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I'm about to trade in my pickup truck for a Toyota Corolla. What would
be the best/easist way to transport my 16' canoe? I want to be able to
load it myself. I was thinking about some good quality racks, like
Yakima, and then use some good straps thru the windows so I don't have
to worry about the rack coming off.
Also how hard is it to remove the racks? Should I just leave them on?


Ulp, your post shows a fatal flaw in your thinking!! If you secure the canoe
correctly, the lines over the bottom are NOT the ones that will hold it on!
The best way to secure a boat on a car is as follows:

1) Place the boat on the roof racks. Be sure, for aerodynamics, that the
canoe is centered over the wheels, not over the hood. That means the front
of the canoe sticks a few feet past the front bumper, the back sticks a few
feet past the back bumper, and the roof is probably NOT in the center of the
canoe. Most likely, the front roof rack is right at the center of the canoe,
and the back roof rack is way off at the end of the canoe.

2) Slide the canoe back about a foot. In some cases, in cars with long
hoods, the canoe will not sit on the roofracks at this point and needs to be
slid back a little to balance. Be CERTAIN, however, that the ends of the
canoe still protrude beyond the ends of the car, front and rear.

3) Tie a line from the front of the canoe down to the front bumper. For the
best rig, tie a line from the bow of the canoe out to the ends of the
bumper, making a triangle with the vertex on the canoe. Otherwise, a single
line from the canoe to the license plate is okay, but not as good. **This
line should be hauled tight enough to lift the stern of the canoe up off the
back roof rack about 6 inches.**

4) Go around back and tie a line from the back of the canoe down to the
center of the rear bumper. Haul down on this line. This should pull the
canoe back down onto the rear roof rack, and provide enough downward force
to 'lock it down' onto the roof racks, and 'lock down' the roof racks onto
the roof of your car.

5) Be EXTRA certain that the two end lines are not pulling in the same
direction; what I mean is that, if the canoe is longer than your car (which
is probably is), that the ends of the canoe still extend beyond the car. Be
sure that both tie down lines aren't trying to pull the canoe forwards. If
so, it will slide forwards and the lines will be slack. The lines should be
both pulling down and in. This is a common mistake, and people are baffled
why their lines keep coming loose.

6) Now, you are practically done. Your midline straps are only to keep the
canoe from slipping sideways on the roof racks. As such, they only have to
loop over the boat and secure on the roofracks. The fact that you asked if
you ought to run them through the windows shows that you weren't sure which
lines secure your boat. Some folks don't even use midline straps; a buddy of
mine just has little bumpers he uses to keep the boat from moving sideways.
If you try to tie on a canoe without end lines, you run the risk of the boat
'twisting' on the roof and coming right off, regardless of how hard you haul
down on the midlines. No matter what you hear from other people, trust me on
this, USE END LINES!

--riverman