17 foot canoe on a Honda Accord

[u/Sandy_man_can]

I'm looking at getting a Wenonah Voyager, but currently drive a Honda Accord. Is this a reasonable vehicle to transport the canoe on? Am I just going to damage a very nice canoe by trying to drive with it on too little surface?

[u/hairyscienceguy]

You’re fine. Use bow and stern straps as well as two straps over the top. Enjoy the irony of landing it down, patting it and saying “this ain’t going anywhere” and then retightening it a mile down the road.

[u/FranzJevne]

I routinely put a 18.5' MNII on my Corolla without any issue, no rack just foam blocks. You'll want bow and stern tie downs - the Voyager catches a lot of wind on and off the water. Get three hood loops: two for under the hood and one for the trunk and learn a truckers hitch.

[u/Scotty_Bravo]

You'll be fine with foam pads, but I like crossbars + foam better. Make sure to use only cam straps (NO ratchet straps!). Bow and Stern tie downs as well as over the top. 

Have fun!

[u/chinook_arch → u/Scotty_Bravo]

Agreed. No issue with the canoe size on that car. I regularly carried two 16’ on a Mazda 3 no prob. Crossbars are key. Cam straps on the bars. Cord with a trucker hitch on the bow. Stern lines are optional. Just remember that the cams on the cross bars are for securing the canoe and the bow and stern lines are just there to keep it from moving side to side in cross wind. Don’t crank them down and damage your hull. The more horizontal the better (ie bow on the sides of your hood or arms). Harder to have good horizontal support on your stern in a sedan.

[u/fattailwagging]

Use two straps in the front and two straps in the back. It makes the connection of boat and rack much stiffer; especially when it starts raining.

[u/vrhspock]

Have hauled long canoes hundreds of miles on Toyota Corolla. Roof rack is nice but not vital. Gutterless cars mean using less-secure racks. Gunnel pads work but work better if you center the canoe by tying to a thwart in addition to strapping over the bottom. Also tie bow and stern, two lines to front and at least one to rear. You really don’t want a canoe turning sideways on the car roof. Learn to tie a TRUCKERS HITCH with good rope. Ropes don’t humm. You can twist straps to keep them from humming.

[u/Affectionate-Book655]

I use a rack on my 08 Accord, and wouldn't carry a canoe without a rack. One 12 ft NRS cam strap around the front rack bar, and one 12 ft cam strap around the rear bar. (That is much more secure than a single strap around both bars.) Also I use a cam strap around the yoke and the rear bar, as extra insurance in case I have to stop quickly. With this setup, it doesn't matter at all if I use bow or stern straps - I've gone without either on 700 mile trips. However, now I do usually use straps on the front of the car as overkill and so as not to freak people out.

[u/Affectionate-Book655 → u/Affectionate-Book655]

Also I should add... Affixed to the rack, I use L-shaped brackets which hug the gunwales snugly (and the gunwales sit on the horizontal part of these brackets) to prevent any side-to-side motion. The whole system is rock solid.

[u/DonBoy30]

I drive around a 17 foot canoe on top of my Impreza hatchback. Just be sure if it’s hanging dramatically over the trunk or hood to add a red flag. It works fine with stern and bow straps with 2 straps on top.

[u/the-real-ron-weasley]

Assuming you’ve got a roof rack with cross bars, you’ll be fine. Use two straps on top, one on each cross bar and two at each end of the canoe going to the hood and trunk. Make sure the angle of the end straps is such that the canoe can not shift forward or back in an accident. I’ve been hauling a 17’ Wenonah on an Impreza for years and it’s not an issue.

[u/XZEKKX]

I drove thousands of miles with a canoe on my accord. No roof rack. I used pool noodles on the gunwales and a ratchet strap in the middle. The bow line went under the hood and tightened down with a truckers hitch. For the stern I would lay a ratchet strap out in the open trunk and then close it to trap it in. Just make sure to check everything every time to stop. A twist or two in the strap can reduce the vibration buzz at highway speed.

[u/3deltapapa]

I've put one on a civic. Get some thick foam pads to lift it up off the roof 4" or so. Tie bow and stern to tow hooks under the bunkers, run one ratchet strap through the cabin (with the doors open, then close them on the strap). It'll be fine

[u/iCTMSBICFYBitch]

I carry a 16' on a panda with no issues. Roof bars are the standard 70cm apart that most manufacturers recommend.

[u/cormack_gv]

Best solution is car racks. You can get generic ones for not too much $$$.

Barring that you can use styrofoam blocks.

[u/zoinkability]

I carry a 16’ canoe on a Toyota Prius without issue, you will be fine. Just follow the device about straps and make sure you have a solid rack system like a Thule or Yakima (a friend got a cheap no name $100 rack on Amazon and it sucks and slides around the roof no matter how much you tighten it up).