[bolger] Carnel's cartop system...
This from Dave:
David,
Help yourself. It was published in MAIB (I'll find reference or check
index at
by-the-sea.com and internationally in The Boatman (UK)).
CARTOPPING
For this simple, inexpensive, light boat you don't want to have
to go to
the expense and trouble of a trailer.
The solution is to cartop it, which is easy. You may have to do it
singlehandedly;
here is how to do it.
I have been cartopping small boats for about fifty years. About
25 years
ago I came up with a rig for doing it singlehanded when my crew grew up
and left the nest. I have used vehicles from VW beetles (with uprights
attached to each bumper) to family sedans.
I think boats should be cartopped only upside down. I believe
the
aerodynamics are better and I know that if you run into a heavy downpour
you will not have a lot of unstable weight sloshing around overhead.
I also
have a small chrome-plated fender cleat bolted to each bumper of the car
for
steadying tiedowns.
In cartopping singlehandedly, not only do I have to get the boat
on and off
the car, but I have to get it to and from the water. My solution is a
dolly clamped to the transom by a bolt through the upper rudder
gudgeon. The dolly is simply a 2 by 4 wider than the transom and wide
enough so that the bottom of the boat about 1/3 of the
length from the bow can sit between the wheels for moving the boat
around on a
beach, ramp, etc. There are two 8"D. lawn mower wheels at each end.
The axles are lengths of ½" aluminum rod tapped into holes bored in each
end of the 2 by 4. The wheels are secured by a cotter pin through a
hole in the end of the axle with a
washer under it and additional washers as spacers where needed for free
turning.
If the boat has no rudder or is double-ended you will have to
make some
clamping arrangement to fit. If oarlocks on the boat lie over the
carrier bars you can drill some holes and bolt the boat to the carrier.
I secure the tiedown lines with two half hitches at their ends
and at
intermediate fastening points. This knot lets you put good tension in
the lines; esp., when you connect two diagonal tiedowns. It does not
jam and is easily untied. My favorite cordage is parachute line.
After you set the bow up on the rear carrier bar, walk around to
the stern,
pick it up, and slide the boat forward, keeping it centered. The boat
shown weighed a little over 100 pounds.when I get to the water's edge I
position one boat cushion for the side at maximum beam to land on and a
second to let the bottom down onto.
The dolly can be removed from the transom and put under the boat
to help
with the launching and recovery. If you have to negotiate really rough
terrain, larger wheels could be used in place of the lawn mower wheels.
Smooth Sailing!
end of snip
Addendum: The larger tires are worth a little hunting for. The boat
becomes a huge wheel barrow for gear when you arrive at the beach. One
trip!! For those whoe haven't looked at Dave's site, it's:
http://home.att.net/~DaveCarnell/
--
SOME CLICKS THAT COUNT!!
Feed someone.
http://www.thehungersite.com/
Save a little rainforest.
http://rainforest.care2.com/
Simplicity Boats
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/index.html
Here's my latest boat:
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/featherwind.html
Quasi esoteric musical instruments
http://unicornstrings.com
David,
Help yourself. It was published in MAIB (I'll find reference or check
index at
by-the-sea.com and internationally in The Boatman (UK)).
CARTOPPING
For this simple, inexpensive, light boat you don't want to have
to go to
the expense and trouble of a trailer.
The solution is to cartop it, which is easy. You may have to do it
singlehandedly;
here is how to do it.
I have been cartopping small boats for about fifty years. About
25 years
ago I came up with a rig for doing it singlehanded when my crew grew up
and left the nest. I have used vehicles from VW beetles (with uprights
attached to each bumper) to family sedans.
I think boats should be cartopped only upside down. I believe
the
aerodynamics are better and I know that if you run into a heavy downpour
you will not have a lot of unstable weight sloshing around overhead.
I also
have a small chrome-plated fender cleat bolted to each bumper of the car
for
steadying tiedowns.
In cartopping singlehandedly, not only do I have to get the boat
on and off
the car, but I have to get it to and from the water. My solution is a
dolly clamped to the transom by a bolt through the upper rudder
gudgeon. The dolly is simply a 2 by 4 wider than the transom and wide
enough so that the bottom of the boat about 1/3 of the
length from the bow can sit between the wheels for moving the boat
around on a
beach, ramp, etc. There are two 8"D. lawn mower wheels at each end.
The axles are lengths of ½" aluminum rod tapped into holes bored in each
end of the 2 by 4. The wheels are secured by a cotter pin through a
hole in the end of the axle with a
washer under it and additional washers as spacers where needed for free
turning.
If the boat has no rudder or is double-ended you will have to
make some
clamping arrangement to fit. If oarlocks on the boat lie over the
carrier bars you can drill some holes and bolt the boat to the carrier.
I secure the tiedown lines with two half hitches at their ends
and at
intermediate fastening points. This knot lets you put good tension in
the lines; esp., when you connect two diagonal tiedowns. It does not
jam and is easily untied. My favorite cordage is parachute line.
After you set the bow up on the rear carrier bar, walk around to
the stern,
pick it up, and slide the boat forward, keeping it centered. The boat
shown weighed a little over 100 pounds.when I get to the water's edge I
position one boat cushion for the side at maximum beam to land on and a
second to let the bottom down onto.
The dolly can be removed from the transom and put under the boat
to help
with the launching and recovery. If you have to negotiate really rough
terrain, larger wheels could be used in place of the lawn mower wheels.
Smooth Sailing!
end of snip
Addendum: The larger tires are worth a little hunting for. The boat
becomes a huge wheel barrow for gear when you arrive at the beach. One
trip!! For those whoe haven't looked at Dave's site, it's:
http://home.att.net/~DaveCarnell/
--
SOME CLICKS THAT COUNT!!
Feed someone.
http://www.thehungersite.com/
Save a little rainforest.
http://rainforest.care2.com/
Simplicity Boats
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/index.html
Here's my latest boat:
http://members.xoom.com/simpleboats/featherwind.html
Quasi esoteric musical instruments
http://unicornstrings.com