Advice Transporting a Canoe

I figure you guys are the leading authority on this, so I come seeking some advice. I have a 14' Canoe I need to transport from KY down to GA.

I drive a 4 door Nissan Altima

I tote around my Tarpon 100 on the roof with foam blocks and have taken it 200 miles on the interstate with no problems. But I'm concerned about driving 9 hours with the Canoe, being about 4 feet longer and a good bit heavier.

What do you guys think?

I have looked into shipping and it would cost me about $250

I've also considered renting a car, and then getting a rental cargo van for the return trip

Here's a pic of my new ride. THANKS for any input!

Carried canoes all over the east using foam blocks on various small passenger cars. Should be no issue to drive form KY to here. However, I ALWAYS use a bow and stern tie down as well as straps around the boat. Cinch it pretty tight and check whenever you stop.

Canoes are best carried upside down.

Thanks for the advice. The straps I use now are the S hook ratchet type like these. Are these fine or is there something better I should use?

I am looking at that same canoe. Let me know how it handles.

Depends on how wide it is. If it's the same canoe that a friend of mine has, those canoes are very wide! It almost was as wide as his car and was hard to load.

It may be time for you to look into getting a rack for your car. Thule or Yakima with foot kits. Buy em used and you'll save more money.

River Runner said:

Thanks for the advice. The straps I use now are the S hook ratchet type like these. Are these fine or is there something better I should use?

Click to expand...

Ratchet straps are nice for holding things like ATVs and lumber, but they're way too easy to overtighten and damage a canoe or kayak. Look into a set of these...

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1440&pdeptid=1188

I have several sets of NRS straps that I've been using for years to carry my canoe and kayak all over the place, including trip to KY last summer with both of them strapped to the top of my Suburban.

I've also used the foam blocks like THESE to carry my canoe all over the place, with no issues at all. Just be sure to stop every so often and check the straps. If you have it tied down well enough, it'll be fine. Just be sure to give the hull straps a couple of twists before tighteningthem down. It'll help eliminate that nasty strap hum at highway speeds.

We kept this car around for a while just to carry the canoe. I can't tell you how many hundreds of miles we put on it, all with foam blocks, two NRS straps, three Winde straps (these have hooks on the ends), and a set of TopTies.

The canoe looks like one I got at Sam's. Love it, but it is short and wide. Works good for me.

I have cracked a fiberglass canoe by using ratchet straps.

SASS249 is right on the money.

Be mindful of the wind on the day you travel. I strapped a 15 ft canoe on the top of my SUV and traveled 150 miles in 20-30 mph winds on the 70 mph interstate. It was a wild ride to say the least. It was calm when I left, but I didnt look at the forecast