Hello everyone,
Beginner question here. I’m thinking of buying some hood loops so I have something to attach a canoe on my car top.
I have a Hyundai Tucson 2016 and I’m not familiar with what’s under the hood of the car (excited to learn though). What are the screws circled in green holding? Is it safe to remove them to attach the loops?
Thanks in advance!
Nothing should be tied to the exterior of car. Unless you live in India. Or Lithuania.
This seems like a really bad idea .
And even if you wanted to use those loops the bolts you circled look like they’re recessed, may not fit.
The forces that a canoe can put on the tie downs are really large, going over bumps or in strong winds. Would these be the only thing holding the front of the canoe down? Just these in the front and something in the back? I wouldn’t do it.
Those are the mounting bolts for the headlights, they are too small to hold a canoe.
Good point on the fact that they’re recessed. I’d need to double check what my car looks like, the picture I shared was found on google.
About your question, the canoe would be tied really tightly to the roof rack. The front and back ties are only there for extra support and to limit the impact of the wind. They are in no way what’s keeping the canoe on the roof.
Do you know what these bolts are holding on the car? Will my motor fall off if I temporarily remove them? Hopefully not haha
Thanks for your response. Any thoughts on other potential options?
You would remove the plastic trim for clear access to the bolts.
Remove the plastic trim, you will find other body bolts.
Yes , a real canoe rack system designed just for that purpose .
Those loops are “for vehicles without undercarriage attachment points.”
They are an accessory for a Thule (pronounced TOO-lee) roof rack.
Every car I’ve had has good sturdy places under the bumpers, front and rear, where the bow and stern of a canoe can be tied down. One problem can be the rope rubs against paintwork. In that case, use a piece of duct tape or plastic under duct tape to protect the paint.
I have travelled thousands of miles with a canoe or two on top of my cars. I have a Yakima rack on my Honda Civic. Thule racks are good, too. My Town and Country van’s factory rack and crossbars also work well.
The important thing is to make sure everything is secure and that any single failure will be detected and is not enough to let the load come off!
I’ve hauled a few canoes on the roofs of various vehicles and always pulled a down strap front and rear and felt it was necessary at highway speeds especially with cross winds. The photo seems to show the straps attaching to the bolts that attach the fender to the unibody which would seem to provide adequate support.
All in all though the old drip rail and steel bumpers offered a much better solution to attaching boats, etc.
Thanks.
I should have provided more context. I do have a thule roof rack to secure the canoe but I also want to tie the bow and the stern for additional support on the highway and I don’t have any attachment point under the car.
Here’s an actual picture of that bolt.
That bolt does not look like anything I would use for a attachment that needs to hold something with force against it . Why not call a local body shop and ask if for a small charge if they will show where they would put that hold down strap ( of course you will need to let them see the strap ) ? They might even know of a better place than under the hood.
Unless the attachment bracket extends out beyond your hood, your tie downs will stress the hood… not good for lots of reasons. If the bracked extends out far enough, it will be a hazard to passersby and put undue stress on that bolt when you tie the boat down.
Find or add a tie down to the center of the front bumper. You may get a body shop to add one or 2 D rings to the bumper. Same for the rear.
Tester has given a nice picture of tie downs. I would add tie downs front and rear also that tied underneath the car. I would especially do this if I planned to drive over 35 or there were high winds.
Section 6-24 of the owner’s manual shows where you can screw in tow hooks on the front and rear bumpers, would need to have more than the one hook they give you with the spare tire but it would be a more secure way to tie the boat to the roof.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1078092/Hyundai-2016-Tucson.html?page=511
Usually in the trunk is a towing eyebolt that is inserted into the bumper to tow the car. That would make a good attaching point in the front and rear. Buy a second one if you only have one. Leave the bolts under the hood alone.
Edit: Sorry @wolyrobb I didn’t read your post first.
It happens to the best of us
