it’ll come inside. I cut small pieces of strap off of some old straps and tied them on my tie downs in a way they overlap the door and the water stays out a lot better.

Hope these comments help you on your decision. Best of luck and have fun out there!
 
09/05/2021 09:32AM  
My Thule racks are from the eighties. They are worth the high price. I’ve attached canvas to the racks to protect the canoe gunwales and to add a degree of protection to keep the canoes from sliding in cross winds. My rack is on all the time.








Occasionally I carry two canoes, usually river trips. The extra length of the rack can be an issue for people outside of car. Knocking your head into a solid rack is not fun. I have a 2x4 that fits on top of the Thule rack. I made this rack addition years ago. It does not stay on my vehicle if not in use





 
Scoobs
distinguished member (156)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/05/2021 12:16PM  
Many thanks for all of the info, everyone. It's all very much appreciated. Hopefully in October I can post a pick of my new rig mounted to the Pilot. :)
 
whyzata
senior member (51)senior membersenior member
  
09/06/2021 05:13AM  
I have a Thule system with a three load bars. I use the 60" to load two canoes. I also have the gutter mount and the rail mount depending on what vehicle I use. Love the Thule system and bought everything on Ebay.
 
disc1
member (16)member
  
09/10/2021 03:11PM  
I agree with what has been said, foam blocks work, but I found myself not getting out as much b/c it was more work and I felt less confident in them. The REI by us often has at least some of the components for Thule or Yakima on their garage sales (which seem to be just in store at all times since COVID?).

The best advice I've seen is if you are getting noise from the bars (especially square or round ones) and you don't want to buy one of the deflectors, just wrap a bungee cord around the bars, going around 6+ times. It works really well for eliminating the humming noise from the bars. I think any other type of cordage thicker than paracord will work as well, I just happened to have some extra bungees.

 
bottomtothetap
distinguished member(1021)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/10/2021 03:57PM  
I have a 2015 Mazda CX-5 and do fine with foam pads and straps. I use the woven hood loops like shown in the video except mine are permanently fastened under the hood where they stay tucked away until pulled out when needed. I have a tie-down ring on the end of my canoe and connect two straps from that ring--one strap to each hood loop. In the rear bumper of your CX-5 you should have threaded receivers for steel screw-eyes (designed for emergency towing out of a ditch). These are located under the removable tabs on either side of the bumper. My Mazda came with one of these screw-eyes and I picked up an extra from the dealer. To each of these screw- eyes, I attach another strap from the canoe's rear tie-down ring similar to how it's done in the front. Additionally, I run a strap over the top of the canoe and through my vehicle interior (again, like in the video) and a strap in back that's hooked to a
rear-ward thwart and to the frame under the middle-rear of the vehicle. This guards against any shifting forward of the canoe in case of a sudden stop.

This set-up has been rock solid for me for many trips with my CX-5 over the last 6 years or so. One hint: if you have the "shark-fin" antenna mounted on the roof of your CX-5 you may want to put a small piece of the foam-rubber pipe insulation over it to prevent paint scraping off the top if there is contact to your canoe's thwart that occurs while you are in transit.
 
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