Best canoe rack for small pickup.

I'm about to get a 16' royalex canoe (nova 16). I have a small nissan
pickup. I'm looking for ideas to make or buy a rack. There are 2
methods that seem best to me so far:

One is to get an extend-a-truck. Then I can lay my canoe down in the
bed and have the end supported. The problem is I need one of those
class III hitch things.

The other is to have a welder make a permanent rack with steel bars (I
know a welder who does good work for low prices). One question I have
about this is how much wind resistance is there when you are just
driving around with an empty rack? Also do you need to have a tie-down
point over the cab? Can you just have 2 rectangles? One at front end
of the bed and another at back of the bed? And the canoe would be tied
to each bar? Would the bars be too close together?

Any suggestions?

Chuck.

 >One question I have
 >about this is how much wind resistance is there when you are just
 >driving around with an empty rack? Also do you need to have a tie-down
 >point over the cab? Can you just have 2 rectangles? One at front end
 >of the bed and another at back of the bed? And the canoe would be tied
 >to each bar? Would the bars be too close together?
 >

I use a Rail'n'Rack on my Chevy S-10. It's a bit pricier than having a rack
permanently mounted by a welder, but has the advantage of folding down to form
usable rails. In use, it's the same as a rack formed by two rectangles, one at
each end of the bed. You can see it at
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.pickupspecialties.com/railnrack.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pickupspecialties.com/railnrack.htm</a>

On occasion I leave it up for shuttles, etc., and it doesn't seem to create
much wind resistance or whistle. It's plenty long enough for a 16' canoe (or
two), centered over the racks (with the stern(s) extend back past your
tailgate).

Tieing the canoe to each bar is fine as a precaution, but shouldn't be your
first line of defense against having the boat blow off on the freeway. You
don't need a tie-down point over the cab. Instead, one should be mounted on
each bedrail midway between the uprights. The Rail'n'Rack has one built in,
but a sturdy eyebolt on each side would suffice. Run the tie-downs run from
seats or thwarts to the eyebolt (forming Vs as seen from the side).

There are other pickup racks on the market and other ways to make one for
yourself. You just have to find one that fits your aesthetic sensibilities and
pocketbook. I've seen many fine inexpensive systems made from 2x4s bolted
together. When not in use, the whole unit is lifted out of the pickup bed and
stored.

TexNekkid
Acting Poet Emeritus
Quiche Eaters Canoe Club<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->