I have a new vehicle - a Hyundai Santa Cruz. The bed is too short to put my GP in. I can put it in the truck itself but only if I’m the only passenger (which is true 98% of the time) but I have to angle it so that one blade is on the floor by the passenger front seat and the other is in the rear drivers side angle up towards the ceiling. So not very elegant. I could get a 2-piece carbon GP paddle but the only thing I saw with an initial search was about $500. Yikes!! I see a couple of things that are designed to allow you to secure a paddle with a round loom to a roof rack but that won’t work for a GP. Maybe there is a good way to just lash it on? I just want to make sure that my paddle doesn’t come loose and hit another drivers windshield while I’m traveling down the road at 70 mph. I’d appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
Thanks,
Dave
I just tie mine to the rack using two ropes. Since the blades get larger toward the ends and I tie them closer to the middle they are unlikely to slip out.
Square Lashing (see the old boy scout pioneering merit badge books). I use a very soft rope that I think is some form of polyester fiber, and I have surf board pads on my roof rack that keep the paddle from getting dinged up. I make my own greenland paddles from reclaimed wood (free) so I don’t have a lot invested in them but my time. One of them is my favorite and I would be unhappy if it were lost or damaged beyond repair, but so far not an issue.
A few years ago someone on here posted a tube system using large diameter pvc pipe. The idea seemed interesting but the attachment to the cross bars did not look very secure to me. The more surface area you have, the more force on the system, and more likely to fail.
I made a wood rack to fit the bed of my pick-up and with 1 piece GL paddles I simply lash them to the rick alongside the kayak. But mostly I use GL paddles I made myself, and I make them in 2 piece using splits.
Greenland Paddle Split - Kajak Sport
Rich Paddle 1 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
So I just drop them in the bed of the truck or place them in the seat next to me.
All the big names have the paddle tie downs. Most look like small kayak saddles and appear to have a flexible strap or some form fitting accommodation for other than perfectly round shape. I don’t see why those wouldn’t work.
Edit- could be an issue since crossbar spread will likely be farther apart than the length of the loom.
I tried searching for straps or tie downs and everything goes to a kayak or paddleboard.
The splitter looks great, don’t see anything like that in the US though.
Wondering about using round yakima bar clips attached to a crossbar clip with a bolt going thru both, the round one around the paddle loom and the one around the crossbar?
Many people use a piece of 3 or 4" PVC pipe with male adaptors and screw on caps to transport Greenland paddles and carry them on the roof rack. You can use straps to secure the PVC pipe or stainless U-bolts to fasten it to the crossbars.
I use the Thule JawGrips for a pair of Greenland Paddles on my Fiat 500.
I can’t believe people would fuss over it so much as to have special tubes and clamps and zippers and tiedowns and securements, and actually pay money for them. It’s not a precious antique it’s just a piece of wood, just tie the damn thing down with whatever you have. God forbid it gets a nick or scratch. 
It’s not “just a piece of wood.” It’s a Greenland Paddle that could cost as much as $500 if you have a carbon fiber model, up to $300 for a wooden model, or more time than I care to invest if, like me, you’ve carved your own. And it’s not about nicks or scratches. I already have more nicks and scratches on mine than Willie Nelson has on Trigger. I just want to make sure it is fastened securely so that it doesn’t come off while I’m flying down the road at 70 mph and injure another motorist.
It’s just a piece of wood. You can make one for 10 dollars (maybe 20 today) in 4 hours with hand tools. Just tie it to the roof rack longitudinally in 2 places, its not going anywhere. If you tie it perpendicular it will try to fly off. 
A $500 carbon fiber paddle is a luxury accessory, anyone who has one should make sure to insure it as they can surely afford to.
This is a legitimate concern. Every single year in the US there are tens of thousands of accidents, thousands of injuries and hundreds of deaths due to things flying off vehicles. I wouldn’t be concerned about losing a paddle. I’d be concerned about others.
In another thread I pointed out in the last couple years two people were killed by kayaks that came loose.
I am also not concerned about how much someone spends on a roof rack gadget or a paddle since I’m not paying for it.
Ive seen people put large PVC pipes on their racks with screw cap ends. A 6 inch pipe easily fits a 4 inch wide paddle in a cloth sleeve.
You can use U bolts or pipe clamps to attach to the racks
You can even get lockable caps to keep your paddle safe
That would protect the paddle for sure, but having a pipe that weighs more then the paddle itself and then putting a paddle inside it, you have to understand that tying it down to the rack is going to take a much stronger attachment then simply tying the paddle itself to the rack. Speed + weight = momentum.
I think the KISS Rule is best. Don’t fall into the rut of “having lost sight of the objective we’ll re-double our efforts”. If the objective is to transport the paddle, the answer is as simple as it could be. Soft cord and 2 or 3 chinch knots.
In fact, what I have seen done is to place a chinch around the loom (at each end of where the blades start) and lashing it down to the deck rigging of the kayak itself, so that the paddle can’t leave the kayak. In a wreck the thing you need to worry about far more then a paddle is the kayak coming off, but the momentum of a 2 to 2.5 pound paddle is way less then a 40-65 pound kayak.
Don’t over think it.
This is true, but the quality of the paddle depends entirely on the design and workmanship. I made a GP in a class with Cape Falcon - I did a pretty good job under Brian’s direction, since I worked for many years as a professional carpenter.
Later, Brian gave me a paddle he made in trade for the loan of my SOF kayak for a couple of weeks. The feel and performance of his paddle was way better than mine – it wasn’t a ‘seems better’ thing, it was night and day better. I still have the paddle, it is a bit beat up, but I value it far more than my expensive carbon AT paddle (which is really nice).
In short, it is not just any old piece of wood…
Well, do as you please.
I, for one, don’t want to expose my paddle to the UV and the elements, plus, its hard to steal locked in an attached “vault”. Who cares if it’s “heavier than the paddle”?
But then, i travel long distances.
Was this part of the around the world trip?
Agree. Many, if not most, carbon paddles are two piece and not a problem. If anyone has concerns about a prize paddle with a beautiful finish, a hinged case made of 1/4 inch plywood and solid wood sides can be lined with thin packing foam to suspend the paddle and cushion it from sliding around. Different inserts can be made to fit the box, with a slit cut in the center to hold specific padddle. The box can be made to any dimension so it fits multiple paddles that drop into cushioned slots on each to hold multiple paddles securely.
Hinges can be recycled leather, piano or butt hinges, synthetic material, or invisible saaz hinges. Latches can be bungee style, window latches, or luggage latches with a key:
Clamps that fit the crossbar can be made from wood. Glue AND screw the clamps to the bottom of the paddle case with deck screws or stainless screws (glue is strong, but screws offer better sheer strength in an accident.
I made a paddle from very tight rift grained building grade fir. Although it only took me about 5 hours to fashion a useable paddle, I spent a few more hours shaving it down to a thinner gauge, which reduced weight and retrimmed the balance, and it took time for a few coats of oil to cure. When it came to use it, I felt like taking my baby for it’s first swim.
It’s true that fittings can be spliced into the loom do the paddle can be more easily transported, but I have no desire to cut it in half. Besides, I’m sure some members have antique, heirloom, or decorated paddles that would be best protected from sun or impact. A paddle box would be a suitable fix.
Otherwise, get some neoprene pipe insulation or a towel to protect the paddle where it is lashed to the cross bars. [I intentionally eliminate rope jargon for readers who don’t know knots]
Make a loop in one end of the rope, then feed the loose working end of the rope through the loop and make several turns around the cross bar/paddle, then travel with the loose working end of the rope, then loop it serveral times around the other cross bar/paddle. Double back with the loose working end and tie a taut-line hitch on the rope traveling between the crosss bars. That sliding knot tightens or relaxes tension depending on which way you slide the knot (although a taut-line hitch is not considered a “life saving” knot). It will hold tension and remain secure, especially if you make several secure wraps around the crossbar/paddle shaft.
A “Prusik Knot” is handy and versatile. If you’re clever and understand the concept, you can securely wrap one end of the loop around the crossbar/paddle (start at the front) then travel the rope to the rear and wrap it around the crossbar/paddle, then wrap the excess rope around the shaft and tuck the loosevend in to form a secure knot. The benefit of this knot itvthat you will be working with a doubled rope, which make it easier to untie.
Another option is useing quality bungee cords that wrap several times around the cross bar/paddle shaft. Protect paddle with a scrap of cloth or a towel wrap. Use two bungees (one in front and inebin back) so if one fails, both connections won’t fail.
AFinch, That’s a cool looking car and trailer set-up. And a very pretty kayak. What kind is it?
When you go on a trip, what kind of milage are you talking about generally?
I use Voile ski straps to longitudinally attach my canoe poles to my roof rails. I use at least 3 straps, or 2 straps and a back-up prussik hitch. As others have said, my main concern is the safety of others in a crash, not the object.
However, the KISS principle dictates that you should just angle it from the front passenger footwell to the driver’s side back seat. I do this with kayak paddles and skis all the time - my passengers adapt, and as the OP said, that’s only rarely an issue if you mostly ride alone. It is MUCH faster to extract from inside the car vs messing with any roof contraptions, and it saves a bit on fuel economy too (tho probably a negligible amount to the kayak that’s presumably up there).