Nee Help Transporting Canoe

[screamon demon]

I bought my first canoe last summer and had a ball using it for fishing and paddling. Since that time I had to relinquish the F150 and get the family the dreaded diaper wagon. It's a nice mini van with all the bells and whistles but I cannot seem to find anywhere under the bumpers to tie off the canoe. The van does have a luggage rack.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I could transport this canoe around?

Thanks

[soloman]

Search for something called "top ties" just ran across it on the internet. good for the front.

does your van have a hitch?

[shadesofsisyphus]

Oh heck, just run the ties through the windows and tie them off inside the van!!!!!

[funbun]

Get one of these: Fulton Hitch Mount. Save your back.

[pdowney]

IMHO: In years of doing, this the most important ropes are those that go over the boat and affix it to the rack. Make those good and firm and the bumper lines are mostly psychological. Besides, on something like a van, if you tighten a line from the bow to the front bumper and tighten another from the stern to the back bumper (or trailer hitch), the 2 lines are both pulling in the same, instead of opposing, directions and they will pull loose anyway. A good truckers hitch (or those ratchet thingys) will do fine. Tie the ropes onto the rack right next to the boat where it contacts the rack and the boat won't move side to side. If your rack has tie-down loops on the corners you can snug the boat next to them to keep it from sliding side to side. . It doesn't *have* to ride right in the center - thats just an appearance thing.

IMHO

[screamon demon]

thanks for all the replies. i should have mentioned I have this thing called a wife and that the diaper wagon is her ride. Everything must be with caution. She is pregnant and . .. . . .well some y'all know where I am going with this.

The van does not have a hitch or even a spot for a ball on the bumper. (God I miss my truck). I will try and attach to the luggage rack as suggested and drive around the neighborhood.

[backwoods]

look in manual for where u pull when stuck

[Joe Valencic]

look in manual for where u pull when stuck

That's a good point to attach a snap hook for your fore & aft tie down lines. Here's what they look like:

http://www.rigginglifting.com/produc...+-WITH-75.html

My brother has a Grand Caravan that we haul two canoes on top of, and he uses these hooks. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes in the hardware aisle by the rope & chains. I also use them on my full size van ti tie down the canoe. Despite these tie down points, we still tie down the canoes with 1" wide ratcheting tie down straps, which are available at the same places. I think I paid like $7.95 for a pair of them with 20' of strap.

Just a note if using straps of any sort, if you start to here a whistling sound the faster you drive, place a twist in the strap before securing it to the roof top carrier, and the noise will go away. A flat strap is like a reed in the wind, and will drive you batty...I know!

Joe

[nighthawk]

These might help:

http://www.rutabaga.com/product.asp?pid=1001675

They can be attached to any body hardware under the hood and or the tailgate/trunk lid/ hatch back.

[chris from canada]

There are so many places that you can hook up ropes with hooks.

Take a piece of cardboard and place it on the ground so that you can take a good look under the van.

All vehicule have places were towing ropes can be attatched, in case of emergency.

I am sure that you will find a place to hook up your ropes.

Use S hooks, that is what I use on our van.


Happy float fishing.
chris