# Canoe fitting to roof



## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

Good morning to you all!

Question: Anyone fitted a canoe rack and canoe to the roof or back of their mh. If yes I would be very interested to know how you did it and what make of rack did you use?

Mucho obliged for any info.

Neil


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## spartacus (Jul 10, 2008)

I tried to make this work for our Canadian canoe but could find no satisfactory way of safely attaching it to the top of our low profile coachbuilt. 

An upside down banana shaped canoe would have to sit a fair way above a flat roof to accommodate the curve and then creates a giant wind tunnel with the danger of lifting the whole thing off the roof. Normal roof bars (Thule etc.) are not wide anough for a 2.3M width van so you need to cobble something up. Fiamma bars on Fiamma roof rails will span a motorhome roof of course but at that width they are quite "bendy" - I know, I have them on my roof and didn't trust them to carry my canoe.

Ended up taking an inflatable Sevylor Hudson instead.


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

I've seen a kayak mounted upright on the back of a motorhome.

It's a bit like the picture below:










Gerald


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## Burneyinn (Oct 27, 2006)

We made our own from stainless steel then drilled and stikaflexed them to the roof. We did look at the Fiamma rails but decided we'd prefer to use the Thule clamps we already had and wanted to get the height right so the canoes did not foul anything.

Thule do a bar 220cm long, Thule 767 which we used.

We already had the Thule canoe holders for the car so just transfer them to this bar for the motorhome.

We use an extending ladder to get them on.


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## Burneyinn (Oct 27, 2006)

Here's a pic , I hope for some reason the pics don't seem to be comimg



Have a look at my photos, they are there now


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

Burneyinn, 

I've had a sneaky peak at your pics as I'm hoping to mount a sea kayak on top of ours at some point, possibly as soon as next year. I just need to overcome getting a lengthy kayak up top with only a fixed rear ladder to work from. 


Ken.


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

NeilandDebs,

Hope you don't mind me climbing _aboard_ but I'm also interested in any responses you get on this one. 

Thanks,

Ken.


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## flyingpig (Jan 14, 2009)

NeilandDebs said:


> Good morning to you all!
> 
> Question: Anyone fitted a canoe rack and canoe to the roof or back of their mh. If yes I would be very interested to know how you did it and what make of rack did you use?
> 
> ...


Very interested in any answer myself, my kayak weighs 85kg, if I could get it on my roof (bessacarr e460), what about the weight issue?
Think an inflatable is definately the way to go.

Cheers Flyingpig Ken


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## geordie01 (Apr 20, 2006)

i got my sea kayak onto the roof using a short extendable aluminium ladder. i put it against the side of the van found the balance point of the kayak and pulled it up on a rope (p &h ice floe) then tied it to the roof rack after putting some thick pipe lagging on the rail sand got back off the roof via the rear ladder and strapped the other ladder to it for transportation. also found that they make a great top box got my bbq and wine in the hatches and cockpit. also used the same method for a prijon tornado.


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

flyingpig said:



> ...my kayak weighs 85kg, if I could get it on my roof (bessacarr e460), what about the weight issue?
> Think an inflatable is definately the way to go.
> 
> Cheers Flyingpig Ken


Our vans an E460 and our inflatable Sea Eagle Kayak, complete with seats, paddles, life vests etc fits under one of the couches.


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## flyingpig (Jan 14, 2009)

Hezbez said:


> flyingpig said:
> 
> 
> > ...my kayak weighs 85kg, if I could get it on my roof (bessacarr e460), what about the weight issue?
> ...


How do you find the Sea Eagle kayak? Looking around for a suitable 2 person job, I am 17st (don't laugh!) and wifey past her worrying weight. Have three man sit on kayak at the moment, far too heavy and unmanageable for lifting to roof, would be really greatful for an appraisal of sorts.

Cheers, Ken


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## DiscoDave (Aug 25, 2008)

I've got a 16Kg sit on kayak. I already had some rails on the roof, but these were a U shape on the roof with no way of tieing a kayak to them so i put some cross members side to side on top of the existing bars.

These are held at each end with a fabricated U bolt and are also supported i the middle in two places, the u bolts have a piece of comressed air hose round them for added grip to the existing bars, and the supports and spaced from the roof with some bits of a rubber car matt as not to damage the roof.

All made from ally and very strong. 

To get the boat up there from the fixed ladder i have to lift the whole boat upright and sit it bottom down between the ladder rails as they curve over on to the roof. As i Climb the ladder and push the boat is far enough on the roof to support it's self by the time i'm on to the vertical bit ofthe ladder. 

I push it further on before climbing on the roof and manhandling it in to position. it has to be positioned carefully as the only place it can got on the roof is over the status tv aerial! 

Then there is room up there for a surf board and just enough space for me to walk up and down to tie it all on!


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

flyingpig said:


> How do you find the Sea Eagle kayak? Looking around for a suitable 2 person job, I am 17st (don't laugh!) and wifey past her worrying weight. Have three man sit on kayak at the moment, far too heavy and unmanageable for lifting to roof, would be really greatful for an appraisal of sorts.
> 
> Cheers, Ken


We have the Sea Eagle SE370 deluxe.
Got it from here; http://spindriftltd.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/21_27/products_id/53

Found them to be very helpful.

It can take up to 35 stone and seats 2 quite comfortably.
They do a slightly shorter one but I think it would be a bit cramped for two adults.
It seems pretty tough, designed for up to class 3. Very quick to inflate/deflate and pack away.

Tracks quite well too for an inflatable.


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## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

Good morning all,

Burneyinn. Thank you for the info, however your pictures have not popped up on my screen. As we have the same mh's here is another question. Did you attach the bar onto the flat part of the roof or on the edge of the roof. If it is not to neckie would you be able to email me the pictures?

Blizzard. I don't mind one bit you looking in. Don't know why you got the pics and I didn't!!

Thanks to everyone else who replied.

Neil


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## firewood (Mar 17, 2009)

hi i made a carrier for a kayak to fit on top of a m/home .i was going to get a patent on it i may still do it when i get more money to put into it.
the one i have done fits on the top of the m/home but you load it from he ground it takes about 5 mins to load from start/finish no getting on the roof at all .


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

Hi Neil,

I had to access the pics via the "Photo" button on Burneyinns post, they did not appear automatically,


Ken.


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## Burneyinn (Oct 27, 2006)

*Photos of roof rails*

Couldn't get pics to load yesterday.
Here they are - If you want any more info send me a pm


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## aviano675 (Sep 15, 2010)

*Roof Rails*

Hi - looked at your pictures and very impressed with what you've done.
I've got an Aviano and 2 Kayaks to carry, including a 13' Prowler, finding it very difficult to get rails for this. Cheeky question maybe but have you ever considered making some to sell? If so, put me down as a customer! I also have a Thule Kayak carrier, on aero rails for the car at the moment.


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

firewood said:


> hi i made a carrier for a kayak to fit on top of a m/home .i was going to get a patent on it i may still do it when i get more money to put into it. the one i have done fits on the top of the m/home but you load it from he ground it takes about 5 mins to load from start/finish no getting on the roof at all .


Sounds very good to me.

I now have a 12ft sea kayak, and wouldn't mind taking it with me on trips. However, we don't have a rear ladder, so your idea for loading from the ground sounds very interesting.

Gerald


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## spartacus (Jul 10, 2008)

geraldandannie said:


> firewood said:
> 
> 
> > hi i made a carrier for a kayak to fit on top of a m/home .i was going to get a patent on it i may still do it when i get more money to put into it. the one i have done fits on the top of the m/home but you load it from he ground it takes about 5 mins to load from start/finish no getting on the roof at all .
> ...


I have a telescopic ladder for this purpose, reasonably light and easy to store in the van (as a fulltimer mines permanently on-board) and is more flexible than a fixed ladder.

You can park it wherever you need it on the van to make life easier getting the canoe up there.

Also comes in useful for cleaning the roof and any "upstairs" repairs.

Can also be used round the house of course!


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