Transporting canoe and kayak across country

[shadowclaw]

Hello all. I'll be making the move from Pennsylvania to Oregon in a little over a month. I originally had a good plan together for transporting our stuff, which included renting 2 u-haul moving cubes. It was plenty of space for our things and only cost $2500. I priced this back in the spring and had checked the online pricing as recently as May.

Now that I am looking for an apartment and actually trying to get everything together, I've found that the price has doubled. So now our only affordable option is to get a single relocube from a different company for $2100. Which means we'll be leaving furniture behind. It also means that I now have to transport both my canoe and kayak on my car. It's hectic enough with just one. I can't imagine going across the country with both.

The good news is that I'm getting a Subaru Forester in a few weeks, and it actually has roof rails and cross bars, unlike my current car which has nothing. So instead of hoping the foam blocks hold out on the 3000 mile journey, I can get a proper carrying system that attaches to the roof rack. However, I have no idea about carrying 2 boats. I've seen 2 kayaks on cars before, and a saw a shady photo of a kayak kind of bungee corded to a canoe, but I don't know the best options for long distance transportation of them. Anyone have any experience or suggestions?

[rising_star]

I assume you've recontacted all the moving companies from your original search about their options? Are you at all flexible on moving dates? Often things are cheaper/more available if you can avoid moving in the last five days or first three days of the month... Also, have you considered going the ABF trailer route? With that, you pay by the linear foot for the space you use up to 26 feet. They're more of a pain to load than a Relocube (because they're 4 feet off the ground and you have to use a ramp) but, with a dolly, it's manageable for sure. 

 

If you post on the Subaru forums, you can probably find some car-specific advice. Obviously you'll want to make sure you don't exceed the weight limit for your vehicle's roof. You'll probably need to drive slower than you might otherwise to minimize shifting. You might also want to make sure you won't be going under any low bridges (I drive under some that are only 10 feet above the road, which would be a concern if I had a canoe and a kayak stacked on top of my car) that could pose a problem.