I've been hauling a 17ft canoe (or 2 or 3) in various 6 and 6.5 foot bed trucks for over 30 years now.
Never an issue. With one canoe, I secure it with a rope in the front, one across the middle and one out back. I attach a bright flag of some sort to the canoe. With 2 or more I strap them to the top of mine. I've yet to see the tailgate move.

 

DG Tailgate Supports, my friend

Put a large pool noodle under the boat/canoes on the tailgate, and run your tie-down strap through one as well, to be placed on top the boat/canoes. They will provide enough squish to prevent the boat/canoes from releasing pressure on the tailgate. No bouncing issues.

Kayak straps are good for keeping pool noodles in position on tailgates, or other locations, like a poor-man's kayak/canoe roof mount.

 

Thats a big *ss spoiler! lol

 

I'm more concerned about how much it hurt those behind when it came loose.

 

Nahhhh! He bought some of those 50 for $28 Bungies. No chance of it coming loose.

 

Just prepare yourself if you have a Lariat.. my truck SCREAMS LOUD that I have the tail gate down every time I put it in reverse.

 

I'm glad I read this, since I plan to haul my bike (with the tailgate down) 500 miles each way in a couple of weeks. Didn't think of that. Are you sure the tailgate gets banged up? If yes, might use blue tape, since mud guards are out of the question for me .

 

I've hauled my atv from kansas to utah and back twice with the tailgate down and it's still as perfect as the day I bought it. No scratches, rock chips or problems of any kind. Just my experience.

 

I agree, You can probably get away with the tailgate down for many miles but one bad bounce from a rock and you could have a problem. I would not hesitate for short trips but would not want my tailgate down for high speeds on gravel or similar roads.

 

Excellent! Thanks a lot for your feedback . And also thank you for the picture; it's easy to tell something thrown by the rear tires wouldn't reach the tailgate indeed, since the bumper protects it (barely, but that's enough).

I'm not woried about my tailgate bouncing since a heavy plywood platform will reach to the end of the tailgate, and the bike will be on top. In addition, my tailgate has a damper, but wonder if that'd protect it from bouncing up and down. Just curious . Thx.