I am in the process of changing from one kind of RV to another, and that
means that I need to figure out a new way to haul my 16 foot canoe. The
5th wheel that I am buying occupies most of the bed of the truck. The
best solution that I can figure out is to put the canoe over the cab of
the truck, hanging out past the front bumper.

Looking around on the web, it seems that the standard solution would be
to use a Canoe support, like a tall "T" Shape, that plugs into a 2 inch
trailer hich receiver. That would require me to buy the following: 1.
Front hitch for my truck. 2. "T" canoe support for hitch. 3. Canoe
rack for cab of truck. It all seems very complicated and expensive.

Alternatively, I could weld up my own rack that attaches to the front
bumper or tow hooks, and then either use a conventional roof rack for
the cab, or weld up a special rack for the front of the truck bed.

Anybody have any ideas or other options?

Richard