could i strap a 14′ ish canoe to a 89 buick lesabre roof with no rack?

like just tie it down will it hold not highway speeds like 40mph

weight is about 50-60lbs ish

Do NOT use bungies!!! They stretch and will let the wind move the boat.

I’m assuming that racks are out of the question. They are the best answer, but cost +$200.

Plan B:
They make foam blocks that fit on the gunwales that keep from scratching the roof. Any cheaper than this seriously risks damaging your car.

Open the hood and on each side find a place you can tie a 1/8″ rope into a 12″ circular loop. Dangle that loop out of the engine compartment and close the hood gently to be sure the rope fits. (We will use these in a minute)

Clean the car roof to get rid of grit and sand. Put the foam blocks, 4 of them, on the gunwales and put the canoe on the car upside down.

It is bad luck to drive with the canoe on the car backwards.

Use the loops on the hood to tie another rope into an upside down “V” to the front handle. Don’t tighten this too much yet.

Use another rope or strap to tie the back handle to the rear bumper into an upside down “V”. You can also use the hood trick again with the trunk, but then you have to untie the ropes to open the trunk.

Now the hard part:
You have got to get a rope or strap around the belly of the canoe at the center of the car. You might try using the front loops to create an “X” of ropes crossing from front left to rear right and front right to rear left.

If it is a 4 door, you could use a variation of the hood trick to loop around the pillar between the front and rear doors. This would give you a great tie down point.

If you have more rope, us it! You won’t regret using too much rope, but somebody could get hurt if you don’t.

When you are done, you should be able to shake the canoe and rock the car.

Happy paddling!

Rack instructions

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