Thule Portage Canoe Gunwale Brackets
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Thule Portage Gunwale Brackets keep your canoe from shifting on load bars and help guide it into position during loading.
Shop similar products- Durable brackets with ramped sides provide easy loading
- Cushioned weather-resistant base padding protects canoe during transit
- Strong, durable load straps with buckle bumpers protect car and canoe from scratches
- FlipFitâ„¢ bracket fits all Thule Rack Systems, round bars and most factory racks with single reversible mounting bracket
- Includes bow and stern tie downs
Imported.
| Best Use | Canoeing |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | Unavailable |
| Weight | Unavailable |
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Fits on Toyota FC Cruiser!
I was pleasantly surprised to determine that these fit just fine on a Toyota FJ Cruiser (REI had previously indicated that per Thule, they would not fit on my FJ). I used them to very securely transport my new Esquif Prospector 16 canoe. I'm guessing the reason for that response is because the original OEM configuration for the roof rack cross bars will indeed not work, but the cross bars are meant to be easily moved / reconfigured which is what I did. Then the Thule brackets fit just fine. See pictures.
Received used product for full price
Just unboxed these. They were sold as new but already have wear marks from usage that are inconsistent with any wear marks that may have occurred inside the packaging during transit, but are consistent with a heavy boat rubbing against them. I don’t mind that they’re used, but they need to be priced accordingly.
Great product; caution with strong wind
I drove about 4000 km across Canada with a canoe using this product connected to wingbar evo's on a Forester. I've done lots of canoe tripping before and used other systems, including tying directly to bars and foam supports. A few notes on install: - Ensure that your cross bars are wide enough and that their attachment points won't impede with the installation of these friction-based attachments. Canoe gunnels at the attachment points are generally 2.5 to 3 feet wide, so you need bars of the same width or more for this attachment system to work, as it needs to wrap around the entire bar to clamp to. One of my side had these attachments on the outside of the clamps to the roof rack and the other two on the inside (i.e., the canoe was offset and not on the centre of the car, as the clamps were in the way). - Figuring out 2 Nm of force is difficult with these screw clamps; what typical person knows that? Since friction was the only thing holding these things on, I screwed them as hard as my fingers would allow. - The product comes with two tie-downs for the front and back of the vehicle. Four would be better (see below). I fell in love with the product during the first 2500 km through Ontario. It worked flawlessly. It was easy to install and the canoe was very snug to the bars. I didn't feel comfortable driving over 105 km/h, as the car handling seemed to feel a bit uneasy above those speeds. But that was ample fast for the roads I was on. Now, the reason for dropping one star. Once we got to the Prairies, the wind picked up to a 40 to 60 km/h crosswind. This meant that we could really only drive between 60 and 80 km/h comfortably, as the wind was dramatically pushing the canoe around. The crosswind was slowly sliding the attachments away from the gunnels, since they are only friction-based. We had to stop every hour or so to push the attachments snug against the gunnels, and I was tightening them as much as I could to try to limit this. The only thing I wonder is if we had four tie-downs rather than just the two, that may have limited lateral movement of the canoe. I will certainly be attempting that with future uses of this product. Overall, it is a great product and I recommend it, particularly if you are not exclusively driving in commonly windy areas.
Only Thule product I have been disappointed in
These don't secure well on the factory rack found on the Subaru Outback. I started off with mounting the boat using two cinch straps, two bow tie downs, and a stern tie down ( I tested by grabbing the secure boat and shaking it, resulted in the entire car rocking, but there was no loosening of the boat). Once on the road an 18 mph cross wind took the two brackets orientated towards the bow, or front end of the car, and drove the brackets down the rack cross bar in the direction of the wind. I pulled over, moved the brackets back and retied only to have the same thing happen.
Doesn't mount well; tie-downs are inadequate
The Portage is marketed as being compatible with the Wilderness-trim Subaru Outback (6th generation). However, the beam of a standard touring canoe is exactly as wide as this vehicle's rails, and the mounting method of the Portage makes it impossible to combine the two. Seems like it would be fine for a very narrow canoe, like a pack boat or solo canoe, but unless you have an extremely boxy vehicle with at least 42" between its rails, forget this product. Additionally, the Portage only includes two tie-downs. To properly secure a canoe you need four. That may be why some other reviewers are having issues with the canoe shifting in cross winds.
Easiest Thule Product
I have many Thule products from the past thirty years. I still have the original load bars. As our lifestyle has changed, our needs have changed. We now live in a lake community but not directly on a lake. To accommodate our grandchildren we bought a canoe and needed a way to get it to and from the lake. We bought the Thule Portage. I have multiple different products and this was by far the easiest to put together, put on the roof and attach the canoe. Very solid hold of the canoe and easy to adjust the pads for a perfect fit. The buckle bumper is a nice feature so the metal doesn't scratch the canoe or the car. I have always used Thule and the ease of the Portage is much appreciated as I am not as young as I once was when we started using Thule products.
Good initial performance
This setup worked very well on my RAV4 with Old Town 174. Traveled 50 miles on the first outing with no problems or shifting. Did have to turn the brackets to hold the inside of the gunwales but that was expected. Can't make a comment on durability yet but I expect it will last.
So much easier than foam blocks
We were having trouble getting the foam blocks to work with the factory size roof rack on the RAV4 but no problem with these. We have a 14ft old towne and between the stabilizing pieces and the high quality of the tie down ropes and straps we've had no problems taking longer trips.
The easiest way to transport a canoe!
This product, including the straps and tie downs that come along with it, are simple but perfect for hauling a canoe. I have no issue loading up, securing, and trusting this component on the highway or on off roads.
Gets the job done
Trying to research options to haul a canoe a few times on my F150 and this came up. It’s a bit of a pricey option when combined with the the roof rack. In the end I was able to haul a canoe securely without issue. All straps were provided and the install was easy and secure. I’d recommend it.