Date:         Sun, 19 Aug 2012 23:27:54 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: semi-OT: questions about carrying a canoe
Comments: To: Harry Hoffman <hhoffman@IP-SOLUTIONS.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <bbc7580f298f2b5b826f143ccbf5e9cc@ip-solutions.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 10:17 PM 8/19/2012, Harry Hoffman wrote:
>Anyone carrying one on its side?

That would approximate the maximum-drag shape (open hemisphere) for
wind coming from that side...taut cover would reduce that but it's
still a lot of fin pretty high up.

Canoe itself will be weakest in that orientation (weight on the sides
of the gunwales) - care in bedding and possible temporary thwarts in
way of the racks I imagine would take care of it reasonably, but I
personally would still be nervous and careful about it.  It's well
set up to take point loads on the tops of the gunwales and
distributed loads from beneath the hull.  Side loads are distributed
by the seats and thwarts to the other side, and by the stiffness of
the gunwale itself (and the hull of course) but it's tenuous compared
to the solid structures.

I've seen lots of small kayaks carried on their sides on all kinds of
vehicles, but I've never ever seen a full-size canoe carried that way.

Can you carry enough beneath the canoe to make things work?  That
would be my choice.  I don't like either the wind or structural possibilities.

Yrs,
d