Date:         Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:04:02 -0500
Reply-To:     James Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         James Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: semi-OT: questions about carrying a canoe
Comments: To: Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca>
In-Reply-To:  <5EC1EA7C-0EE6-4951-9F67-FD378A6FE891@shaw.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

No whitewater for you, then!

: )

Jim



On Aug 20, 2012, at 9:55 AM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:

> fair enough Jim, I guess lightweight plastic boats are ok on sides but I still wont do it to my 18 ft cedar canvas :)
> 
> alistair
> 
> PS and no, my company does not make carbon fiber boats, just cellulose fiber ones :)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 2012-08-20, at 7:49 AM, Jim Felder wrote:
> 
>> We don't normally do it that way down here either, Alistair. But, the reason is because it is typically impractical (most people don't have the standup racks to even carry a canoe on its side on a cartop), not because it is in any way bad for the canoe. 
>> 
>> I went on a photo shoot a few years back with a bunch of carbon fiber Bells (any relation, Alistair?) and we put a kayak in the middle and a canoe on its side on each side of that on top of some kind of a toyota SUV, and 
>> a kayak and one sideways canoe on my westy, because they would not both fit flat. Went all over the place. What I worried about most was the gunwale of the canoe digging in to my poptop, so I used swim pads to help with that. Those boats were fragile, being fiber, but very light.
>> 
>> As the Executive Director of the Alabama Scenic River Trail, I help haul hundreds of boats a year around the state. The orientation of the boat has never been a problem as long as its is securely and competently fastened.
>> 
>> Jim
>