How do you carry your canoe?

DW just bought a canoe, I have no idea what the best method is to carry it on the 4 dr Tundra when we are towing the TM. Suggestions????

I hope this isn't too far off a TM topic. Thanks

[tgpmd1]

We carry our 17' Olde Town canoe on a Yakima rack on the TV, a 2002 Tahoe. We anchored some webbing under the hood to secure in the front and tie down in the back also. But we can't open to TM when hooked to the TV. I can look for pics if you like. Not sure if we have any recent ones, but this is the method we've used for a few years. Can also carry bikes or a cargo box on the rack at the same time by purchasing 78" bars. Hope that helps.

It does help, I'm not sure U have enough roof for a Yak system. Wondering if i need one roof rack and 1 in the truck bed. The Tundra is a 4 door.

Is there any basic guidlines indicating how far apart the supports should be for support on the canoe?

[tgpmd1]

You'll most likely need a support in the truck bed. Supports should be spaced as far apart as possible, but it all depends on the size of canoe, type of rack system, etc. I found going to REI and looking through the manufacturers catalogs a lot of help when choosing a rack system.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by tgpmd1

We carry our 17' Olde Town canoe ...

How very Victorian! I never heard of Olde Town canoes, and perhaps I've missed something. However, I grew up 4 miles down river from Old Town, Maine, and we own 4 Old Town Loon kayaks and a 15' Old Town canoe.

Actually, if you happen to be able to visit the Old Town factory (I know, why would anyone be in Old Town?), you can get some fantastic deals in their "seconds" shop. They are really fastidious about their products, and almost any imperfections will get you a very significant discount. Example? A blue Loon kayak, with an inadvertent touch of air-brush white paint (from finishing an adjacent kayak?) Or a Loon kayak with a small blob of epoxy dropped on the floor. Both about 50% off. Considering the cost and quality of Old Town stuff, this is significant.

But don't let them hear you call them "Olde Town"!

Bill

[tgpmd1]

Couldn't remember if it was with an 'e' or not at the end. Didn't want to run outside and check. We have something in this house 'olde' and couldn't remember if that was it or not.

[grill-n-go]

Thule makes a retractable rack system that I am very happy with. I'm using for kayaks but you can strap a canoe on it just the same. And if you ever get a different truck, you can take it with you.

Thanks Mario, I found one close by on Craigslist. Going to look at it next week! Looks like the ticket to me!

[grill-n-go]

Make sure you get the black rubber strip that fits into a gap in the center of the cross bars. There's an opening on the top and the bottom. At first I only installed the top piece and they would whistle whenever they were extended. Then I read somewhere that you need to put the bottom stip on too. It prevents the whistling.

We have a TracRak system for our pickup. To allow the Trailmanor to open while the canoe is on the racks, you need to have the canoe pretty far forward. We opted for the cantilever rack in front, to allow that.