Carrying A Canoe Without A Roof Rack

Thread the straps through the front and back carry handles or toggles and secure each one to a tie down spot underneath your car either with a carabiner or a hook.

Carrying a canoe without a roof rack.

You can do this with a variety of tie down straps. It also reduces the risk of damaging your vehicle. If you like the idea of carrying your kayak on the roof of your vehicle but are lacking the necessary side rails cross bars needed for a roof rack then a foam car top carrier is a great solution. Yes pool noodles or in fact any form of soft polyurethane tube with a hole in the middle you can find pool noodles or similar items in a range of outdoor stores supermarkets and even hardware stores.

The foam carrier consists of two foam blocks that are secured using ratchet straps that run through the inside of your car in both the front and the. They re grippy so the canoe won t slide around on your roof and 4 blocks can balance a canoe nicely on even a small car. You should always tie down the bow and stern of your kayak especially if you are going to transport your kayak without a roof rack. Another option for transporting your kayak without a roof rack is to make use of your hatchback or third row seat if you happen to drive an suv.

This probably won t work for longer kayaks over 12 ft but if you have a shorter kayak it could be a great alternative to buying a roof rack. If your vehicle has a roof rack you have one of the best situations for tying down a canoe. A roof rack is ideal as it provides the most secure tie down. If you don t want to get a roof rack there are these beautiful and cheap foam canoe blocks that easily attach onto the gunwale side edges of the canoe.