Solution to Cure Excess Movement and Noise When Carrying Canoe on 2010 Toyota 4Runner

Updated 06/29/2021 | Published 06/25/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Yakima KeelOver Canoe Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Clamp On

(43)

$158.95

etrailer Kayak Tie-Down Kit

(61)

$35.75

Malone BigFoot Pro Canoe Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Clamp On

(28)

$103.95

Malone MicroSportXT Trailer - 78" Crossbars - Retractable Tongue - 800 lbs

(112)

$2375.10

Question:

Well my experience has been the canoe tie down in the front of my 4 runner has been problematic. In transit the harmonics, or the vibration caused by the wind is too much for me. I’ve gone without. Only relying on the Yakima brackets and tie downs on the factory installed roof rack and crossbars. Not a good move. Any advice?

asked by: Dan

Expert Reply:

I may have a solution for you, but with something the size of a canoe this is fairly common and there's not really a way around it by carrying your boat in this manner. For this reason I recommend getting a small trailer like the Malone MicroSportXT Trailer - 78" Crossbars - Retractable Tongue - 800 lbs # MPG460XT since it would get rid of everything that's going on with the vibrations. You can use the Malone BigFoot Pro Canoe Carrier with Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Side Loading - Clamp On # MPG112MD for your canoe to help in securing it on the bars. The MicroSportXT comes with a 2" coupler and 4 way trailer wiring harness included.

You could possibly add straps to your existing configuration with the etrailer Kayak Tie-Down Kit # e36ZR, which would give you another set of straps and anchors to use on the front of your vehicle; it's possible that tying down to 2 spots might help reduce some of the movement you're getting and reduce vibration/noise a bit. This would certainly be more cost effective but I'm not sure how much overall this solves since the problem is just the large, odd shaped item on your roof.

I've linked some review videos of these parts for you to check out.

expert reply by: Erik B