Truck rack recommendations

[wanderlustjake]

Hi All,

I am contemplating selling our boat/canoe trailer to free up needed space and just getting racks for our pick-up. Does anyone have recommendations for racks? I am thinking a suction cup rack for cab and hitch mount for rear (I have a tonneau so I am trying to avoid bed rail mounts). Also how do people tie down their W/C canoes (only one painter) on roof racks?

Thank You in advance,

Jason

 

[Gary Willoughby]

You might want to think twice about getting rid of your trailer. I have always carried canoes on racks on my pickup but due to old age and heart problems
I am building me a trailer. The older you get the harder it is to get them up on the racks.

 

[davelanthier]

Ain't that the truth!

 

[Steve Ambrose]

Yakima on cab with hitch T on rear. You need something that will grab the cab securely. Yes, Yakima is proud of their gear but it's a small investment when you consider the consequences of losing a boat on the highway. I think they make a rear hitch post that pivots allowing you to rest one end of the canoe on the T then pivot the boat around and on top of the cab.

Strap it securely to the racks. Bow and stern lines are just safeties to minimize wind movement and back up the primary attachments in case of failure. If your boat doesn't have grab handles, slip a rope or strap around the inwales and decks between the ribs. Again these lines are to minimize movement, snug them down but don't crank them super tight.

 

[wanderlustjake]

Thanks. It didn't even occur to me to go around the inwales as you suggested. Read that and went "duh"!

 

[Chris Woodward]

This is what I use on my truck. The front rack is a Yakima because they had the correct profile to fit a Dodge door/rain gutter. I find that Yakima is top of the line but some what over engineered. Back rack is a Thule because they had the false rain gutter I needed to install on the cap. Straps are 1.5" wide NRS 12' with cam buckle, made for white water rafting. Foam blocks protect the gunwales, provide grip to keep it from sliding, and compress, taking the strain unstead of the boat. All that being said; the older I get the more I think about a trailer.