proper roof rack cross bar spacing for canoes

[schnutzy]

good afternoon ladies and gents.
for the past 3 years ive been carrying my 14.5 foot canoe on top my Montero with nice sturdy racks spaced about 6-7 feet apart. it seems to have worked quite well over the years. well, as life tends to do, things have changed and the montero is going the way of the dodo bird. since the canoe is such a fun toy for the wife and I, we are looking for a vehicle to continue the fun. I am trying to figure out how much I should have the cross bars spaced apart so I know what to look for in a new vehicle. thoughts, suggestions, etc are all welcome.

 

[digitaldelay]

I'm not a canoe person, but I would think you would want more spread between crossbars than less. My concern would be on a shorter vehicle, the length of canoe hanging over the front crossbar would be too much. To me, something like a Suburban or Safari would be ideal; most of the canoe would be over the roof and the front could be tied to a bull bar or something.

Jason

 

[takesiteasy]

I'm not a canoe person, but I would think you would want more spread between crossbars than less. ...snip...

I agree with this in principle but I have carried canoes on every kind of vehicle, with and without racks, including a convertible (with a homemade rack supported on the trunk and hood). You just need something to hold it off the roof and make sure it is securely tied to the front and back bumper/frame. Yamaha and Thule now make racks for just about any car. I would buy the vehicle that is going to work best for you in all that you need it for and adapt the canoe system to the vehicle. My 2 cents...

 

[digitaldelay]

You just need something to hold it off the roof and make sure it is securely tied to the front and back bumper/frame.

That's good to know. Sounds like pretty much anything with a roof rack would work. :safari-rig:

Jason

 

[goinsurfin]

I agree with the responses above about having greater spread. However, when I had my 12' hobie kayak, I carried it on my LR with only a 36" spread and without front and rear tie downs. It was very stable and never had an issue. I've used Yakima products for over 20 years and I believe they would say that a minimum spread is about 36" or there abouts. With your canoe, just make sure the front and rears are tied down properly and you'll be fine.

Have fun!

 

[schnutzy]

between this thread, and a little more research, it really seems i have quite a lot more options then i first thought, so that is pretty cool. thanks everybody for your input.

 

[RangerXLT]

I personally had the option to put in an additional system. I use it simply for canoes which keeps me from having to adjust my bars for my bike etc. I have been off-road and in some fierce weather with no issues. Just me I the longer the spread the better.

Also considered this from yakima as well. I have seen it used on a front receiver too.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/truck/drydock

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[partsflyin]

I have found that keeping the spread close to 6 feet works best for me. Keep in mind that the further you get the spread , the portion of the boat that contacts the load bar get more and more narrow , losing stability side to side. I have found this to allow the boat to "rock" side to side causing straps to loosen.
My 2 cents...

 

[RangerXLT]

I could see that depending on the length of the boat, at 16 ft truck and boat my longer spread seems to still fall at decently wide spots, not a 14ft or a 12ft kayak I can defiantly see your point and never thought about that being an issue.


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