This is slightly off topic for canoe gear, but it applies to all the people that have tight garages to store their gear in.

Our smaller two car garage has a smaller double door and I really have to hug the right hand side to get in and have enough room to open my door. Its so tight that my RH mirror has to be less than 3" from the door jam to get in and me to get out of the truck. The other problem is my driveway is steeply inclined so it adds to the challenge. You can't really line up on a target "over the horizon" very well.
Does anyone have any ideas for a guidance system? Laser? Ultra sonic thing? "curb feelers" or ???. The tennis ball on a string idea hitting the hood may work, but then it will get dragged over the cab and probably ripped off by the gap between the topper & cab or canoe rack bars.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
H

Just ask your wife if she would mind not parking in the garage..problem solved.

Humdinger,
Ever notice how easy it is to identify a soloist :)

We also have a space challenged garage, due to all of the equipment storage. I have hung from the ceiling a florescent surveyors ribbon (about 4 feet long) with a plastic clip on the end which when we enter the garage we place the ribbon aligning it with our nose and drive up until the windshield touches it. The only time it is in the way is when I work in there. I have put in a hook to the side, so I can place the marker out of my way.

Not sure if this will help but it is a possibility.
Boppa

this *might work. :)
tractor beam

I'm uncertain how the tennis ball on a string would get 'ripped off' by the cab/canoe rack. We always had them centered over the middle of the windshield, about rearview mirror height, and lined up the rearview mirror with the ball when pulling in. Unless you are backing into the garage, this would work :)

Good one Kanoes
Pikehunter

I have a similar problem sans the steep driveway. I use one of those automatic laser pointers that go on when the garage door opens. I placed a tiny white dot on the dashboards of each car (after I spent a few minutes perfectly positioning them). Line up the car on the dot and you're parked perfectly.

laser park

quote Amok: "I'm uncertain how the tennis ball on a string would get 'ripped off' by the cab/canoe rack. We always had them centered over the middle of the windshield, about rearview mirror height, and lined up the rearview mirror with the ball when pulling in. Unless you are backing into the garage, this would work :)"

My issue isn't stopping at the right spot inside the garage, but getting an alignment when starting to enter the garage when coming up the steep incline. Its a pain to get the hood inside and almost hit the mirror on the door jam. Any thing hanging down would be outside of the garage door and would slide over the whole vehicle on the way in and on the way out. That's when anything with mass that hangs down and does not fly in the breeze would get caught on vehicle parts.
I found one of those lasers at menards and may try it on the exterior even if it looks more like an interior product.

And I could ask the wife to park outside or switch sides, but I know that would go against the "happy wife - happy life" guidelines.

Not trying to hijack, but happy wife-happy life can provide some amusing moments.