Best way to transport a Canoe

[Captain Slow]

Ok guys, I want a boat. Been wanting one forever, but I have no truck to haul stuff with. I considered an inflatable boat but that seems like a pain in the but.

What would be my best bet in transporting a canoe with a Yaris? Roof rack will probably get the car all scratched up, trailer means I have to mount a towing package.

Thoughts?

[CTScott]

I say trailer, unless you will always have a helper for loading and unloading. I have a 17' ABS Canoe and I used to kill myself getting it onto the roof rack of my Forrester or, worse yet, Xterra. I picked up a jet ski trailer, for free, and adapted that to carry the canoe (plus two kayaks).

[BEEF]

A friend of mine has a sail boat that he pulls with his vibe. be it a very small sail boat. him and another guy can take it off of the trailer with no problems. I think he could just about do it himself other than the fact it is like 7ish feet long.

he uses a trailer as the wind resistance is less. he thought about putting it on the top and he said it trailers so much better. he just did a trailer hitch and the wiring. nothing else done to the vehicle. I do realize it has the 1.8l engine.

***edit***

CT beat me to it.

[bronsin]

Roof rack. Comes in handy for other things besides.

I am too old for that stuff anymore .

[nookandcrannycar]

jangvt just drove 2000 miles in 4 days in his '12 with a huge Yakima rack on top and he writes that the rack was very steady....and he drove between 80-110 MPH. You might PM him to see if he has a contact person at Yakima. His recent thread is in the 3rd generation area.

[RedRide]

I agree with a trailler.
If you are concerened about the apearance of a trailer hitch, ones are available with a detacable ball end that you can remove when not hauling a trailer.

The only down side is any trailer and hitch combo can be relatively expensive.

[otterhere]

A friend transports two long (flatwater) kayaks on roof racks with his; no problem. My short (whitewater) kayak fits neatly in the hatch if I put both the back and passenger side seats down, but my 9-footer has to stick its head out the passenger side window.

[mazilla]

Get a jetski trailer.

[jambo101]

You could also pack one of these to get the canoe from the car to the water..
http://www.brogunindustries.com/Jet_Ski_Trolley_Side.JPG

Better yet you'll get tired of the limited versatility of a canoe, go right to the party
http://images01.olx.com/ui/13/58/30/1299266403_172895830_6-Sailboat-boat-pontoon-transport-camper-towing-trailer-towing-United-States.jpg:biggrin:

Seriously, get a cartop carrier.
http://www.carrackadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2007-toyota-corolla-canoe-roof-rack-412-300x300.jpg