Racks for canoes???
Racks for canoes???
Greetings!I have a 2005 AWD and so far so good! I got the GM ski rack and it works quite well. If you take the portion that holds the skis off you have 2 simple bars that can hold all kinds of stuff. My only gripe is with the cargo rails attached to the car itself. They are not long enough! Also there are not enough tie downs under the car especially in the front. I have some ideas on what I can do to get a 17' canoe on there securely but I haven't actually tried anything yet. Has anyone done this successfully yet? I'd like to hear what people have tried.Thanks!-orasyb
Re: Racks for canoes??? (orasyb)
welcome to genvibe!a 17' canoe kind of dwarfs the vibe. I tied mine off up front inthe tow loops, and I got a couple of metric bolts to go into the tow hitch mounting holes under the back to hold a couple of bent S hooks to tie off to. I slid the crossbars all the way back and used some soft styrofoam blocks under the boat up front, setting it down on the roof.I might have had it too up in the front, it really was an air drag, cut power and mpg way down for that trip, but any lower up front and visibility became an issue
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Re: Racks for canoes??? (joatmon)
I too am thinking of hauling a canoe, however I am looking at a 14' canoe. I need to put a hitch on so I thinking of using a verticle canoe support bracket that goes into the hitch and up to support the back of the canoe. This helps eleminate tie downs inthe back and gives extra support.I friend told me he saw the same type of support that is made to mount on the front of the car. It was in a GM book for Grand Ams. You mount it under the front end and has a verticel bar that sticks up front to support canoe. No ropes to rub on front end. I checked w/ GM but they can't find the Part #. maybe I will have to make one.I think it would be the best way to go, support front & rear and two tie down straps in the middle. No rope stretch to worry about and it also elminates any sideways movement bythe canoe during highway speeds.Any idea how much your milage dropped with that 17' on? How was the highway driving?