canoe rack on new bobcat

Casa Escarlata Robles Too

C'est la vie
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Oct 16, 2009
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monterey bay area
i finished my rack to hold the canoe.the wheel on the front of the canoe rolls on the track and the canoe stops at the permeant stops at the front,with a little front turn down of the track so when we roll it off the wheel stays in the track.the stops on the rear go on when the canoe is all loaded.than i use ratchet tie downs to hold it in place front and rear.its pretty easy for my wife and i to lift the canoe and place it on the rack.to lift the roof i made the leverage lifts of less design with a little modification .they really help.also i had an idea for locking the propane tank,since marty told us how much they cost,its a 4"eye bolt in what ever size your hold down bolt is.double nutted with washer and a short length of chain or a long loop lock.i thought about a lock on the door but a simple large screw driver could pop the door open. this saves the hassle of a locked door on things like the alaskan ferries,where they want excess should there be a problem.the fan vent opens in side the canoe all the way.

have a happy new year to all frank
 

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I like it. Looks like it can be adapted for a kayak too.


you could adapt it's uses to other water craft.i find the nice thing is the track.in windy conditions it makes loading a lot easier.i have used this system on my escape hybrid and other suvs and always have had good luck with it.its finding the channel that can be a problem.in the case of the camper it had to be at least 11' long.i was looking at the channels that the campers are made with(the one around the upper part of the body)its a little wider than necessary buy could work.this piece i used was left over from the aluminum sun room i have.all i had to do was run it through ma table saw and cut it to the right height.this rack works well with the optional roof rack.i think it would be too high with the yakima rack system.the extra 3"or so just make loading that much harder for us shorter people.
 
What about the black plastic(?) pieces supporting the rail away from the rack? Did you make those or purchase them? How are they attached to the camper? Also the pieces attached to the rack appear to be designed to fit the cross bar and snug the canoe. Same question, home made or purchased?
 
What about the black plastic(?) pieces supporting the rail away from the rack? Did you make those or purchase them? How are they attached to the camper? Also the pieces attached to the rack appear to be designed to fit the cross bar and snug the canoe. Same question, home made or purchased?

the supports are the leftovers from the rail after ripping it on the table saw.than screwed to the channel with self tapping stainless screws.the front and side pieces are home made from some other leftover channel.they fit right over the bars of the rack.the front one is screwed on and the sides are removable,so that they are not in the way when the canoe slides on.oh the channel pieces are all aluminum .the supports have a short piece of rubber tubing on the bottom so they don't scrape the roof.i don't know where you can get the channel i used for the front and side supports.its something used in the window industry.all you would need is some 1"channel and pop rivet another piece on top than cut to size.hope these pictures help.frankDSCN3081.jpg
 

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DSCN3082.jpgthe supports are the leftovers from the rail after ripping it on the table saw.than screwed to the channel with self tapping stainless screws.the front and side pieces are home made from some other leftover channel.they fit right over the bars of the rack.the front one is screwed on and the sides are removable,so that they are not in the way when the canoe slides on.oh the channel pieces are all aluminum .the supports have a short piece of rubber tubing on the bottom so they don't scrape the roof.i don't know where you can get the channel i used for the front and side supports.its something used in the window industry.all you would need is some 1"channel and pop rivet another piece on top than cut to size.hope these pictures help.frankView attachment 7253


oh i forgot that if i have problems loading the canoe i have these guys for helpDSCN3082.jpg
 

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