I am going to need to replace a aging car in the spring.  I have been checking out factory roof racks and find they are not meant to put a canoe on.  They have 2 cross bars one in the middle of the car and one at the back.  For a good canoe rack one bar needs to be as far forward as possible.  The only cars I have seen with decent racks are Volvo and Mercedes benz and those are a little out of my price range.  Anyone have any suggestions on a car with the front cross bar that is forward of the back of the driver’s seat?  Any chance of getting a car manufacture to send a rep to Copia to learn what is required of a roof rack?

Why not just get a car without a roof rack and put a Yakima or Thule rack on yourself.  The $500 or so for a good canoe rack is still way cheaper than the cost of a high end vehicle like a Volvo or Mercedes.  Personally I have a Thule designed especially for canoes and kayaks - perfect!

Kerry wrote on Jan 5^th, 2013 at 3:09pm:

This strategy (removable rack) has the added advantages of a quieter ride when not carrying a canoe (almost all racks make some type of wind noise) and eliminating drag (to improve gas mileage).

For me, I also had to go this route because my pickup is sufficiently tall that it won't fit in my garage with the rack on.  I use 3 lateral bars spread over the length of my vehicle because of the length of my haul.  The middle bar is more for backup, one of the other bars should fail for some reason.  In addition, I run a safety tether from the middle bar to the middle of my canoe (thwart or seat).

dd

Azalea
My present car has 2 rails I bought and bent to fit my roof that a t nut fits in.  I have a way to fasten 1X6 boards across when I need them.  They work great take 5 minutes to install and remove.
DD
My boards don’t make noise now that I know how to cut the front and back edge.  Round bars are terrible.
It would be nice to have a system that worked well, had a cross bar near the windshield, and I did not need to start drilling the roof of my newly acquired car.

Magicpaddler wrote on Jan 5^th, 2013 at 12:56pm:
I find myself looking at the roofs/rails of SUVs and crossovers while driving around. It looks like the rails on a lot of new cars are shorter and to the rear of the roof. I had a '97 volvo wagon (now my daughters') that has great rails. An FJ Cruiser would fit you nicely.... Curious what you come up with for a solution MP.