how do you carry your canoe?

[jamesoconnor]

this might sound a bit stupid, i know, but i was wondering how you all transport your canoes by car. i have a ford focus myself but im worried always incase my car won't carry my canoe. therefor i usually use my old mans isuzu trooper. would a focus carry a 16ft canoe? and should i use a roofrack or canoe pads for the roof? im looking to change my car soon but in the meantime dont want to annot the old fella, especially as i want to go out on the boat for a few days now at a time and cant see him being too pleased at borrowing his car for that long!!

your help would be appreciated.

regards
james

 

[tomtom]

you should be fine for carrying it with a roof rak fitted on your focus mate

 

[Hoodoo]

A good roof rack is hard to beat.

 

[happy camper]

hello,
I carry a 16 foot canoe on a peugeot 306 and its fine, as long as you are very careful about tying down. I picked up a second hand roof rack but it turned out to be the wrong kind for my car (muppet!) so i had to improvise to pick up the canoe..i got hold of a couple of 2 metre lengths of the dense, grey foam, insulating tubes that plumbers use (you'll need the ones that fit over larger pipes.) I then just cut them down one side, along their length, and put these over the gunwales of the canoe.I then just turn the canoe upside down and tie it directly to the roof (front and back to the cars towing points and centre with a couple of ratchet straps round the roof ). The foam pads protect the car roof from scratches and provide good contact along the length of the roof. I'm sure that a roof rack is probably a better long term solution but i'm sure this works just as well as the foam pads you can buy from some canoe shops for £30 and it only costs a few pence.
hope this description makes sense

 

[Oakleaf]

James

No grudge.... did I previously mention E bay purchasing Canoe types? Just seen an Old Town 158 ( good nick too ) go from £310 to £496 in last ten minutes of bidding ( against £600 max brand new!!!!! )

Anyway... no grudge

Highly recommend Paddle Your Ownb Canoe by Gary and Joanie McGuffin ( much easier read than classic Way of the Paddle etc ). Even has a section on lifting canoe onto roof rack and proper way to secure ( very much as per photo already provided in this thread ).

Just double check hand book for max recommended roof rack load - but think you'll be fine.

The McGuffins recommend two nylon cargo straps - with buckles protected and tied off. In addition, fore and aft of the canoe should be secured by suitable rope/ strap down to a solid anchor point on the car - eg towing eye.

Happy paddling..... will join you once I get a look in on Ebay, still..... no grudge

 

[happy camper]

James

No grudge.... did I previously mention E bay purchasing Canoe types? Just seen an Old Town 158 ( good nick too ) go from £310 to £496 in last ten minutes of bidding ( against £600 max brand new!!!!! )

hello oakleaf,
i found there are loads of canoe "classifieds" sections online and the prices seem to be a bit more sensible (and predictable) for used kit.
www.adtrader.co.uk is often worth a search as it will list canoes in order of location to your postcode.
also worth a look...
http://www.getoutcanoeing.co.uk/acatalog/SmallAds/Advert_list.asp?listpage=1&ParentCatID=1
http://www.the-watershed.co.uk/cgi-bin/mb/view.pl
www.bcu.org.uk/news/newsmemsclassi.html
I'm sure there's loads more,
best of luck finding a canoe

 

[anthonyyy]

You should have no problem carrying a canoe on a ford focus.
Do buy the best roof rack you can afford.
Most people use straps to tie down a canoe on the roof rack. Bow and stern lines are also recommended – even if you cant keep them perfectly taught they can reduce the damage in the case of a rack failure or a low speed accident.
Vertical bars fitted to the roof rack bars can prevent the canoe from sliding about. Foam is a good idea to protect your boat. (square or round depending on your rack bars)
Just remember to adapt your driving style when carrying a canoe – no hard breaking, fast cornering etc. Your fuel consumption will increase dramatically.

 

[bambodoggy]

Used to carry two heavy plastic kayaks and a longboard (surfboard) on a roof rack on a Renault 5 and never had a problem.

My current canoe is only 13'6" which makes it light enough for me to lift onto my pickup by myself.....

Wouldn't like to try getting a larger boat this high on my own with any wind about!!!!

Bam.

 

[Hoodoo]

Bam, what's the stats on that canoe? Looks nice. Does that say Pelican on the side? Is that the kayak maker? One seat or two?

 

[bambodoggy]

Thanks Hoodoo, I like it.... It's big enough to get me and a buddy plus gear in or just me and the dog with my gear but not so big that I need a second person to help me lift it on and off the car.
It's not as light as the Kevlar ones but it's very strong as it's made of RAMX plastic.
Pelican is the maker and the model is a Navigator.

Here's a couple of links I've found to it, a Brit one and a US one.

http://www.fogdog.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1241439

http://www.brighton-canoes.co.uk/productpages/canoes/pelican-navigator.htm

It's a little tippy so I wouldn't recomend it for a beginer but with your experience you'd be more than ok. They say it's for calmer water and eastury paddling but I've run grade three water in it with no problems, it's got a bit of rocker so you can move it about quite easy and it's shorter length certainly helps with tight turns.

All in all a very good boat for the money and perfect for a paddler that paddles alone most of the time.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[anthonyyy]

What you need is this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Spot-On-Morri...974514272QQcategoryZ56355QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Roving Rich]

Yeah - A ford focus shouldn't have a problem, Just make sure its tied down well.
I carry mine on an MGB GT the canoe is about 2 foot longer than the car !

Cheers
Rich

 

[Neiltoo]

I used to carry a very heavy (fibreglass) 16ft canadian canoe on the top of a peugeot 106 - max speed was about 60mph but other than that it was fine. I travelled about 100 miles most summer weekends for a couple of years.
I wouldnt worrry about a ford focus coping.

 

[bloodline]

Make sure you tie it fore and aft to the bumpers or towing points; theirs nothing so wallet shredding as a grands worth of Prospector overtaking the bonnet coz "were only going down the road and it will be alright just tied to the roof bars"
If you own it dont let anyone else tie it down.

 

[bambodoggy]

If you own it dont let anyone else tie it down.

Very wise words my friend

 

[martin]

I always tie mine down fore and aft and over the top too. Here's a pic...

 

[swyn]

I have tried to get pictures onto this post but failed. my canoe fits into a back pack and I carry it on my shoulders or when blown up, on my head. I have travelled many estuaries with it and been in a few of the weirs on the Thames. My friend and I can sit back to back in it for short journeys. We total 30 stone!! His one is a proper two seater and is 12' mine is 8'. I would not go white water rafting in it but am verry happy exploring rivers in it. I would also cross The solent in it but not in a gale, although I would be very wet with even small waves. Being only 8' there is not much room for kit but I could with care, have a couple or three interesting days exploring. I would love the one in the post but was taken by my blow up one.

 

[bambodoggy]

My friend and I can sit back to back in it for short journeys.

How does that work Swyn? ? ? Doesn't each of your paddling cancel out the others and you just sit still in the water? ? ? lol

I got visions of the canoe equivalent of Dr Dolittle's "Pushme Pullyou"....

Bam.

 

[swyn]

He he he! Now I know why I can only do short journeys !!!
Regards from swyn

 

[monkey_pork]

I use my 405 estate to carry my 16 ft Old Town - I use a normal roof rack (that bolts in above the door seals - I don't have the rails that are on some 405's). THe boat is secured with Palm nylon ratchet straps (the ones with neoprene behind the metal ratchet to protect the boat), and the rack is covered with commercial pipe insulation.

I've never found a problem like this: I don't use front and back ties - I find the combination of the compression in the foam, and the tension you can get on the ratchets works very well. The boat seems to be very stable, even on bumpy stuff. I am a smooth driver tho - maybe that helps ?

My pal does exactly the same on his Passat estate, and whilst we are both a bit longer than a Focus, if you get the boat balanced nicely on the rack, and tie in well enough you'll be fine.