Transporting your canoe.

Transporting a canoe;

This can be daunting as a first experience but it doesn't have to be, you just need a few basic bits of knowledge and you are away, down the road, safe and sound. Here is what you need to know;

How to put the boat on the roof rack/trailer?

Generally, the best way to transport a canoe is to put it upside down. This is because it will sit better on its gunwales than on its hull, it will rock less and sit more solidly. Then you can tie it down more effectively as its not wobbling around. 

Two people can easily lift most good canoes onto the roof of a car but what if your car has a high roof or you drive a van? Theres a simple answer to this too. 

Put the canoe on the ground, upside down and inline, behind the vehicle. Two people stand either side of the middle of the boat, facing each other. Put your hands under the upturned gunwales, and lift the boat together until you are both standing straight with the gunwales of the canoe at waist hight and the boat still upside down. Then simply tilt the boat, front end up, back end of the boat downwards,  you can now 'hook' the bow of the boat onto the back of your roof rack, then put the stern of the boat down on the ground. One person can steady the boat whilst the other person lifts the stern and simply slides the boat forwards and onto the roof rack. With this technique you can lift a canoe onto a high roof with out ever lifting the boat above your waist. You will also appreciate the fact you have a well built canoe tahts not overly heavy.

Flat/On Edge.

If you  need to transport two canoes on a roof rack and its not wide enough, there is another simple answer. Install a pair of 'Up Right' roof bars and the place each canoes on edge, with both boats on the roof in a 'hull to hull' style you can carry two canoes on most modern roof racks. Check the weight limit of your rack for this but most good roof racks are weight limited at 75Kgs which is enough for two canoes in most cases.

Strapping Down.

The safest way to tie your canoe down is to use modern canoe roof rack straps. This negates the ability to tie knots (or not), and also using a piece of rope is not as secure as a certified strap system. If you have to use ratchet straps, be careful as its very easy to over tighten ratchet straps and damage your boat.

When strapping down a canoe using two straps the intention is to trap the canoe either side of its widest point. To do this effectively the roof bars need to be a good distance apart, ie approx 1.5m as a minimum. By strapping down the canoe either side of its widest part, the canoe in theory cant slide forwards or backwards once the straps are tight. Hence it is held in place well by the two roof rack straps. This in theory shoud be enough to travel safely.

End Tethering?

You will often see canoes being transported as above but with the addition of rope/straps tethering the ends of the boat to the vehicle. This is normally a secondary safety decision, if one of your roof rack straps fails, the 'end tether' should be able to keep the boat on the roof until you can safely pull over and rectify the issue. It also is a very good idea if your roof rack bars are less than 1.5m apart. Tethering both ends of the boat will prevent it from sliding forwards or backwards.

Roof Racks/Trailers.

All of the above is true if you are using a roof rack or a trailer. The boat must be secured with straps and the ends tethered if there is any chance of the boat sliding forwards/backwards.

Best Practice.

Its always a good idea to practice all of the above. Personally I also pull over after a short distance once setting off with loaded boats to check everything is ok. On long journeys I also stop often to check the load is still safe. Also be aware that load regulations do vary in different countries so if you are travelling aborad, double check the regulations before you go.

Don't be like the fool in the image above, no straps, no cares, and laughing about the situation. I can tell you, he didn't get very far ;-)

Travel safe.