I need a roof rack so I can take our canoe camping this
year. We haven't canoed since I got the TJ because I refuse
to camp out of the Astro...it just doesn't look as kewl in
the woods! Anyway, I'm leaning towards getting the Congo
Cage. Anyone have experience with that or other solutions?
Our canoe is 14' X 44" near as I can recall so I don't know
if I'd need the utility crossbars as well...

Seahag

I have an 11'9" Old Town one person canoe. It fits on the YJ, with Thule
roof racks, using rain gutter emulators from Thule. I strap it down pretty
tight with a ratcheting nylon strap deal, also from Thule. I would not
recommend this setup for any but short haul use, mainly because the Jeep is
just too short, to be a convincing canoe carrier, even with one of the
shortest canoes made. Also, rain gutter emulators, bolted to fiberglass,
are not really the same as rain gutters. At this point in life I camp out
of my Suburban. I cannot overemphasize the importance of sleeping up off
the ground in the mountains. If I had to carry the canoe long distances on
the Jeep, I would probably investigate some kind of bumper tie down.

A fiberglass canoe, if not padded properly and tightened down just so, can
make the most amazing noises on a roof rack. It has to be heard to be
believed.

Earle

"Seahag" <Seahag (AT) toadymail (DOT) net> wrote

I should have mentioned I have a rag-top.... I know what you
mean about the noise, I used to carry the canoe on my Toyota
Tercel...heehee...the canoe and car were both 14' long!

Seahag

"Earle Horton" <NurseBustersNoSpam (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote:

Have you considered trailering it instead? You can get a pretty decent
12' flatbed trailer for about $300 these days, and with the wooden bed,
you can easiliy configure it to haul just about anything. I'm looking
at one that actually folds up and stores in a corner of the garage.

"Earle Horton" <NurseBustersNoSpam (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote

...... At this point in life I camp out > of my Suburban. I cannot
overemphasize the importance of sleeping up off the ground in the
mountains. If I had to carry the canoe long distances on the Jeep, I would
probably investigate some kind of bumper tie down.....
Earle, you would have gotten a real belly laugh at my experience last Labor
Day. A couple days in the camping trip a freak storm dumped two to three
hundred gallons of water into my tent at 3 AM.

It was just like in the cartoons when I unzipped the fly and all the water
came gushing out! I stood there half asleep watching everything I owned
washing down the hillside toward the lake.

After picking up what I could find I threw all the stuff back in the tent
and crawled into the back of the WJ to sleep.

I stayed there the rest of the trip.

Nick was the only one that stayed dry. He was safe and cozy in his camp bed
above the streambed.

Actually, a little box trailer is really good. I found it handy because
I could pack all the camping stuff dany day during the week and put the
canoe on top ... and just hitch it up and leave right away Friday after
work. And the box trailer I had was actually a boat trailer that I put
a plywood "box" onto myself. The advantage was the tongue length (ok, I
can hear the jokes forming from here) that made trailering, backing up
a little easier.

You can get an old boat trailer free most any weekend in the summer. I see
them abandoned near the boat ramp all the time.


"bowgus" <bowgus (AT) rogers (DOT) com> wrote

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Earle

"billy ray" <billy_ray (AT) fuseSPAM (DOT) net> wrote

"billy ray" <billy_ray (AT) fuseSPAM (DOT) net> wrote

: You can get an old boat trailer free most any weekend in the summer. I
see
: them abandoned near the boat ramp all the time.


Run and fetch her one, will ya!

Yeah I did, but we live on our boat at a tiny marina. The
landlord would go nutz if I tried to store a trailer here.
Heck, he threw away my potted irises (2- 8" pots) one year.
A roof rack would be easy to put in our office when I don't
need it.

Seahag


"JD Adams" <JDAdams (AT) Softcom (DOT) Net> wrote