Hi, I have just purchased a 15 foot canoe and need to transport it on my toyota tacoma. Should I buy a rack or tie it down from top of cab to tailgate? Any advice would be great!! Thanks
rack
will keep you from screwing up your paint, and also levels the canoe out so you don’t have a big airscoop above the cab. I put my 15’ canoe in the 6.5 foot bed of my Dakota okay. It’s easy in/out, out of the wind, just need cushioning under the hull, sponge blocks work well.Canoe bounces around on dirt roads a bit. When I bought my 16.5 foot canoe, I knew I needed a rack, and both canoes are happier now.
Foam blocks
I just slide my in the back of the truck for short trips, when parking isn’t a problem. Other times I use foam blocks and tie it down. I have also made a rack to mount in the truck bed. It’s 4 pieces of aluminum angle and use screws to attach into the truck bed, and the bars are stainless steel tubing. I use this for carring two canoes on top. It’s not fancy, but is functional.
rack
Do you have an extended cab? Although the distance between cross bars is less than optimal. I was able to mount a standrd factory rack on my truck and carried two boats cross country.
The standard truck rig with one crossbar on the cab and another on some stype of facotry or homemade rig that fits in the bed works great, but I never liked taking the bed mounted rig in and out all the time.
Look at this site
http://www.mohawkcanoes.com/transport.htm
May find some helpful tips here. Note the bottom shows a diagram for a rack for a pickup that can be made
fulton
look on cabelats or bass pro at the fulton caonoe loader, that withs some foam blocks, you will be able to load and unloadin in about 1 minute and the block keep it off the cab of your truck.
fulton
look on cabelats or bass pro at the fulton caonoe loader, that withs some foam blocks, you will be able to load and unloadin in about 1 minute and the block keep it off the cab of your truck.
The Best Way™
We’d have to start by junking the Toyota…
Sorry, somebody had to say it!
If you have a bedliner with the 2x4 divider insert thingees, building a solid rear support is easy enough (I used 2" PVC), & use foam blocks over the cab.
I had to build a custom rack because of a fancy split-tonneau cover that cost 3x more than the canoe; and with a permanent rack over the cab the truck wouldn’t fit into the garage.
Obviously my best & your best & the next guy’s best is going to be different. I’ll take some pics of mine & post or email if anyone is interested.