On Thu, 26 Dec 1996, William Dummitt wrote:

>Does anyone have any experience carrying a canoe on a Wesfalia camper?  Is
>it best to use the foam pads that fit on the sides of the canoe and rest
>these directly on the fiberglass top, or is it better to use a rack?
>Anybody recommend a particular rack and how to mount it?  Thanks in
>advance.

Yes. I use a Yakima rack system (crossbars) to carry a 17ft canoe and a
Yakima Rocket Box (roof top carrier) on an '86 Westy. Mount the cross bars
well apart for additional high speed stability.  The Yakima racks require
you to mount brackets on the side of the fiberglass top. Make sure you use
some large washers under the mounting nuts.  I found it to be a superior
rack system - safe and convenient to use. I have carried a canoe at 75+ MPH
with no problems. Yakima racks are expensive but worth it in the long run.

I use the rocket box to carry paddles, wet life jackets, etc. There is
ample room for both.  In order to be able to lift the camper top with the
rocket box mounted I had to mount it as far toward the rear as possible.
This required the addition of a third cross bar.

E-mail at rpn@helix.nih.gov if you additional info.

Rick Nordan