USING A FOAM

LOADING AND

TRANSPORTING

CANOES

Our Mohawk video has detailed instruction on loading a canoe with foam carrier kit and rack systems....pick-up trucks also.

A good tie down system for canoes is a solid rack system. That might be a stock rack on a SUV or mini van, or a factory rack system designed to mount on the newer cars. Racks today are expensive, but the security and convenience are sometimes worth the cost. Loading a canoe by yourself is much easier with racks, it is difficult with foam carriers. But if foam blocks are your only option, here are some steps to follow to make a safe, secure tie down.

FOAM BLOCKS

STEP 1:

You must determine what points on your vehicle you can tie to. For a good safe tie down, you must have:

2 good tie points at the front of your vehicle for the bow of the canoe.

1 and preferably 2 ropes or straps around the center.

Only 1 tie point is needed in the rear.

Possible tie downs for the front are:

1) Tie down hooks under the bumper at the corners (most import cars should have these).

2) In the corners of the engine compartment by the headlights, look for holes in the frame or anywhere you can tie a loop of rope that will hang out the front when you close the hood. Be careful not to tie around electric or AC lines, also be sure to have no lines hanging that can be caught in moving parts of the engine.

3) With the hood up, you can tie loops of rope around the hood hinges, close the hood so they hang from the back of the hood. This method works best when loading short canoes on a long vehicles.

Be careful not to tie around electric or AC lines or have ropes hanging that can be caught in moving parts of the engine.

Possible tie downs around the center of the canoe are:

1) Some older cars may have some sort of rain gutter where you could use gutter clips.

2) You can use the loops around the hood hinges as mentioned in step 3 above. This works well if you loading a long canoe on a short vehicle. Tie loops around the trunk hinges also for a rear center tie down.

3) One of the most secure ways, if you don't have rain gutter, is to open your car doors, and run a 15' hull strap thru the vehicle, around the canoe and close the doors on the straps. One strap around the center is sometimes enough, but 2 is always better. This car has 4 doors so we were able to run rope thru the opened rear window so as to not damage the door seals.

When straps are used you have the option to run the strap thru the open door, or thru the window. Both methods are shown to the right.

Notice that the rear strap is thru the window not the door. This is not a problem as long as no one is sitting in the back seat. But for safety reasons, its usually better to run the straps thru the open door.

Possible tie downs for the rear of the canoe are:

1) Most import cars will have a tie down located under the bumper.

2) A trailer hitch is always the easiest thing to tie to in the rear.

3) Tie a loop of rope thru the trunk latch strike pin, make sure it's hanging out when you close the trunk, this will provide a good tie down in the rear.

STEP 2:

Once you have set up your tie down points, you can secure the blocks onto the gunwale of the canoe. To determine the position of the blocks, lay the canoe next to the vehicle, centered according to your tie down points. Be sure to place the blocks on the stiff part of you roof top, which is usually at the front and back edges of the roof. Now you can clip on the blocks and flip the canoe on to the roof.

STEP 3:

. The first tie down should be across the center. (This will ensure the canoe will not get knocked or blown off the vehicle before you finish)

2. Tie the bow of the canoe down by taking a length of rope that is twice as long as you need to go from the tie down at the end of the canoe, to the front tie downs on the vehicle, secure the center of the rope to the canoe's bow tie down using an overhand knot, then "V" tie to each of your front corner tie downs as shown in the photo below.

3. Now you can secure the rear tie down to the hitch, tie down hook or trunk latch. Always be sure that the bow and stern tie downs are working against each other. An example of this would be, the bow ropes are tied in a way to prevent the canoe from moving back and the stern rope is tied (tilted forward) to stop the canoe from sliding forward ( which could happen in an emergency stopping situation). This means in a lot of situations, the stern may be tied to the rear seat rather than the tie down on the stern of the canoe.

WOODEN RACK FOR A PICK-UP TRUCK

When determining rack height, be sure to Make it high enough to clear the top of the cab. To do this, put the front of the canoe on the cab, resting on a blanket, then add 2" to 4".

This is a drawing of a canoe rack that can be easily built with 2X4 and 1X3 wood. This rack also will serve well as a place to store your canoe when the rack is not in the truck bed. You can tie the canoe to the truck, not the rack, this way you don't have to fasten the rack- to the truck. Bow and stern tie downs will still be necessary for a safe and secure ride. This drawing is just a suggestion on construction, Its your responsibility to see that the canoe and rack are properly secured and constructed.

1) Tie down hooks under the bumper at the corners (most import cars should have these).
2) In the corners of the engine compartment by the headlights, look for holes in the frame or anywhere you can tie a loop of rope that will hang out the front when you close the hood. Be careful not to tie around electric or AC lines, also be sure to have no lines hanging that can be caught in moving parts of the engine.
3) With the hood up, you can tie loops of rope around the hood hinges, close the hood so they hang from the back of the hood. This method works best when loading short canoes on a long vehicles.
*Be careful not to tie around electric or AC lines or have ropes hanging that can be caught in moving parts of the engine.*

1) Some older cars may have some sort of rain gutter where you could use gutter clips.
2) You can use the loops around the hood hinges as mentioned in step 3 above. This works well if you loading a long canoe on a short vehicle. Tie loops around the trunk hinges also for a rear center tie down.
3) One of the most secure ways, if you don't have rain gutter, is to open your car doors, and run a 15' hull strap thru the vehicle, around the canoe and close the doors on the straps. One strap around the center is sometimes enough, but 2 is always better. This car has 4 doors so we were able to run rope thru the opened rear window so as to not damage the door seals.
When straps are used you have the option to run the strap thru the open door, or thru the window. Both methods are shown to the right.
Notice that the rear strap is thru the window not the door. This is not a problem as long as no one is sitting in the back seat. But for safety reasons, its usually better to run the straps thru the open door.