They’d have to go on their sides

Don’t do this, the windage is awful.

Get wide bars so they can sit flat.
Use good straps and lean hard.
I have painters tied to the bars too to stop them going forward in a bump. I personally think they will just tear off the side rails.

Get the old square bars as there are loads of wider options. I think the rule is no wider than your wing mirrors but best to check. Also makes it a bit easier to load, get one side of the canoe on and then lift it up.

Your biggest issue will be lifting them on.

Karritec do some amazing systems for lifting and mounting them – but likely £500+…

It can be done but probably not on standard width roof bars. You’ll need to fit extensions or look at Thule Pro bars which don’t have the same width constraints as other Thule bars. Also fit lines to the bow and stern and fasten to your towing eyes / tow bar.

Yep tie front and back, get wide bars. I had 4 surf skis on my T6 which was an stretch’ !

Realise ours are narrower, but we’ve just completed our Thule set up on our T6 for our two touring kayaks. Swipe across to see them on the van:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDE7sq2HW-b/?igshid=dzny9ldez2zv

We gone with Slide bars as it means they come a couple of feet out the side the van making the boats easier to lift on without dropping them into the van. They are about 30 kg each and we are both around 5’9” and it is just doable without step, as long as the ground is flat. We’ve ended up getting the Thule Dock to sit them in, which makes it easy to just drop them in without needing to line them up to uprights etc or climbing on the roof (which we did on the old van). If we put the straps over when the bars are slid out, we can just stand on the wheels to strap it down.

If you have to go with Pro bars for the width, I’d definitely get a rear roller.

Probably worth putting a stop on one side, wouldn’t be great if boat 1 gets knocked of the side while boat 2 is being loaded.

Some more thoughts –

You can make your own loading strips. Use CLS cut to size to create a ‘ramp’ from floor to roof bars. Some kind of hook or clamp on bars on the vehicle. You can then load boat at floor level, or halfway up with a ‘catch’ lump of wood screwed on, gunwales down, and use a rope or pulley to haul it up over the wagon. It’s a bodge version of the Karitek 🙂

Edit- voila – https://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/canoe-roof-rack-and-one-man-loading-system-for-les-t31651.html

Rear roller and bars.
https://van-guard.co.uk/products/?van_make=148&model=125#products

I have a Doblo. The widest “domestic” Thule bars that it takes are 150cm. I have fabricated a roller that slots semi-permanently into the ends of the roof rails. The roller is 120cm wide, and this allows me to load a canoe solo.

When carrying 2, the second goes on it’s side, hull against a longer upright (I think Palm make these). Loading is a bit more complicated, involving 2 people, and a little folding 3 step thing. I agree with Matt about the windage, but if it is windy, I’m unlikely to be open boating, and if I’m not open boating, it isn’t on the van. In freak circumstances, it I have to drive with 2 canoes on the roof in windy conditions, I will think carefully about my route and further modify my driving style.

Your best solution will need to take into account what you are prepared to spend, how “permanent” you want to fix something to your roof (Karitek won’t be an on/off regularly thing), and how many people you will have on hand for loading/unloading. Four 6’+ strong individuals will easily load 2 canoes on a T6. One 5’8″ fella and a sometimes reluctant wife will sometimes find it tricky. The kids are useless.

No one suggested Rhino roof racks? Absolutely would not be without mine, had all sorts of equipment on the roof of my van. Really secure, anything else will be a compromise

Only draw back is you may not like the look of it (mines a work van, so don’t give a hoot) and they are a fit once and leave on affair

The roller needs to be positioned so that you can walk up carrying the canoe on your shoulders, place the front on the roller (without hitting the roof or tailgate), the back on the ground, and step out from underneath, before lifting the rear and sliding it on.
There are plenty of loading techniques, but this works well for me solo. Getting the boat on you shoulders can be tricky. I had a Old Town Discovery 169, and after a long day it wasn’t always an easy solo lift onto the yolk, but once there I could carry it a reasonable distance and load onto the roof.

If you want to do side loading as on Matt’s link, with ProBars, I suggest taking the end cap off the bars (1 second job with the allen key that comes with the bars) and making a support for the sloping ramp that fixes into the open end of the bar. Maybe even with a locking plate like the end cap has. With careful design of the top of the sliding ramp beams you could make the transition to the bars very smooth.

TL:DR

Karitek

https://www.karitek.co.uk/shop/roof-racks-rails/easy-load-roof-racks#!/Easy-Load-Roof-Rack-roofrail-mounting/p/57133476/category=15487440

I do love it when people update their posts!

Looks like a great solution. Assume you just strap the loading ‘ramps’ next to the canoe?

Got to love a good canoe location. Where is that, it looks familiar…?