making a rack for canoes

[ScouterMom]

& possibly later adapting it for bikes.....

I like to canoe with friends - most of whom don't have vehicles to carry canoes, nor do they have the connection of a boy scout troop to borrow multiple canoes from.....

however, the troop insurance does not cover use of the troops canoe trailer, so I want to be able to carry a canoe (or two) on my camper frame.  I would also like the ability to take my recumbent tricycle, and my family's bikes along on campouts. ( but not all at the same time! )

So we came up with this idea - basically a frame attached to the frame of the camper to suspend the canoe OVER the roof, with no pressure on the roof or box of the camper.  We've done the same thing with 2X 4's on top of the roof rack of my van to carry two canoes side by side ( the roof rack is not quite wide enough for two canoes, the 2X4's extend it by about 6")  and the design is basically copied from the structure of the troop's 8 canoe trailer - except that we have two support posts on each end instead of one - and our uprights will telescope out of the way to allow for opening of the camper beds.

here's a link to photos:




What do you think? has anyone tried this?

A welder friend /neighbor of mine - who has done lots of trailer, demolition derby and racecar metalwork, helped us refine the plan and he did the welding for me for free.  the materials have so far cost me only about  $80 - mostly in the square perforated tubing we are using.  (Nuts, bolts and angle iron being standard stuff in my overstocked garage! LOL!)

I thought that after our planned canoe trip on Labor Day weekend, I could then make a frame (probably baised on a PVC bike carrier I've seen) to attach to this to then hold bikes upright and also keep the wieght of the bikes off the roof.

My camper is 35 yrs old, a 73 starcraft, and the roof has NO reinforcement - only alum skin and foam. This was before anyone thought of putting AC units on a PUP's roof! So that's why I want to avoid putting anything on the roof or body.

laura

[austinado16]

That's pretty groovey!  I like it.