Canoe roof rack

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Leonard & Jean Caton

Canoe roof rack

Post by Leonard & Jean Caton »

I'd like to be able to carry my canoe on the roof of our 26RSB. Does anyone have any ideas or information about how to do this?
Bob Proctor
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:23 pm

Post by Bob Proctor »

We've used a combination of Yakima roof rack components to carry a kayak on the roof of our 24' RB, and I would guess you could probably do something similar. At the back, we connected a Yakima crossbar to the existing railings on our BF using adapters from Yakima. At the front, we installed a pair of their "landing pads" to hold another full width crossbar. The bases for the landing pads can be screwed to the roof - there is 3/4 " plywood under the roof's fiberglass. (Drill a small test hole to be sure you're not hitting any metal, because there is a raceway for wiring in the area. Also, be sure to come in a ways from where the roof starts to curve downward at the sides of the rig, to be sure you're not beyond where the plywood stops.) We got some very strong adhesive/sealant from Kim at BF customer support to apply to the Yakima bases, as well. For extra safety we also attached a marine cleat near the front of the rig (over the cab) using screws and the adhesive/sealant, so we'd have something to tie a bow line to. We use simple foam pads, with a slot in them that fits onto the crossbars, to cradle the kayak (we had to glue three thicknesses of foam together at the front to get the bow up enough so it wasn't hitting the roof over the cab). We chose the foam cradles to keep the overall height and cost down but, if that's not a concern, Yakima also makes a more elegant cradle system for kayaks that may also work for a canoe. Good luck!
2002 24RB
Leonard & Jean Caton

Post by Leonard & Jean Caton »

Thanks Bob, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I was hesitant about drilling into the roof. (Didn't know what was under the fiberglass) Have you got any pictures available?
Bob Proctor
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:23 pm

Post by Bob Proctor »

I'm afraid I don't have any pictures. Everything I've used can be seen in a Yakima catalogue or at a local dealer, though, except for the foam pieces, which my dealer apparently gets from another source. They are black and appear to be made of fairly dense, closed-cell eurethane. They're a little over a foot long by about 4 inches wide and about of 4 inches high (at the two ends). The top has been shaped into a shallow "v", making the vertical height in the middle about 2 inches. A cylindrical channel has been cut along the full length of the bottom surface - this channel is open at its bottom to allow you to snap the foam piece onto the cylindrical Yakima crossbars. To gain height for the bow cradle, I bought a couple extra pieces of foam, shaved the v-shaped tops off using a table saw and made a stack of foam three pieces high which I glued together using contact cement. Hope this helps!
2002 24RB
Leonard & Jean Caton

Post by Leonard & Jean Caton »

Excellent! Yes, it helps allot. One last thing, do you know the name and type of the sealant off hand?
Bob Proctor
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:23 pm

Post by Bob Proctor »

The sealant is called Sikaflex-252, made by Sika Corp., 30800 Stephenson Hwy., Madison Heights, MI 48071. It's an EXTREMELY strong adhesive. I've never seen it in any store.
2002 24RB
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