This is how my Epic 18x arrived. The box was built in two halves. It included white closed cell foam at the ends. I seem to recall that shipping NC to MI was $350.
The driver was very curious to know what was in it.
The driver was very curious to know what was in it.
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How do you usually haul it? I’ve hauled 18’ canoes thousands of miles. You can tie bow and stern lines to take the strain off the racks in high wind. We hauled an 18’ aluminum canoe on a Toyota Corolla 1600 miles, no problems. A kayak with a tight hatch cover should be more aerodynamic. We had our Royalex solo canoes shipped LTL from the manufacturer in FL about 18 years ago. They were wrapped in foam and cardboard. Cost about $200 ea and the packaging was slightly damaged. Royalex can take some abuse so we weren’t too worried. If you’re going to ship it, build a crate with good padding. They WILL stack on top of it, even if you have signs all over it. Best wishes.
I travel with a 20 foot canoe on the roof all the time. One trip, I carried two 20 foot canoes on the pickup truck roof rack. Some tricks to know.
Hood, trunk, loops.
Rear seat, seat belts. If no one is riding in the rear seats, open the rear door gently slide the seat/shoulder belt straight up to maximum extension. Most will extend to about 8 to 12 inches above the top of the rear door. Close the door and trap that loop. Now use cam straps from one side to the other over the canoe/kayak.
If the boat is pinned firmly down on the bars of the roof racks, and you have an inverted V front and rear to control the bow and stern. Please pardon the vernacular, “It ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
On the pickup truck, on all of my pickups for the last 40 years, marine, stainless 4 hole cleats, mounted right into the truck box top rail or slightly to the outer side
First, position the canoe toward the rear as much as you are comfortable with. The front wind shield pushes a tremendous amount of air up and under the canoe. For a kayak, you maybe should consider the kayak riding top sides up, the bow and bottom smoothly pushing the air up and away. Install your skirt to keep the wind and rain out of the vessel. I try to position the bow just 2 to 4 inches above the top of the wind screen, and just far enough forward I can see to tip of the bow.
Ropes to tie the canoe, should ALWAYS be at opposing angles. Ropes that are parallel can allow the vessel to shift toward the rear or the front in a hard stop.
Red flag on the stern, flapping in the breeze. Legally, you are REQUIRED to flag the log load always if the stern sticks more than 48 inches beyond the rear bumper… I put a flag on it anyway.
I have driven approximately 15,000 miles in the last 12 months with a canoe on the roof. Three round trips from Michigan to Arizona or Utah un numbered shorter trips in Michigan. I’ll be doing a 500 mile round trip next weekend, and I may be carrying two canoes on the roof. (Boy Scout canoe weekend)
Carry it on the roof. It works just fine.
I just had a 17" SUV trucked from Wisconsin to Boston and I paid $950. If you’re moving other stuff with the van line, the incremental cost shouldn’t be more than $100, if you have it boxed properly.