OT: Canoe Loaders

[FastforaSlowGuy]

My wife got me a canoe for an early Fathers Day gift. I’m pretty psyched, but’s it’s 87lbs and getting it on the family SUV is a PITA. I’ve loaded a gazzilion sea kayaks, but the extra 30lbs for this is a whole new game. I’m looking at two different hitch mounted canoe loaders: Rhino Rack T Loader and Myka Canoe Loader. Totally different loading styles. The Myka seems great but could be tough in a crowded parking lot. Has anyone tried one or both? Or others? Thoughts?


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[C40_guy]

If you don't get a lot of good guidance here, head over to paddling.com. Great canoe and kayak forums there...

[AngryScientist]

an alternative option, if you have a little space is a harbor freight folding trailer. i am envisioning one with some DIY canoe mounts, and the bed is really low. i bet that would be way more convenient.

some other ultralight trailer would be good too.

sorry to not directly answer the question, but if you have the space and dont mind towing, a trailer might be much easier!

just a thought!

[carpediemracing]

I can't find it but RV INNO (now just INNO) made an interesting canoe rack. It had ratcheting rubber covered rollers on one bar (you'd put that bit on the rearward bar, near the back of the vehicle). You'd put the canoe upside down on it and just push, and it'd roller onto the rack. The ratchet prevented the canoe from falling back onto you. The rollers were probably 4 inches in diameter so they wouldn't put a little dent into the canoe edge. There were two rollers so you could "steer" the canoe as you rolled it forward. Obviously there were straps to hold it on once in place, but the ratcheting rollers made it possible to load the canoe with just one person.

When offloading the ratchet could be set to disengage so it rolled backward.

When I'm picturing what I saw of the ratchet, I immediately think of those ratcheting tie down straps. It was probably similar in mechanism.

I was working the booth so it was maybe 2007 or so. The Yakima president or CEO or whatever at the time came over and bought one with his own credit card. I remember him insisting we charge him retail and us insisting we charge him wholesale (we won because we controlled the credit card machine).

It was kind of funny because that year Yakima was kicking out all competitors out of their booth. Usually Interbike was sort of like Switzerland in that everyone checked out others' stuff, but that started to decline around then. When the crew from RV Inno went to visit Yakima they were told in no uncertain terms that they weren't welcome. Before the crew could leave the CEO/president/whatever came over and invited them in and showed them around. It helps if you know the boss.

If you can't find one used then you might be able to recreate the roller part of it.

[p nut]

I had a kayak and almost bought this. Ended up selling the SUV for a truck so no longer was needed, but this is the way I’d have gone. There are some DIY people have made out of PVC pipe as well.

Yakima Showboat
https://youtu.be/ULK7b3ht9aM

Another vid
https://youtu.be/UJ2gjvI8SOY

Simple, up and out of the way.

[snah]

Friend of mine designed these for his kayaks, have one on my Land Cruiser and love it. Might be worth a check. It's on rollers, slides off the back of the truck and down to allow loading and strapping the canoe, easy lift and slide it back on top.

https://www.ezrecreationalracks.com/

[verticaldoug]

Lift weights, get stronger. Think of it as training for all those great portages you can do on an extended BWCA trip some summer.

[C40_guy]

I really like the Sylvan Sport trailers. Versatile, well built, rather expensive.

For now, all my toys go on top -- bikes, kayaks, etc.

But the OP mentioned crowded parking lots, and trailers don't play well in crowded parking lots...

What about UberXL? :)

[marsh]

I'm going to try this Harbour Freight trailer hack soon, I'm the only one at home that can get our 3 kayaks onto our Toyota Highlander:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRC9ITQI4s