Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

car topping, car size and canoe size

shizzy
 Share

Recommended Posts

shizzy Experienced

shizzy

Posted
Posted

is there any guidelines for how big of a canoe you can strap to the top of your car?? I am hoping to take one of those 40 x 48 utility trailers and modify it as a canoe trailer but that would mean any time I want to use my canoe I would have to borrow My GF's truck. I have an old Dodge Neon as my daily driver. is my 17' fiberglass canoe too large? it has no roof rack. I was thinking of just using some of those foam block / tiedown setups on it. Im not real concerned of putting ripples in my roof (its an old beater) im more concerned with the size of the car itself. the car measures out at about 14' long so the canoe is about 3' longer. BTW. I wouldnt be taking any long trips mostly just in the metro area. very limited interstate travel.

am I good to go? or should I just bite the bullet and spend a few $$ on the trailer idea??

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Redlantern Mentor

Redlantern

Posted
Posted

I tote my 18-1/2 foot alumacraft on a 95 Saturn. I prefer to use my truck but I don't like paying the gas prices. I just use a few ratchet straps and foam blocks. If I cared what my car looked like, I probably wouldn't do that. But if I cared what my car looked like, I probably wouldn't be driving a 95 Saturn, either. Just make sure the thing is tied down tight so you don't hurt someone. You ever see those people with mattresses tied to their car with twine, one hand out the window hanging onto the mattress? Why can't they just buy a decent strap instead of putting the rest of us at risk for an accident?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Powerstroke Grand Master

Powerstroke

Posted
Posted

There is no rule for the size of a vehicle. I used to carry a 17ft'r on an '85 toyota corrola. As long as its tied down correctly you shouldn't have any problems traveling locally or on the highway.

Consider buying a cartopping kit. If not you should have at least 1 locking nylon strap for over the top of the vehicle. 2 is better, even on a small car. It helps prevent the boat from pivoting at the center. Foam pads or even some pieces of pipe insulation help make a less slippery surface between the boat and roof. They also compress a bit unload for really tightening down the straps.

In general you only need to tie off the front end of the boat as a safety. If I was putting it on a smaller vehicle then I would get a rope on the front and back for safety straps. They don't really hold down the boat, the straps do, but they are there in case the boat shifts.

I've lost many foams blocks because I didn't get it tight enough or the boat shifted or caught a wind and lifted just enough. I always have 6 blocks. That leaves me with 2 extras.

I would say you should use the trailer idea too if you really want to. If I am only bringing one canoe, I car top it, but if I'm bringing both of mine or a friends along, we take my trailer. Its a small utility trailer that I added crossbars to. I get 3 canoes on there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shizzy Experienced

shizzy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I went out and got the car topping kit you spoke of with the foam blocks and tie downs. I dont care too much about my car. its just basic transportation. I think Ill eventually do the trailer since My GF's truck is going to be mine in about a year or so (she has a short attention span with vehicles,lol)

basically for now saving the cash on the trailer will pay for a trolling motor making my trips more enjoyable.

thanks for the input folks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shizzy Experienced

shizzy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I took the canoe out today on lake Gervais in Little canada. rode on top of the car wonderful. the "truckers knot" is a must know when tying something down. glad I learned how to do it. I put a couple of scratches in the roof, but oh well, its just a cheap beater.

here is a pic of it on the car.

IMG_0966.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Powerstroke Grand Master

Powerstroke

Posted
Posted

Every car I've ever had until now has gotten scratched and dented on teh roof form carrying my canoes. 2 of them were leased trucks and no one noticed. Either way it doesn't matter. That boat sure looks nice though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shizzy Experienced

shizzy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have had my eye out for a cheap rack. cheapest so far has been $150.

my car is already scratched and dinged and I plan to keep it till its ready for the Junk yard, so Im not too worried.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • Mike89
      Just Food and Drink

      By Mike89 · Posted

      I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • Mike89
      Problems with Yetti

      By Mike89 · Posted

      good luck!!!   
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chef boyardee pizza from the box!

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept