canoe on the roof

Has anybody carried a large canoe (greater than 16') on the roof of a Legacy/Outback wagon without using racks? Last two cars I had, I used foam blocks that wrap around the gunwales and in the case of my first car, just sat on the roof (steel) without a problem. Second car had roof rack rails, and the blocks sat on them (roof was thin, dented it with the blocks when I had to move the canoe over for some bags.

 

Hoping the blocks rest on the roof rails... As for tie-offs under the car, are there hooks you can buy for under the front of the car? The rear central hook in back will work fine.

 

-B

I've had an 18' canoe and 19' kayak on my OB, but I have a Thule setup. (http://legacygt.com/forums/vbgarage.php?do=view&id=3906) You should be able to tie it down without denting the roof. Put the pads close to the front and back of the roof, and don't overdue the ties over the boat. When using front and rear lines, the ones over the boat are pretty insignificant in comparison. Still need them, but they don't have to be that tight.

I have had two 14' yaks on the roof, but with the Thule kit. I want to buy a canoe this year......should work fine with two crossbars mounted. I would recommend just getting x-bars if you are carrying a canoe ($100/shipped)....that way, you don't risk damaging the car. The Thule kit for the LGT has to be modified to get max spread between the bars, as the rear LGT rails are too close together.

Just wanted to gt an update on this thread... Anybody else do canoe carrying? Going to checkout width of canoe versus roof rails tomorrow evening. Hopefully I can sneak by with just foam blocks.

I've never use the foam block thing, but I've carried a 16' canoe on the factory crossbars (OBXT) with Yakima gunnel brackets on either side for lateral stability and tie downs front and rear. No problem at all.

 

Shoot, I just got back from Central Oregon and carried a 17' aluminum canoe on the Yakima add-on racks on my Dodge. Good to 65 mph!