Best method to carry canoe on 2002 4runner

[calamaridog]

Friend of my Dad's is giving them a canoe. They will carry it on the 4runner. They have the factory crossbars, but I would hestitate to use them.

Any recommedations for carrying a 16' canoe on the roof of a 2002 4runner. Any products to stay away from?

Thanks.

[98roamer]

I have an old aluminum rental canoe that I use for local day trips. I used those pool noodles to line the edge to protect the roof and rack. I slit the noodle full length and slipped it over the edges where ever it will contact the roof and rack. It works great but it no substitute for a real rack, but for a quick trip to the river its fine.
After i did all of that, you can do the same thing with the insulating pipe wrap you can get from HD or Lowe's for hot water lines.

[CYi5]

Adding some yakima crossbars wouldn't be a bad idea. They have brackets you can add for canoes.

http://yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=50

[Streakerfreak]

Adding some yakima crossbars wouldn't be a bad idea. They have brackets you can add for canoes.

http://yakima.com/Product.aspx?id=50

or Thule. Check them both out. When I use to be a kayak guide and seller we had both Yakima and Thule gear. Both are great and have there own advantages over the other.

Yakima uses a round bar, which is stronger, but using any attachments on them is a pain in the butt as saddles and cradles will spin on the bar and Thule uses a rectangular bar, which is a little less strong, but attachments you put on the bars will not move at all.

If you always have someone to help you unload the canoe then you will have no problem with Yakima. If you ever go out alone and have to load and unload the bars by yourself then Thule might be better.

I had Yakima first, but since I load my truck myself the Yakima bars became a hassle when I tried to get my boats into the saddle.

Both Yakima and Thule have canoe brackets that will keep your canoe in place.


These are the two biggest manufatures of racks. Yakima tends to be more west coast since they are a Washington company and Thule tends to be more east coast since they are now a Connecticut company.

Here is my Thule set up. Sorry no pics of my old Yakima set up.

[Bergger]

If you have money to burn you can get a Yakima or Thule set up but I think you'll be just fine using the factory rack. Like mentioned above just put some foam pipe wrap or something on the bars to add some extra protection.

[Streakerfreak]

What's the load rating on your factory rack? We broke a customers factory rack on there Explorer when they instisted we load two new kayaks on that rack. Just a word of warning. If you do use the factory rack make sure you use bow and stern straps. If the rack fails your canoe will not fly into the family of five behind you. I have seen that happen. It is not a pretty sight. Not one I would like to see again. If the rack fails, bow and stern straps will give you enough time to pull over.

[Nullifier]

Just a word of warning. If you do use the factory rack make sure you use bow and stern straps. If the rack fails your canoe will not fly into the family of five behind you.

This is true with aftermarket Thule and yakima systems as well. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use bow and stern lines. I have had and seen quality racks and straps fail as well.

As far as upgradingas long as they are driving in normal conditions i.e. no baja racing with canoes on the roof. Then they will be fine witht he factory rack. Toyota does a decent job on the 4 runner rack. I think the factory wieght limit is 125#. You can confirm in the owners manua but they will be fine with it. If they are concerned about scratching up the top of the crossbars then the local paddlesports shop should be able to sell them some crossbar pads.

[TeleScooby]

You're likely fine using the factory bars with just one canoe. spread them to the farthest apart they get, use bow and stern tiedowns, and either pad the canoe or wrap the bars, and you should be fine.

There are foam holders for kayaks that fit factory bars, not sure about for canoes though, talk to a local kayak shop, they run around $10 so picking up a couple shouldn't be a big deal...

[grahamfitter]

I'll add another vote for Yakima/Thule crossbars that attach to the factory roof rails. They're light and strong and safe. Watch out for the length that the fit book specifies for the vehicle - its sometimes shorter than you expect and might not reach the edge of the roof. Longer bars might not stick out and would be able to accommodate more than one bulky canoe, I find a rocket box is handy to keep paddles and wet stuff in.

Cheers,
Graham

[oldcj5guy]

I used to have a setup that went into my reciever and came up with a T bar at the top to help carry my 17' ocean on my old cherokee. Came in real handy to help with the length and cost me about $20 in materials to make. Had to remove it to open the tailgate, so I rebuilt it with a pin so I could fold it back. Might look into something like that if the canoe is longer than your roofline.

Definitely have to agree with everyone on the bow and stern lines.
I lost a whitewater boat off the roof going south on Las Vegas Blvd a few years back. Fortunately I was clear of town and it sailed out into the desert instead of the road.

On a good note it must have flown 300 feet and the guy behind me said it had to be 50ft in the air at one point.