Just bought a 2011 T4R SR5 a couple of weeks ago and in a couple of weeks I have to go pick up a 17' Canoe that me and my girlfriend purchased. I have the factory crossbars on my SR5. I was wondering if anyone had any advice or pictures on how to set up a canoe on this truck? Also, do you recommend that I buy something from Yakima or Thule (I'd like to keep it cheap)?

You will probably need wider bars for a canoe, most are around 35'' wide and it will give you room to add other boats. I would suggest getting a set of bars and mounts from either Yakima or Thule. I just put a set of Yakima bars on my truck (77'' Wide). I am actually getting ready to load my whitewater kayak for a trip out to W.Md.

Yakima makes a great set of gunwhale brackets to keep the canoe secure on the roof, they run around $80. I'm almost positive they CAN'T be mounted on the factory cross rails, they aren't strong enough to secure a giant sail on top of the 4R. You'd need 48" crossbars for $70 and a set of railgrabbers for $160. $310 out the door isn't super cheap but neither is a smashed canoe or destroyed roof rack. You might find it cheaper online for a few bucks less.

I found this old thread because I want to buy a canoe and carry it on my LE. I understand from this and similar threads that Thule or Yakima is the way to go for carrying a canoe. There are some other things I would like to know before I buy a canoe -

How do you tie down the front & back of the canoe?

How do you get an 80-90 pound canoe onto the top of the 4R without scratching the 4R?

What else do I need to know about hauling a canoe so that I don't find myself up a creek?

Thanks in advance,
Glenn

The first thing I would offer is to get a lighter canoe if possible. I had an Old Town 169 that was a tank and was a bear to get on the rack. I now have an Old Town Camper that is considerably lighter and is much easier to manage by myself.

I always use two quality web straps across the hull and tie the bow and stern down to the tow hooks.

Yakima has a Boat Loader that I use and it works great and is simple to use. The link shows someone loading a kayak, but the technique is the same.

I also attached a picture of my truck and canoe, the bow and stern lines are not attached yet.




Loading A Kayak With A Yakima Boat Loader - YouTube

I got Thule 58" crossbars and they are good for carrying load. There is pictures of my setup (on the end):
Carrying 2 wide kayaks question
it's kayaks though, but I'm going to get a canoe this spring and starp it similar to kayaks but with Thule Canoe Rack or something similar. I carried my kayaks for long trips and not-maitained old roads and this setup seems to be very solid.

Oh forgot to say: if you get square Thule crossbars, they tend to be noisy at highway speed. Not very loud, but they are not quiet.

Thank you both for the quick replies. I was considering the Old Town 146 but now I'll definitely check out the lighter ones.

Scanny, what is the protective material on the bow straps? It looks like pipe insulation or pool noodles.

I haven't carried a canoe on a vehicle since high school when we used to strap a friend's canoe to the top of my old '72 Cadillac Sedan deVille. It was a sight to behold. The car was old so I wasn't too concerned about scratching it.

If you didn't buy a canoe yet I would suggest to take a look at those canoes: canoes by Sportspal & Radisson: the best canoes are our canoes
I consider a 16' pointed one and I'm going to go check it out next month when weather warms up a little bit. It weight only 58 lbs so 2 people can lift it high enough to put on the roof rack. Another thing is that sooner or later you will face a portage and you don't want your canoe to be heavy.

And yes, for the front straps I use pipe insulation, I bought one piece of it in Home Depot and cut it in half. Looks ugly but I don't have any marks on the hood. Hook it up to front recovery points and rear ones to the hitch safety rings or whatever they're called.

Well now you have me wanting a square stern canoe to throw on top of the truck... figure I can mount a 3HP motor on it and haul it in the back on top of a weathertec mat. The wife is gonna put the kabosh on this I think...

I rock a 17 foot Grumman aluminum on my truck. You need two belly straps and a bow line, you don't have to tie off the rear. If you can run two straps from the bow to the front corners of the truck, it'll be more secure than just one strap to the middle.

A couple different companies make special rack mounts and such for canoes, but I wouldn't do that unless you really like spending money for no reason. I chopped up a ten dollar set of yoga blocks to use as padding between the canoe and load bars, but I've stopped using even those - the Thule bars have a rubber sheath that provides all the protection and friction necessary.

My canoe weighs upwards of 70 pounds and I can load it by myself. Line it up behind the truck right side up. Grab the front crossbar with crossed arms, and raise the canoe and flip it over your head in one motion, so it's upsidedown and you're bench pressing it. Now hump the bow up over your rear crossbar, and the rest is cake.

These are all great ideas. My goal is to start inexpensive and then upgrade the rack as needed. I prefer not to spend as much on the rack as I spend on the canoe (at least not at first).

As for the canoe, I'll check out the Sportspal and Radisson. I've found that there are a bunch of canoes on Craigslist. I might start with a $300 used canoe and then upgrade it if I use it as much as I think I'm going to.

Check out the Old Town Discovery Sport 15.

If you're a LEO / Sports Outdoor Professional / Firefighter, etc.Promotive.com - Pro deals on hundreds of brands with discounts up to 70% off retail offers Old Town's canoes for 20% over wholesale. Puts them just over a 1k. A 5hp outboard would still keep you under 2k.

Discovery Sport 15 | Old Town

I'm glad I found this thread. We need some more pics of canoes and kayaks on top of the 4runners. And also the techniques and tips for securing them.

Pool noodles work great for putting on the bow line where it comes in contact with the hood. Most hardware/outdoor stores also sell foam pads that attach to the gunwales to support the canoe at the front after it clears your factory rails. For a single canoe I would think you do not need wider rails. Although they would be an asset for sure. As for getting it up there...hopefully if you are going to use a tandem canoe you have at least 1 helper. I have yet to put my canoe on the roof, but I have on many other vehicles. I even did a short trip with my GTI! I had a thule rack on that. Good luck.

I'll have a helper, but he's 9. Most of the time I'll be out with other adults, but occasionally I might need to load it myself (that's what she said)