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Last Visit: 06/18/2013 08:00PM
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analyzer

04/30/2012 10:28PM

Some of you have seen the canoe trailer I rent out, pictured below:

I have 1 1/2 " square steel tubing. I have been padding the steel with this foam stuff they use to wrap cold water piping, but it doesn't hold up very well.

What do you guys think about wood stripping screwed down to the steel? Would you want to strap your kevlar, wood, aluminum, fiberglass canoes, etc, to wood?

I was just going to pick up some oak trim, and counter sink my screws so they don't rub. Will that work? Or do you have another suggestion?

I've thought about leather, but i'm not sure what that will do in the weather over time.

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analyzer

04/30/2012 10:35PM

You can see the foam padding I've been using, on the lower cross members. I've wrapped the foam in duct tape, but it needs repairs every time it comes back. I'm trying to find a better solution.

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bhouse46

04/30/2012 11:05PM

If it rubs the duct tape raw I am glad it is not the boat. Back in the day I used old rubber inner tubes; cut strips and wind fairly tight, tape or tie down the loose end. Worked pretty good.

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tonyyarusso

04/30/2012 11:13PM

The cross pieces of the hoist in my garage are pine 2x4s with some cheap ($0.79/foot) carpet runner stapled to it - works great, You could try something like that. The runner is made for high-wear situations, and is rubber-backed, so should hold up for your use too.

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campcook184

05/01/2012 05:11AM

On the scout trailer we rent from the council, they use 2" (round) plastic gas pipe slipped over the 1 1/2" square tube. It fits snug to the tube, and protects the aluminum canoes just great.

I can explain this to you, but I cant understand it for you.....

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Craig K

05/01/2012 06:56AM

I'm thinking that a roll on bed liner might do the trick, some are more rubbery and shouldn't scratch up the canoe.

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schweady

05/01/2012 08:34AM

analyzer: We used that same pipe insulation on our trailer rack's maiden voyage last year... with the same disappointing result. We are going to try carpeting this year. Nice thought on the carpet runner, tony. Ours is made with round pipe, so will probably use zip-ties and/or duct tape.

"You can observe a lot by watching." -- Yogi Berra

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aholmgren

05/01/2012 09:02AM

slit a garden or fire hose might work

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RaisedByBears99

05/01/2012 09:22AM

quote tonyyarusso: "The cross pieces of the hoist in my garage are pine 2x4s with some cheap ($0.79/foot) carpet runner stapled to it - works great, You could try something like that. The runner is made for high-wear situations, and is rubber-backed, so should hold up for your use too."

Yes, I've always used carpet.

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trashbag

05/01/2012 11:36AM

i use old basketball backboard edge pads

trashbag

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fitgers1

05/01/2012 12:23PM

Did you try wrapping the insulation entirely with electrical tape or duct tape? Looks like you just did it in a few spots. I would use wide electrical tape and wrap it tight from one end to the other. This is how my dad did his when I was younger. It worked well from what i remember. May have occasionally had to wrap some more tape around some areas but I don't recall him actually doing that.

Carpet also crossed my mind. I was thinking an old bathroom floor type rug that has the rubber backing. Wrap it on with the rubber out and then tape or zip tie it tight.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson...and...“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

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fitgers1

05/01/2012 12:29PM

What kind of trailer did you start out with there or was it all home made from the ground up?

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Zulu

05/01/2012 01:07PM

I like CraigK's idea of applying some kind of rubber/vinyl coating. I looked at my Thule load bars and they have something like that applied.
I have used that liquid rubber/plastic that you apply with a brush and it hardens for different applications and it seems durable. It may only need to be applied where the gunwales rest on the bar. I think the is a product you can apply to electrical wire if you break the casing similar to that.

Good Luck - Nice Trailer!

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trashbag

05/01/2012 01:33PM

quote trashbag: "i use old basketball backboard edge pads"here is a photo

trashbag

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fitgers1

05/01/2012 01:45PM

quote Zulu: "I like CraigK's idea of applying some kind of rubber/vinyl coating. I looked at my Thule load bars and they have something like that applied.
I have used that liquid rubber/plastic that you apply with a brush and it hardens for different applications and it seems durable. It may only need to be applied where the gunwales rest on the bar. I think the is a product you can apply to electrical wire if you break the casing similar to that.

Good Luck - Nice Trailer!"

I thought of that as well but not sure if I'm thinking of the same stuff. What came to my mind is 3M ScotchKote (SP?). It is like rubbery electrical tape without the sticky stuff but it sticks to itself. Wrap it tight around the beam and then coat it with the ScotchKote stuff. Comes in a can with a brush. We uses it on gas turbine cannon plugs ( electrical connections) to make them waterproof. Stuff gets pretty hard yet is pliable. Have to cut it off with a knife. It might do the trick.

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Woods Walker

05/01/2012 05:32PM

A road is a dagger placed in the heart of a wilderness. -William O. Douglas, in Ghost Grizzlies

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analyzer

05/01/2012 05:34PM

Thanks guys...some good ideas and feedback.

That was an early pic fitgers. Since then i have wrapped it completely with duct tape. It works but wears out quickly. The frame was from someones home made motorcycle trailor...then converted to a trihull boat trailer. Then i added box and steel. I really like it. I have since cut off the back part and the wench bracket.

So no one would use straight wood then?

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alpinebrule

05/01/2012 06:54PM

I'm going to try swimming noodles. Saw some at the dollar store. I have the same problem with pipe insulation not very durable. May we can mix it with another thread, Duc.Duck tape:)

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kanoes

05/01/2012 07:04PM

quote analyzer: "So no one would use straight wood then?"
i think thats a great idea.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg...youtube it))

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walllee

05/01/2012 07:48PM

Try pvc drain tile, cut it and screw it on. cheap and lasts a long time.

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schweady

05/01/2012 08:00PM

quote kanoes: "quote analyzer: "So no one would use straight wood then?"
i think thats a great idea."
For reliable construction, I'd say it's hard to beat a good weld.

edit: oh, maybe you meant ADDING wood strips to the steel...

"You can observe a lot by watching." -- Yogi Berra

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kanoes

05/01/2012 08:01PM

quote schweady: "quote kanoes: "quote analyzer: "So no one would use straight wood then?"
i think thats a great idea."
For reliable construction, I'd say it's hard to beat a good weld.
"
its already welded steel, hes looking for a "padding" idea, something to lessen the harshness of the steel crossbars (for gunwales)...and something more durable than foam.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg...youtube it))

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schweady

05/01/2012 08:04PM

Yup. Beat me to my edit, above.

"You can observe a lot by watching." -- Yogi Berra

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rmessner

05/01/2012 08:18PM

Use wood, with a slight crown to it, then wrap it with tennis racket grip tape, double it up at the heavy wear areas. The wood by itself will mar the canoe when it moves and vibrates going down the road(it's too hard and slippery on it's own). Pine hand rail ripped in two halves would be perfect.

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vinnie

05/01/2012 08:26PM

Go to a racing store and get rollbar pading, thats what i use on mine

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sleepnbag

05/01/2012 08:39PM

quote kanoes: "quote analyzer: "So no one would use straight wood then?"
i think thats a great idea."

I totally agree as well.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

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fitgers1

05/01/2012 08:42PM

quote analyzer: "Thanks guys...some good ideas and feedback.

That was an early pic fitgers. Since then i have wrapped it completely with duct tape. It works but wears out quickly. The frame was from someones home made motorcycle trailor...then converted to a trihull boat trailer. Then i added box and steel. I really like it. I have since cut off the back part and the wench bracket.

So no one would use straight wood then?"

Yes, I would use wood strips on top. We put 2 x 4's on top of a van to haul 2 canoes up each year and have no problems with any type of damage to the boats.

That's a nice trailer set-up.
I wish you well in finding the right solution.

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kanoes

05/01/2012 08:47PM

ok, get a hard rubber entry mat, 1/4 inchish thick. cuts strips to width and mount to bars with ss 10-32's, drill/tap.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg...youtube it))

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analyzer

05/01/2012 10:32PM

quote rmessner: "The wood by itself will mar the canoe when it moves and vibrates going down the road(it's too hard and slippery on it's own). Pine hand rail ripped in two halves would be perfect."

I guess that's the feedback I was looking for.

kanoes. I strongly considered the rubber matt cut in strips, and may still go that way. I'll have to look at some sort of bed liner, rubber spray on coating, or vinnie's racing bike crossbar padding idea. I don't want to leave black marks on anyone's kevlar though. I suppose I could just provide the slip on pads that you put on the side rails, but they sometimes blow off when you're going down the road.

Love all the ideas guys. Thank you so much.

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analyzer

05/01/2012 10:36PM

Incidentally, I just bought another aircraft carrier. I was checking fire extinguishers at one of the marinas, and they had an alumicraft 17' canoe laying on the dock (one of those ones with the little triangle mount for a motor on the back, you know, the untippable ones, with the 38" beams. I asked the maintenance guys what the scoop was, and he said the owner was selling it with an electric trolling motor, and these goofy outrigger things that keep it from tipping, for $300.

I offered him $100, and he eventually took $150.00. I'm pretty thrilled. I know it's a 95lb beast, but for bass camping and crossing sag, it's the right canoe. It's really nice to have a wife that doesn't say "what the fck did you buy that for?". She was as psyched about it as I was. I LOVE that woman.

Anyway, I think I'm going to name her the "Yorktown". LOL. My grandparents on my fathers side lived in York nebraska, and the play on the aircraft carrier name makes sense. Although, as I recall, the Yorktown eventually sank. Perhaps I should name it the "enterprise" instead. I like the Yorktown better. IT might find a flying moose sticker too.

I pick it up saturday. Pics to follow.

Funny, an hour or so after I bought it, it suddenly occurred to me, I don't have to shore fish anymore : )~ That, and the $150 1965 6hp motor I bought, gives me a nice little set up to dink around on local lakes and rivers. Oh, and yes I know, i'm killing you paddle-happy-kevlar folks. I paddle too, just not the first 7 miles on Sag.

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SteveB

05/02/2012 06:49AM

I use baler belting from Tractor Supply for similar applications. The stuff is tough as nails. Comes in various widths.

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rmessner

05/02/2012 04:44PM

Here's another option that you can add to the existing steel. Sims Vibration baseball bat grip wrap

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analyzer

05/02/2012 10:06PM

quote SteveB: "I use baler belting from Tractor Supply for similar applications. The stuff is tough as nails. Comes in various widths. "

Baler Belting?

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blackdawg9

05/03/2012 07:20AM

do you have the dimensions on your trailer? I've been thinking about getting something like yours for local use. my jeep is to tall for just one person to load and unload by themselves.

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SteveB

05/03/2012 09:51AM

Think narrow conveyor belt. Rubber coated canvas type material. I use it for everything from non-skid pads for my jetski shop dolly to blade squeegee at the edge of my snow plow. It will glue in place on metal or wood, or it could be wrapped like a baseball bat grip I suppose.

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thebotanyguy

05/03/2012 12:26PM

quote analyzer: "quote SteveB: "I use baler belting from Tractor Supply for similar applications. The stuff is tough as nails. Comes in various widths. "

Baler Belting?"

Good suggestion from SteveB. I had a look at the stuff on the Tractor Supply website:

Replacement Baler Belting

A side note - get yourself a Post Hole Digger from Tractor Supply Company and you can honestly say, "I have a PHD from TSC".

"Said one of these men, long past seventy years of age: 'I could carry, paddle, walk and sing with any man I ever saw. I have been twenty-four years a canoe man, and forty-one years in service; no portage was ever too long for me. Fifty songs could I sing. I have saved the lives of ten voyageurs. Have had twelve wives and six running dogs. I spent all my money in pleasure. Were I young again, I should spend my life the same way over. There is no life so happy as a voyageur's life!'"

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rmessner

05/03/2012 12:54PM

Huh, I didn't even think about the baler belts, that's what I have pleeted around my dock.

If you know any farmers, they all have used baler belts laying around. (at least those that still use round bales)

Otherwise I still have some in my garage. I would ship some to you for just the price of postage.

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analyzer

05/03/2012 10:56PM

quote blackdawg9: "do you have the dimensions on your trailer? I've been thinking about getting something like yours for local use. my jeep is to tall for just one person to load and unload by themselves."

What sort of dimensions are you looking for?

If you're in the twin cities, you could come look at it some time. If I were going to change anything, I'd put the box, 6 inches forward of center on the axle, so that the weight would be slightly more on the tongue, but it rides really nice.

I love the full size tires. It makes a big difference IMO. If you look around for a trailer to build on, find a least one from a 16' boat. You need the extra tongue length. I almost made the mistake of grabbing a 14' boat trailer, and I think it would've been a bit short.

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analyzer

05/03/2012 11:05PM

Yeah, I think Baler Belting is going to be my answer. As long as that won't leave black marks on someone's canoe. Does it hold up in 90 degree heat, or get soft and leave rub marks?

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rmessner

05/04/2012 06:33AM

The belting is basically the same material used to make the serpentine belts on your car engine, it's just wider(maybe 6"-8") and about 1/8" - 3/16" thick.

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Wetlander

05/04/2012 08:09AM

You could cut strips out of those rubber truck bed mats and attach them to the top rails. I bet just using zip ties to secure it would be good enough. Or, those bumper things that you see on boat docks. I don't mean old tires either. I seem to remember some kind of rubber padded thing that slid over the dock posts.

The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Wetlander

05/04/2012 08:14AM

Or like this

The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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SteveB

05/05/2012 09:31AM

quote analyzer: "Yeah, I think Baler Belting is going to be my answer. As long as that won't leave black marks on someone's canoe. Does it hold up in 90 degree heat, or get soft and leave rub marks?"

The rubber gets more flexible in the heat but not soft, really. haven't seen black marks from it but haven't used it for your application, either. It's unlike serpentine belt in that there's no fabric on the outside of it, just inside.

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bumabu

05/05/2012 09:52AM

For simplicity and durability, and maybe looks, I would mount a simple hardwood rail on top.

Take the pipe insulation and cut it into 4 inch strips. Issue four pieces for each canoe for every trip. that way each canoe is protected against any rub, if any exists and can be cinched down tight. They will also reduce "slide" on the rail during travel. More than likely most will come back in good shape and be re-used.

Who I am precedes what I do, not the other way around.

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analyzer

05/05/2012 10:52AM

quote bumabu: "For simplicity and durability, and maybe looks, I would mount a simple hardwood rail on top.

Take the pipe insulation and cut it into 4 inch strips. Issue four pieces for each canoe for every trip. that way each canoe is protected against any rub, if any exists and can be cinched down tight. They will also reduce "slide" on the rail during travel. More than likely most will come back in good shape and be re-used. "

I could just go wood, and let the folks figure out on their own, if they need additional protection. Those with kevlar probably baby them with additional padding they already have. Those with Fiberglass and Aluminum won't care.

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knothead180

05/07/2012 04:45PM

I would just treat it as a carpeted bunk of a boat trailer, which it essentially is, just that you are carrying the boats upside down. Use a table saw or router to cut a dado, or channel, about a half inch deep down the length of a pressure treated 2x4 wide enough to sit over your 1.5 inch bars. Bolt the wood to the bars from below using T-nuts on top so nothing protrudes. Cover the wood with marine grade carpet using stainless steel staples. It would be a simple matter to recarpet them at any time, but I bet it would last a long time in this application. Lots of ways to skin this cat, but that's how I'd do it.

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BigAl2

05/07/2012 11:09PM

If you live in the Twin Cities Area, you could check with "Remackel Welding" in Forest Lake (651-464-2889). He makes canoe trailers and for a charge might be willing to put a rubber srips on your bars. I have one he made several years ago without rubber strips and I talked to him at the Midwest Mtning expo. He now puts a rubber strip on the bars, but did not in the past. He told me he would put them on mine if I want.

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