Dont forget about VW, take a look at a Jetta Wagon TDI. A friend of mine has one and is always touting it as the near perfect paddling car. It is like other wagons, low loading height, can take 3 folks on a road trip and can sit 5 total for a shuttle plus more in the back if they want to sit there. The thing that has my eye is the mileage it gets. With the Turbo Diesel we averaged 36mpg on a trip with two yacks and my open boat with speeds between 78 and 80. It is said to get somewhere around 45mpg on the highway, with no boats of course. It had plenty of power for us driving around in the TN/NC/GA mountains.
The only complaint that he has about it is ground clearance, you have to be very careful on where you go but that goes with most wagons.
a canoe car?
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Bullwinkle
- c
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:02 am
- Location: Cedar Falls IA
Gentlemen!!
I vote for going retro on the vehicle..... As in VW Van retro. My canoe and kayak vehicles for nearly the past 30 years have been buses. Either the old 71 4 banger, the 79 orange two tone with the type 4 motor in it, or my current ride , a 90 Vanagon GL. If zero to 60 in an afternoon is a problem for you, then either get one of the newer Eurovans with the 5 cyl motor(and the later ones had the VR-6 in there for power and 20 mpg with the AC on) in them or convert the air-cooleds to a 6cyl Porsche 911 motor or replace the Vanagon motor with a 2.2 subaru or the 2.5 DOHC. Bostig also does a Ford Z-tech motor conversion and those puppies with twin turbos can get ove 500hp. The SVX subaru 6 cyl also fits in with an adapter and pushes a mellower 225 hp or thereabouts.
Use the slider toy prviously mentioned to get the boat on the roof racks(I made my own out of aluminum channel). The Vanagon has solid rain gutters so you can use the QuickN Easy clamps for $50 a set and you favorite pair of 2x4"s. Yak/Canoe stackers allow me to stack up to 5 canoes on the roof on their sides(maybe not 5 Whitesells though), and I've had 6 rodeo yaks inside the van and 8 other kayaks and C-1s across the top and 2 suspended underneath the racks fpr a total of 16 boats in tow. I also pulled the passenger seat once and got an 11' Mohawk Probe or Viper(don't remember which) inside.
The weekender Vanagon(and most GL models) 1986-1991 had a fold down back seat that converted to a queen sized bed and sleeps wonderfully. Canoe paddles up to 60" long fits sideways over the engine compartment and a couple 4 meter slong slalom boats sit front to back, but since the ICF shortened the length to 3.5, that's not so critical anymore.
The Vanagon rides well, doesn't blow around in the wind near as bad as the older buses, and the water=cooled models(84 and later) actually have heat in the winter time. Although fairly rare, there was an all wheel drive model available called the Syncro and it has more ground clearance for nasty shuttles.
www.vanagon.com will tell you more about the vehicle including a 1st time buyers checklist, but like all older vehicles, some mechanical skill is needed in case you breakdown on the road. www.vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com is the mail list with all kinds of helpful experts to guide you through most any repair. Autotrader.com the samba.com, craigslist, and ebay all have many for sale if you can't find one locally. aircooled.net has a list of bus and Vanagon owners nationwide wiling to share their garages, driveways, shops, tools etc. if you have trouble on the road. I carry my tools and a worst case scenario stash of parts just in case. Used prices run anywhere from a few hundered dollars to over $20k for a cherry 1991 Westphalia Syncro Camper(weighing in at 5500#). I gave $2800 for mine back in 1997.
If I had to replace the Vanagon though, I'd probably opt for the Subaru Outback and just sleep in the driver's seat.
YMMV
DM&FS
I vote for going retro on the vehicle..... As in VW Van retro. My canoe and kayak vehicles for nearly the past 30 years have been buses. Either the old 71 4 banger, the 79 orange two tone with the type 4 motor in it, or my current ride , a 90 Vanagon GL. If zero to 60 in an afternoon is a problem for you, then either get one of the newer Eurovans with the 5 cyl motor(and the later ones had the VR-6 in there for power and 20 mpg with the AC on) in them or convert the air-cooleds to a 6cyl Porsche 911 motor or replace the Vanagon motor with a 2.2 subaru or the 2.5 DOHC. Bostig also does a Ford Z-tech motor conversion and those puppies with twin turbos can get ove 500hp. The SVX subaru 6 cyl also fits in with an adapter and pushes a mellower 225 hp or thereabouts.
Use the slider toy prviously mentioned to get the boat on the roof racks(I made my own out of aluminum channel). The Vanagon has solid rain gutters so you can use the QuickN Easy clamps for $50 a set and you favorite pair of 2x4"s. Yak/Canoe stackers allow me to stack up to 5 canoes on the roof on their sides(maybe not 5 Whitesells though), and I've had 6 rodeo yaks inside the van and 8 other kayaks and C-1s across the top and 2 suspended underneath the racks fpr a total of 16 boats in tow. I also pulled the passenger seat once and got an 11' Mohawk Probe or Viper(don't remember which) inside.
The weekender Vanagon(and most GL models) 1986-1991 had a fold down back seat that converted to a queen sized bed and sleeps wonderfully. Canoe paddles up to 60" long fits sideways over the engine compartment and a couple 4 meter slong slalom boats sit front to back, but since the ICF shortened the length to 3.5, that's not so critical anymore.
The Vanagon rides well, doesn't blow around in the wind near as bad as the older buses, and the water=cooled models(84 and later) actually have heat in the winter time. Although fairly rare, there was an all wheel drive model available called the Syncro and it has more ground clearance for nasty shuttles.
www.vanagon.com will tell you more about the vehicle including a 1st time buyers checklist, but like all older vehicles, some mechanical skill is needed in case you breakdown on the road. www.vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com is the mail list with all kinds of helpful experts to guide you through most any repair. Autotrader.com the samba.com, craigslist, and ebay all have many for sale if you can't find one locally. aircooled.net has a list of bus and Vanagon owners nationwide wiling to share their garages, driveways, shops, tools etc. if you have trouble on the road. I carry my tools and a worst case scenario stash of parts just in case. Used prices run anywhere from a few hundered dollars to over $20k for a cherry 1991 Westphalia Syncro Camper(weighing in at 5500#). I gave $2800 for mine back in 1997.
If I had to replace the Vanagon though, I'd probably opt for the Subaru Outback and just sleep in the driver's seat.
YMMV
DM&FS
"I think it's a crime that only one company can manufacture the Monopoly game"- Steven Wright
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noobopenboater
- Pain Boater
- Posts: 67
- Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:12 pm
- Location: Maryville TN
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space-katet
- C Boater
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:55 pm
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Bullwinkle
- c
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:02 am
- Location: Cedar Falls IA
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Randy Dodson
- C Guru
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:12 pm
- Location: Arkansas
[img]http://algomacentral.railfan.net/images ... -24-03.jpg[/img]
And it comes with a designated driver
And it comes with a designated driver
Hey Space-katet, I have to agree with Bullwinkle. A van makes an awesome shuttle=buggy, and budget; suggests retro. However, I'm a toyota fan. I own a " 75 FJ40 Landcruiser, an "87 Supra, and my new baby: a 2000 4Runner. The last year of the 5 speed-4WD.
All three have a manual trans. and their original motors/drivetrains.
Freakin' amazing if you ask me.
So, my suggestion would be an "84-"90 Toyota Van LE. Offered with dual ACs, refrigerator/icemaker, 5-speed, and my favorite; 4WD. They can be bought for $1000 -- $3000. ; and as far as I can tell: they run forever, although, not very fast. You will however, be able to outrun most Geo's and VW buses. Rack on top, boaters inside. (7-10 maybe) good gas mileage, and you can sleep in it. hades, now I want one!
All three have a manual trans. and their original motors/drivetrains.
Freakin' amazing if you ask me.
So, my suggestion would be an "84-"90 Toyota Van LE. Offered with dual ACs, refrigerator/icemaker, 5-speed, and my favorite; 4WD. They can be bought for $1000 -- $3000. ; and as far as I can tell: they run forever, although, not very fast. You will however, be able to outrun most Geo's and VW buses. Rack on top, boaters inside. (7-10 maybe) good gas mileage, and you can sleep in it. hades, now I want one!
dance for rain
I realize this way beyond a Pontiac Vibe, Good Choice BTW; however, anyone ever look at the Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter Van? Awesome specs and a Mercedes high efficiency diesel. In Europe you can get them with 4WD as well. Many conversion companies are working them up into to some pretty potent looking river assault vehicles. Just a thought if you got about $50-60k to drop on a canoe hauler.
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RyanGarnett
- Pain Boater
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:52 pm
- Location: Colorado Springs, CO
I have a 2007 Honda Fit. Its a great little car. The insides fold around so that you can put almost anything in there. Before I got a rack on my car, I put my OC1 (10 foot Detonator) and my buddies kayak (6'6") in the car, plus our gear and him (with some fancy sitting). The OC1 hung out of the car by a foot, but a strap shut the hatchback. Did I mention that the car gets 53 MPG and its cheap to buy?!