Canoes are lightweight, and they can be easily picked up by the wind and sent flying across the highway if they aren’t properly tied down. Tying down a canoe onto a jeep is easy with the right equipment. High-quality cam buckle tie-down straps (never skimp on the straps to hold your canoe) that are tied in four different spots with a rack is all you need.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Rack or canoe blocks (unless you have a soft-top jeep) Four cam buckle tie-down straps
- Rack or canoe blocks (unless you have a soft-top jeep)
- Four cam buckle tie-down straps
Step 1
Prepare your vehicle. This first step will depend on the type of jeep you have. If you own a Wrangler with a soft top, either take the soft top down completely, or you can keep the top up and do nothing in this step because you can position your canoe directly on the soft top. For jeeps that aren’t convertibles, you will need either a proper rack (Thule and Yakima are popular manufacturers) or you will need to place a pair of foam canoe blocks on your roof. This helps support the canoe and minimizes damaging the paint job on your jeep.
Step 2
Position the canoe on your jeep. Place your canoe upside on top of your roof so that the hull is facing up. You may need to enlist help to lift the canoe.
Step 3
Run tie-down straps to secure the canoe. You will need four cam buckle tie-down straps. Two straps will go in the middle while two straps will secure either end of the kayak. To place the straps in the middle, one end of the strap will need to go through the inside of your jeep with the two ends meeting on top of your camper. If you have a rack, you won’t need to place the straps through the doors; simply loop them through the rack instead. Place the second strap in the same way so there are two straps securing the canoe in the middle. Don’t worry about tightening the straps because you may need to shift the canoe so it’s centered. Take one of the remaining straps and run it through the bow end of the vehicle and secure the ends of the strap at either end of the bumper so it forms an inverted “V” shape. Do the same at the stern end of the canoe.
Step 4
Tighten the straps. Once the canoe is centered on the vehicle, tighten the straps by pressing the button on the cam buckle and pulling the strap through the buckle. The straps should feel taut, but be careful of over tightening the straps or you could dent your jeep.
