Introduction

[Robert A. Gentry]

I'm hoping to use it on local lakes and maybe get a chance to go to Minnesota with a friend. Currently I'm in bad health, but hope it's temporary. I got confused about being a forum member, vs a WCHA member. I just bought an annual membership in the Association a few minutes ago. I'm trying to figure a way to get it on top of my truck with back problems. I has to be upside down, but I'm afraid of causing damage because of the upturned ends. I have a Toyota Tacoma with a bed rack, but inverted, it will not clear the cab of the truck. I'll have to extend the rack forward somewhat, before I figure out a way to get it up there. In the 1970s I built a rack for a pickup out of Oak, and carried a fiberglass Old Town Carlton around the Poconos in Pa, and in NJ, I paddled the Pine Barrens and the Delaware and Raritan Canal. It was a heavier canoe, but I was not 78 years old. Sorry didn't answer your letter sooner, somehow I missed it. BTW, I'm going to leave it red, because the ends are a brass color and it's beautiful with the red color. I got some gold Old Town decals to match. I haven't had a wood canoe before this, and I feel like it's a gift.

Al

 

[MGC]

Hello Robert,
Your canoe will travel just fine on a Taco. I have carried a lot of canoes on mine. I have Trac Rack installed on it most of the time, but I also have a roof top Yakima rack I can put on the cab and a Yakima hitch rack I can mount on the hitch. The trick, as you point out, is getting the boat on the roof without making a giant dent in the roof or putting the windshield out. I always have to get help to put a canoe on the truck. If I am putting a clunker canoe on the truck, I approach from the back and put it up on the rear bar. Then I slide it up as far as I can while keeping it off the roof. I let the helper hold on to it while I climb up in the bed and then put myself under the canoe to lift it clear of the roof and while my helper pushes it forward. Taking it off is more or less a reverse of that. Because this process is such a PITA, I generally end up putting decent canoes on the roof of our Volvo wagon. I can reach that.
Many folks have decided that a trailer is the best way to go. I have not tried that with a canoe yet, but I do keep my cartopper on one and it really is kind of nice.
Good luck with that canoe.

 

[Robert A. Gentry]

I've used a Yakima Rack 'n' Roll trailer for kayaking and it was a blessing. I'll look around.
Thank you.

AL

 

[MGC]

Yeah, those hully rollers are helpful for a kayak since you slide one of those on its bottom. My wife purchased a set for her kayak/car. They are in my garage, untouched by human feet. Over the years I've picked the cars we drive based largely upon the roof line and suitability for cartopping. Bicycles, canoes, racks of lumber, it's all been on the roof.
Of the vehicles I have used, trucks and minivans are the worst. I'm short and I have a hard time with them. But, I need the truck for so many things that overcoming the challenge of getting canoes on and off of them has been a necessity. My wife will not abide having me slide a dead deer into her car. Once was enough. In your shoes, I might be looking for a small trailer, or tall neighbors.

 

[Benson Gray]

I might be looking for a small trailer

I have become a huge fan of trailers as I get older.

Benson

 

[Worth Gretter]

I devised a canoe loader, consisting of a piece of iron pipe which jams under my roof rack and is covered with a pool noodle.
I have one end of the canoe on a cart, lift the other end onto the loader, then lift the end from the cart and flip it. n
Of course, this canoe only weighs 71 pounds and it is a low car, so this may not work for everyone.

 

[Todd F]

Geez Worth! At first glance I thought your canoe fell off the car!

 

[Dave Wermuth]

I have a '16 VW Touareg. Most SUVs are too tall. I use longer yakima bars that extend out further. The longer bars make a huge difference. I've also used a loader bar that extends, set one end on the loader bar and then lift the other end. A low shear canoe is easier than high ends. We all have to figure out a system that works.