I'd like to get the Wenonah 18' out on the water again, but I need a rack. I don't want to put one on my F150 because it is too high, so that leaves my wife's Ford Fusion.

I checked on some racks, but the one thing that concerns me is the distance between the bars. It is only 28". Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

For what it is worth, I bought my 17.6" canoe from a guy who brought it up to Racine, WI from St. Louis, MO...on a Hyundai Accent. I can certainly see where you'd like to have a larger platform than that, but if you have nice, stable bars, and know how to tie a canoe down correctly/safely, you should be fine.

Tie down front and back at each end of the canoe will take care of your problem.

Traveling with a canoe with only tie downs over the rack is not a wise idea.

Canoe on roof rack

That’s what I do, more or less, and it’s very similar to what Piragis showed me when I bought a canoe from them 10 years ago. For the front ropes I have the loop (made of rope) go around the hood hinge. The straps holding the canoe to the rack should do all the work. The front and back ropes are there as a back up. Not a problem in 20+ round trips of 700+ miles each way.

Edit: One thing you may want to do is put a twist in the straps in the area between the canoe and the rack. If not, they tend to vibrate and hum loudly…especially when traveling at highway speeds.

I have a Ford Fusion and transport my 17'6" Northwind using it. The distance between the crossbars is not a cause for concern. Last years drive back to the cities was in 20-30 mph winds with gusts 35-40 and it was rock solid.

I have Thule Wingbar Evo crossbars with the Evo clamps and then added the Thule Portage kit. It comes with straps for both crossbars, as well as a rope and pulley system for the front and back of your car, although I just use the rope and knots and find this easier and less intrusive than the pulley system.

I also added these straps for the front tie downs which attach under the hood of your car. When transporting the canoe shorter distances around town and at lower speeds, it is plenty secure with just the straps over the crossbars.

Couldn't find a great photo but here's a couple different angles that show it.

For the front ropes I have the loop (made of rope) go around the hood hinge. The straps holding the canoe to the rack should do all the work. The front and back ropes are there as a back up. Not a problem in 20+ round trips of 700+ miles each way.

I use basically the same setup, but I recommend using two separate ropes in the front that provide tension side to side. If the straps loosen any (they always seem to) the two separate ropes keeps the front of the canoe from being able to swing side to side. The single front rope works as a back-up to keep the canoe on the front, but it doesn't stop the nose from shifting side to side. I've had the canoe shift 6 inches side to side at 70 mph. The canoe is in no danger of falling off, but it does freak you out.

Chuckles: "

For the front ropes I have the loop (made of rope) go around the hood hinge. The straps holding the canoe to the rack should do all the work. The front and back ropes are there as a back up. Not a problem in 20+ round trips of 700+ miles each way.

I use basically the same setup, but I recommend using two separate ropes in the front that provide tension side to side. If the straps loosen any (they always seem to) the two separate ropes keeps the front of the canoe from being able to swing side to side. The single front rope works as a back-up to keep the canoe on the front, but it doesn't stop the nose from shifting side to side. I've had the canoe shift 6 inches side to side at 70 mph. The canoe is in no danger of falling off, but it does freak you out. "

Agreed. The front lines should be able to control side-to-side shifting at the front, and running a single line up through the canoe does nothing to control that. Technically you can use a single line, but you'd have to tie it in a specific way to "lock" the canoe onto a single point so that it can't slide along the line. I find it is much easier to just use two separate lines. I do not use a line in the back. They don't control any kind of shifting, at least not on my vehicle, and they don't do anything to hold the canoe down that the main straps aren't already doing. A line in the back doesn't even work as a good back-up since if the two straps and front control lines fail, that back line isn't going to stop the canoe from flying off the roof and becoming a wrecking ball behind your vehicle.

Chuckles: "

For the front ropes I have the loop (made of rope) go around the hood hinge. The straps holding the canoe to the rack should do all the work. The front and back ropes are there as a back up. Not a problem in 20+ round trips of 700+ miles each way.

I use basically the same setup, but I recommend using two separate ropes in the front that provide tension side to side. If the straps loosen any (they always seem to) the two separate ropes keeps the front of the canoe from being able to swing side to side. The single front rope works as a back-up to keep the canoe on the front, but it doesn't stop the nose from shifting side to side. I've had the canoe shift 6 inches side to side at 70 mph. The canoe is in no danger of falling off, but it does freak you out. "

Yes, of course two separate ropes! Absolutely! One rope wrapped around the bow handle/tiny thwart and tied off on the two hood hinge loops is a recipe for disaster. The canoe will slide side to side and the set up will not be stable. The two rope setup (and two hinge tie offs, one on each side) will allow for tension in each rope and hold the boat in place, minus a little side to side slippage.



Indeed, when the wind blows it does freak you out when the canoe moves side to side….but the ropes will hold and you do get use to it. I use a spent 10 mm climbing rope for all the ropes, loops, etc. just cut it into the lengths I need. I like climbing rope as it ties and unties easy. For the loops on each of the hood hinges, well they just stay on the car all the time. On the rear I just slide the loop (tied into the rope) over the latch and close the trunk.

I've got an Inovo roof rack from my 2010 ford fusion. I sold the car but kept the rack and would be happy to pass it along if you're in need. Just come get it for price. Feel free to email to arrange if you want.

I use two front lines tied to each side of the van and one back line tied to the hitch. Then i bungee the canoe to the van with a bungee up towards the front and one towards the back. The reason I strap the back to the hitch of because if for some north bungees break the back of my boat isn’t flopping and banging up my vehicle.
I brought home my canoe on my Ford Taurus with no problems.

Captn Tony: "I use two front lines tied to each side of the van and one back line tied to the hitch. Then i bungee the canoe to the van with a bungee up towards the front and one towards the back. The reason I strap the back to the hitch of because if for some north bungees break the back of my boat isn’t flopping and banging up my vehicle.
I brought home my canoe on my Ford Taurus with no problems."

Bungees? A pair of cam straps would be much safer.

mschi772: "

Captn Tony: "I use two front lines tied to each side of the van and one back line tied to the hitch. Then i bungee the canoe to the van with a bungee up towards the front and one towards the back. The reason I strap the back to the hitch of because if for some north bungees break the back of my boat isn’t flopping and banging up my vehicle.
I brought home my canoe on my Ford Taurus with no problems."

Bungees? A pair of cam straps would be much safer."

Yeah. My thought exactly!

bobbernumber3: "

mschi772: "

Captn Tony: "I use two front lines tied to each side of the van and one back line tied to the hitch. Then i bungee the canoe to the van with a bungee up towards the front and one towards the back. The reason I strap the back to the hitch of because if for some north bungees break the back of my boat isn’t flopping and banging up my vehicle.
I brought home my canoe on my Ford Taurus with no problems."

Bungees? A pair of cam straps would be much safer."

Yeah. My thought exactly!"

I can’t disagree that can straps are safer and I have used them but bungees work better on my vehicle. And that is one reason why I turn down the front and the back of my boat. Just in case a bungee fails me. I also have heard of cases where the roof rack came off of the vehicle.

My reaction too, but I've also seen a lot of bungees (the black rubber ones) used on trailers by outfitters.

andym: "My reaction too, but I've also seen a lot of bungees (the black rubber ones) used on trailers by outfitters."

I mean, in outfitters' defense, I'm thinking most of their transporting is done fairly locally at lower speeds. Maybe Tony is also very local and doesn't travel very far, but if he's like most of us who travel for numerous hours at highway speeds, the bungee thing freaks me out. Heck, I wouldn't like bungees even if they could be trusted because it would be a crap-shoot finding the right one(s) to be tight enough without being too tight since there's no way to adjust them. I'd also not like the risk of damage to things posed by their cheap metal hooks.

In any case, if I see someone lashing a canoe to their car with bungees, I'm getting very far away from the car on the road.

If a roof rack is coming off of a vehicle, that isn't the fault of proper equipment. That is the fault of the user using inadequate equipment or using proper equipment incorrectly.

Fair enough. Outfitters on the back roads are probably not going above 55 and the canoes are also on trailers in the slipstream of the vans.

The car I avoided while driving south to the TC had an aluminum canoe on foam pads with only bow and stern straps. Nothing over the middle. No way I was driving behind them. And now I’ve been seeing a car in our area that has a canoe on top that same way. So, I guess it can work.

Another way to help prevent shifting is to use some form of stop or gunnel protector such as the Yakima KeelOver. Basically an "L" shaped bracket, this can also be made out of hardwood, bolts, washers and wingnuts.

On longer trips I use straps on the racks, tie offs front and rear, and the KeelOver.
With this combo I have never had a problem. I figure overkill is never a bad thing when it comes to making sure that my canoe gets to the water when I do.

If you are toting an 18' canoe with only a 24 inch "pivot point", I think that you should use anything that you can to secure it in place!

I have a Subaru Forster with a rack with the bars 29" apart. I have Yakima KeelOvers on the bars. I use cam buckle straps over the canoe at both bars. I tie the bow and stern down with one rope each anchored under the hood and the tailgate respectively. It has been very stable for thousands of miles of driving.

LarryS48: "I have a Subaru Forster with a rack with the bars 29" apart. I have Yakima Keeler Overs on the bars. I use cam buckle straps over the canoe at both bars. I tie the bow and stern down with one rope each anchored under the hood and the tailgate respectively. It has been very stable for thousands of miles of driving.
"

Me too. I am using Yakima Railgrab brackets with round bars on my Forester factory roof rails set at 42” apart. I have used these Yakima components with gunnel brackets on the last two Foresters with thousands of miles of trouble free driving. Like you I use cam straps over the canoe with front/rear lines. It’s about time for the rack setup to come off for the winter so it doesn’t corrode.

A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilever can be formed as a beam, plate, truss, or slab.

I would build a square frame, similar to a picture frame. Attach the frame to your car rack. Put your canoe on the frame and get it centered the way you feel best. Trace along the outer edge of the gunwale. Then add wood atop the frame so that your came will fall into place (centered). This should keep your canoe from shifting and provide more stabilization.

This is how I’ve always carried my canoes.


Caveat: I ain’t an engineer.