DIY Canoe Rack for a Pickup

The problem with hauling a canoe on your pickup is that if simply tied to the top, it sits bow up at a steep angle in front and low on the tailgate. At road speeds this adds dangerous lift to the canoe. If you sit the canoe flat in the bed, it sticks too far out past the tailgate. What you have to do is lift the canoe up in the back so it is carried level. To do that you'll need to build a frame in the bed of the truck..

  1. Uprights

    • You can use wood or metal for the uprights of your frame. Something that fits in the holes on top of the truck bed is best. If you use metal, you'll have to drill holes for bolting the framework to the top of the poles. Make the uprights just about three inches taller than top of the truck cab. If you don't have the square holes in the top of the bed to sit the uprights in, you'll have to build a rectangular frame for both the bottom and top of the uprights.

    Cross Members

    • Use 2x6's or angle iron to bolt to the top of the uprights. Bolt two of them running front to back on the outside and two running crosswise to set the canoe on. Do the same on the bottom if your frame is going to sit inside the bed. Attach the cross members to the uprights so that the uprights will stick up a couple of inches above the cross members. This keeps the boat from sliding off the sides of the frame. Drill all your holes before bolting the frame together.

    The Frame

    • Once you've finished bolting together the frame, set it in the back of the pickup bed. Whether the legs fit down into the sides of the truck bed or the entire box sits inside the truck bed, you'll need to tie down the frame to the truck to keep it from bouncing out when the canoe is loaded and you're driving down rough roads. Invest in a set of ratchet tie-downs for this purpose.

    Padding the Frame

    • There are two places you want to pad. First, if you have a full box frame instead of the legs sitting in the truck bed holes, then you'll need to pad the bottom to prevent scraping the paint. Buy a half dozen foam swim noodles at a pool supply place; get the kind with hollow centers. Cut a split lengthwise and halfway through the noodle. Simply pull apart the noodle and wrap it over the places where the frame rubs against the truck and duct tape it into place. Next wrap some noodles over the cross members at the top of the frame and duct tape or zip-tie them into place. This will protect the gunwales of the canoe when you sit it upside down upon the top of the frame.

    Tying Down the Canoe

    • Tie down the frame, then tie the canoe to the top of the framework. The bow will hang over the pickup cab and the stern will hang over the tailgate. Use ratchet tie-downs and bungee cords to secure the canoe so it doesn't slide around on top of the frame. The swim noodles will help a lot by creating a high-traction surface for the canoe to rest on. Hang a red flag on the stern of the canoe if it hangs more than a foot beyond the tailgate.