How to transport canoe with my toppered pickup

I’ve looked online for solutions but cannot find a solid answer on the best rig for my truck.
The cargo rack is 4’ between front and rear bars.
Think maybe the rails are about 5’.
Ive heard there is a clamp-on rack that will fit over the cab but i cannot seem to locate one, or i just don't know what to look for.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Try the fit guide here. They sell several different rack brands.

You can buy a single Yakima rack for the cab from eTrailer.

clemency said:

Try the fit guide here. They sell several different rack brands.

Rack Warehouse

America's #1 Automotive Rack Store

www.rackwarehouse.com

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I cant get any answers from the fit guide. It just sends me back to the beginning. But i did find lots of ideas.

I carried a canoe on a topped truck for years with just four foam pads and two bolt-on webbing loops under the hood. Hooked bow and stern handholds to those loops up front and into voids on the rear bumper. I was carrying a 15-foot canoe.

I use a suction cup rack over the cab of my Tacoma when transporting canoes. It was made by a company called "Spring Creek Manufacturing" and I picked it up years ago. It has held up well and I've never had the rack slide or budge from where I placed it while traveling. I have carried two full size tandems on top of it and all has been well. For the rear rack, I have rain gutter attachments bolted to the cap and place my old Yakima rack up there. So, while this is definitely a mismatched set of racks, they have held up well for over 10 years of driving all around upper NYS and into New England.

Here's a link:


That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

MyKneesHurt said:

I carried a canoe on a topped truck for years with just four foam pads and two bolt-on webbing loops under the hood. Hooked bow and stern handholds to those loops up front and into voids on the rear bumper. I was carrying a 15-foot canoe.

Click to expand...

I also carried my canoe on my cap with simple foam blocks. I attached web straps loops sticking out from under the cap for tie downs.
Simple, low cost and never any problems.

Canoe racks are really expensive and hard to reach on a pick up. I like a canoe trailer.

ppine said:

Canoe racks are really expensive and hard to reach on a pick up. I like a canoe trailer.

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My wife and i were just discussing that. Shes worried she wont be able to help hoist up the canoe. Abd i was thinking about how eaay it wiuld travel in the wake of the truck. Plus all the bug splat to be avoided using a trailer.

snapper said:

I use a suction cup rack over the cab of my Tacoma when transporting canoes. It was made by a company called "Spring Creek Manufacturing" and I picked it up years ago. It has held up well and I've never had the rack slide or budge from where I placed it while traveling. I have carried two full size tandems on top of it and all has been well. For the rear rack, I have rain gutter attachments bolted to the cap and place my old Yakima rack up there. So, while this is definitely a mismatched set of racks, they have held up well for over 10 years of driving all around upper NYS and into New England.

Here's a link:

Suction Cup Rack - Spring Creek

Spring Creek Manufacturing’s Suction Cup Rack is the most universal roof rack on the market. Suction cup rack does not require any special clips, bolts, or clamps for your vehicle. Included are our through cab straps and handle straps for your desired strapping needs. The straps thread through...

www.springcreek.com

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

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Thanks. Thats an elegant solution.

I’ve got things dialed in a bit.
But before i post a new thread i thought i would throw out this question:
For thise who use the bare roof racks.
Do you leave them attached to the vehicle when not hauling, and so they leak?

On my pickup with a cap I leave my racks on for the whole paddling season.

@Brews - I tend to take my racks off and on as needed since my truck is used for a variety of purposes. It doesn't take very long to mount them or take them off so I just find it easier that way. That said, when I know they'll be on there for a while, I will add drip lines, like on a hammock, so the water will funnel off of them instead of eventually weeping into my truck's cab. Honestly, it's never been much of an issue but it is something you can do if you're worried about water infiltrating your truck.

Also, I have the telescoping bars on my Spring Creek rack and it helps quite a bit when loading; especially for the longer and/or heavier canoes. I pull out the bar to its longest length and then lift the end of the canoe onto the bar. From there I can walk to the other end of the canoe and lift it onto the rear rack. It's very easy to do by yourself and eliminates having to lift the entire canoe overhead at one time. I also like how much control this gives me when loading my boat; especially on a windy day. Once everything is in place, I strap the boat on, return the telescoping bar to its original location and off I go. Easy peasy.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

PS - I'm 71 years old and a whopping 5' 7" so if I can do it, most people should be able to as well.