Canoe Carrying Solutions

HoosierT

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I’m using the cheap bed extender from harbor freight with my 12’ kayak and it’s super convenient. I just zip-tied some 3” foam from hobby lobby to the bar for some padding.
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J Haggerty (RADAR1)

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Hey Ranger Lovers!

I pick up my XL 4x4 STX Crew tomorrow. The one item I haven't been able to figure out how I'm going to carry is my 14 foot canoe.

I need to keep the price below $500 and I obviously want to squeeze as much functionality out of it as possible.

What do y'all recommend as a solution?
Haven't yet decided what I'm going to do with the Ranger for carrying our canoe/kayak, but with our Dakota we used a "T" post mounted on the rear bumper where the tow ball would go, and a foam pad on the roof. Didn't like straps going through the passenger compartment though.
We later got the Yakima landing pads and mounted two pairs on the roof of the Dakota so we could use our round crossbars.
The landing pads don't look bad when the crossbars are removed, but I'm hoping someone else figures out the best place to put them where they don't interfere with anything under the roof.
I did mount tracks on my Durango for a better visual look, and might do the same with my Ranger since I could use the Yakima crossbars I already have. I'll have to measure the width and see if they will fit within the existing tracks, then take a peak under the headliner to see if anything important is within a half inch of the roof there.

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SumthinSilly

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Anyone have advice for those with wider kayaks who cant fit two side by side?
First pic relevant
Second pic for reading through

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Deleted member 1634

Anyone have advice for those with wider kayaks who cant fit two side by side?
First pic relevant
Second pic for reading through

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6FAE2F7E-FEB3-4B80-B99F-45670334E7CB.jpeg
Could put them in J-hook vertical racks like this. They catch the wind more, but it's not like a gust is forcing you in the ditch or trying to roll you over or anything.

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I'm so glad I found this thread!
I just got my Ranger a month ago and I have 2 kayaks: Hobie Revo13 (13ft) and Hobie Compass (12ft). Maybe once a month I do a round trip of up to 50 miles each trip with one or both of the kayaks and a bunch of fishing gear. I think that "T" bar might be the trick for a single kayak for now.

I had originally wanted to get some nice bolt-on roof mounted crossbars and J-racks, but I fear I underestimated how tall the ranger is already and at only 5'7" tall I may be straining to use that setup correctly :LOL:

Picture of my old setup attached (Thule cross bars that clipped into door frame) which did the trick but scratched the paint over many years of use.

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Deleted member 1634

I'm so glad I found this thread!
I just got my Ranger a month ago and I have 2 kayaks: Hobie Revo13 (13ft) and Hobie Compass (12ft). Maybe once a month I do a round trip of up to 50 miles each trip with one or both of the kayaks and a bunch of fishing gear. I think that "T" bar might be the trick for a single kayak for now.

I had originally wanted to get some nice bolt-on roof mounted crossbars and J-racks, but I fear I underestimated how tall the ranger is already and at only 5'7" tall I may be straining to use that setup correctly :LOL:

Picture of my old setup attached (Thule cross bars that clipped into door frame) which did the trick but scratched the paint over many years of use.

20180324_143113.jpg
We did it with the J-racks on the cab of the Ranger and you're right, it is getting pretty high up there. Not only for lifting purposes (even with me and my wife lifting a single kayak at a time, at the bow and stern, it was difficult), but also for height restrictions and stability reasons as well. They do grab a lot of air when sitting in the vertical position like that, and with them being that much higher above the CG and the ground, it causes a lot more body roll. Nothing crazy or insurmountable, but not ideal. We're definitely going to be switching to lay flat racks.
 
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We did it with the J-racks on the cab of the Ranger and you're right, it is getting pretty high up there. Not only for lifting purposes (even with me and my wife lifting a single kayak at a time, at the bow and stern, it was difficult), but also for height restrictions and stability reasons as well. They do grab a lot of air when sitting in the vertical position like that, and with them being that much higher above the CG and the ground, it causes a lot more body roll. Nothing crazy or insurmountable, but not ideal. We're definitely going to be switching to lay flat racks.
Yeah, this weekend isn't a kayaking weekend (too windy), but I plan to do a test fitting to see how the two kayaks sit side by side in the truckbed.
 

SumthinSilly

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I’ll be going with the Yakima outpost bed rack and yakima J hooks. Theyre 13” tall, just enough to fit my mtb underneath and short enough to (hopefully) not grab near as much air as they do on the roofline.
Just gotta scrounge up the cash.
 
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BayouBeau

BayouBeau

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This is my Rhino rack install. I've been hauling canoes and kayaks for over 40 years and this may be the most solid set up I've used.
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That looks great!!

I ended up going with the Harbor Freight bed extender for about $50. I can slide my canoe right below my tonneau cover easily by myself and head to the Bayou with a single ratchet. My whole set up (including getting the kids in the truck), takes me only about 15 minutes.

I'm not sure I would trust my setup in a cross country trip but it's perfect for my local trips.
 

XLT and me

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I have found the best solution for me is just picking up a old utility trailer and setting it up to haul the kayaks/canoe. Easier on back, leave them on trailer for storage, frees up bed for gear. Drawback is you need room to park trailer, and that can be a problem for some. Also, if your canoe/ kayak extends more than 4ft past tailgate i believe you need a light instead of a orange flag. Years ago we were pulled over in Pa by a state trooper at 3am on our way to go duck hunting with a 17ft canoe in the 8ft bed of a full size truck. We had it flagged but he said being it was extended over 3ft from the bed we had to have a light. He was cool about it and didn't ticket us, just a warning and told us to have a light next time. My buddy fabbed up a clamp on light that plugged into the trailer plug. Worked great and never had to worry about it again!
 

KoLeisure

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This is my Rhino rack install. I've been hauling canoes and kayaks for over 40 years and this may be the most solid set up I've used.
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What is all included in this setup? Can you fit 2 kayaks side by side upside down?
 
 



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