Does anyone load a Grumman on a van? I think I want to buy aluminum because it's easier getting in and out of and for stability while fishing. The downside is I gotta get that beast on top of my van. Has anyone used one of those easy loaders?
When I had vans and alum canoes, I would set the rear rack almost as far back on the van roof as possible. This was back in the days when vehicles had rain gutters on the roof. Then I would walk the canoe up to the rear of the van and rest the forward part on the rear rack and then slide the canoe forward to the front rack. It helped that the canoe was aluminum and the the rack a steel barred Quik-N-Easy. Sliding the canoe forward on rack was easy.
Later, I had a VW Euro van which had no rain gutters. I outfitted it with a Yakima rack and positioned the rear rack again as far back on the roof as possible. I loaded the canoes the same way from the rear. Sliding them forward was a bit more difficult because the Yakima cross bars are rubber covered. But I was younger and stronger when I used this method. Now my vehicles are smaller and lower and the canoes are much lighter.
Now when I go with my brother we use his Yakima canoe trailer which is expensive but very easy to use. The older you get the more you adapt.
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