Trailers and boats

[mikeflys]

Hi everyone! I would like to know how folks who have TT and boats use both. I have a neighbor who tows a his boat behind his trailer. I don't want to do that. The boat I am interested in is 17 feet in length and weighs in at about 100 pounds. I would think I could get a rack for my truck and get it up there. Any ideas on carrying a boat?

[seaeagle2]

Google cartop boat loaders. The auzzies have a bunch, side loaders , rear loaders also there's a couple us companies. I have to say, I really like the look of dirtpigs setup, except you can't do it with the trailer hooked up ( when I had a tc and towed a boat, often we'd stop and hit a lake on the way to our destination), but for some people that might not be an issue.

[Dirtpig]

Here we go, this should work. I am tweeking my setup a little bit.

[dewey02]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

dewey02 wrote:
We LOVE it.
My wife and I like to fish on a lot of the lakes associated with State Parks and National Forests that we camp at. We were always stuck fishing from shore, because with a travel trailer you cannot pull a boat behind. (I wouldn't do it even if I had a 5'er).

It was actually my teenaged nephew who told us about his portabote. They come in 8, 10 12 and 14 foot models. I bought a 12 footer. It has 3 seats that give it rigidity and it is around 75 pounds. I can handle it myself if I have to, but usually my spouse and I carry it to the water. It can take up to about a 6 horse motor, but I just use a trolling motor. I bought the mounts for it (they are kind of pricey, I think they were around $100) but you can easily make some if you are handy. Below are some photos showing how I attached the mounts to the travel trailer. My wife was a bit skeptical about me drilling 4 holes in her new TT, but even she admitted it turned out nice. And she appreciates getting out on the lakes.

Here's a link to porta-bote's website, which has info and videos: link

There are also lots of videos on Youtube, just google porta bote videos.

They always look interesting to me. But, how expensive are they?

I don't recall the exact price. It was around $2K plus change. An expensive initial outlay, but as much as we use and enjoy getting out onto lakes when camping, it was definitely worth it for us.

[westend]

Dirtpig wrote:

westend wrote:

Dirtpig wrote:
it is a 12ft WC lund. it is 205lbs. its a beast to get on the rack alone, i made a winch system to load and unload easily so i can do it alone. My wife is operating it in the above photo lol.

I guess one of those photos didn't appear. I only see one.
Regardless, I'm looking for a solution for my 14' Alumacraft F7. The F7 isn't that wide of a boat, probably less than your Lund but may weigh about the same. I'll have to figure out a weighing system to check it out. The winch sounds like a great idea.

ill try to figure out why its not showing up. I made a winch attached to a bar that goes into my front receiver hitch. lifts the boat on and off the rear rack. Allows me to do it solo. otherwise you need 2 people to get boat off and on the truck. When I transitioned from a truck camper to trailer I had to sell my Lund SSV 14ft console with 25hp and buy a smaller 12ft with 9.9 so i can put on rack and lug the motor around. I used to trailer the larger boat.

A winch on the front receiver, I guess I can kinda visualize that. I was thinking of a winch on the rack, maybe electric, with rollers towards the back end. A guy can get as complex as he needs to, might be better to keep it simple.

I love my little Alumacraft. With a 15 HP Johnson on the back, I can kick it up on plane and almost keep up with some of the big boys. When I get it home after a trip, the water hose comes out and it's cleaned up in minutes. If someone tips over the bait bucket or drops a beer, I don't sweat it but loss of beer should be a penalty of some sort. :B

[Dirtpig]

westend wrote:

Dirtpig wrote:
it is a 12ft WC lund. it is 205lbs. its a beast to get on the rack alone, i made a winch system to load and unload easily so i can do it alone. My wife is operating it in the above photo lol.

I guess one of those photos didn't appear. I only see one.
Regardless, I'm looking for a solution for my 14' Alumacraft F7. The F7 isn't that wide of a boat, probably less than your Lund but may weigh about the same. I'll have to figure out a weighing system to check it out. The winch sounds like a great idea.

ill try to figure out why its not showing up. I made a winch attached to a bar that goes into my front receiver hitch. lifts the boat on and off the rear rack. Allows me to do it solo. otherwise you need 2 people to get boat off and on the truck. When I transitioned from a truck camper to trailer I had to sell my Lund SSV 14ft console with 25hp and buy a smaller 12ft with 9.9 so i can put on rack and lug the motor around. I used to trailer the larger boat.

[westend]

Dirtpig wrote:
it is a 12ft WC lund. it is 205lbs. its a beast to get on the rack alone, i made a winch system to load and unload easily so i can do it alone. My wife is operating it in the above photo lol.

I guess one of those photos didn't appear. I only see one.
Regardless, I'm looking for a solution for my 14' Alumacraft F7. The F7 isn't that wide of a boat, probably less than your Lund but may weigh about the same. I'll have to figure out a weighing system to check it out. The winch sounds like a great idea.

[Dirtpig]

it is a 12ft WC lund. it is 205lbs. its a beast to get on the rack alone, i made a winch system to load and unload easily so i can do it alone. My wife is operating it in the above photo lol.

[westend]

Dirtpig,
How big is that boat? Do you have any issues with handling it off the rack? Thanks for any advice.

[Dirtpig]

[hawkeye-08]

Friend of ours was tired of the big diesel pusher, they both like to fish and camp, traded in the DP and got two pickups, a boat and travel trailer. They take both rigs on trips, he drives one, she drives the other. They like that better than not having the boat with them (they towed a small jeep behind DP)... Where there is a will, there is a way.. just depends on how big your boat want is and how much money you have..

[buzzard616]

Two common methods of carrying a small boat in / on a truck.

[CavemanCharlie]

dewey02 wrote:
We LOVE it.
My wife and I like to fish on a lot of the lakes associated with State Parks and National Forests that we camp at. We were always stuck fishing from shore, because with a travel trailer you cannot pull a boat behind. (I wouldn't do it even if I had a 5'er).

It was actually my teenaged nephew who told us about his portabote. They come in 8, 10 12 and 14 foot models. I bought a 12 footer. It has 3 seats that give it rigidity and it is around 75 pounds. I can handle it myself if I have to, but usually my spouse and I carry it to the water. It can take up to about a 6 horse motor, but I just use a trolling motor. I bought the mounts for it (they are kind of pricey, I think they were around $100) but you can easily make some if you are handy. Below are some photos showing how I attached the mounts to the travel trailer. My wife was a bit skeptical about me drilling 4 holes in her new TT, but even she admitted it turned out nice. And she appreciates getting out on the lakes.

Here's a link to porta-bote's website, which has info and videos: link

There are also lots of videos on Youtube, just google porta bote videos.

Here's how I mounted mine:
1st photo - front bracket showing plastic backer board cut to match contour of RV siding.
2nd photo - rear mount test fit (this was mounted through an existing stud and inside bolts were hidden from view under the sink cabinet.
3rd photo - front bracket did not hit a stud, so had to cut interior wall and insert a "cripple stud" to keep aluminum siding from crushing.
4th photo - used 3/4" oak boards to span between existing studs and to cover the cripple stud.
5th photo - the finished job!

They always look interesting to me. But, how expensive are they?

[GrandpaKip]

The farthest we go with our boat is to Hartwell Lake, about 2 hours away. We drive the camper down, set up, and then I drive back to get the boat, a 17' Boston Whaler. We're there for 2 weeks, so the extra trips aren't a big deal.

[lgarcia]

We use the Sun Dolphin Sportsman. It fits in the bed of the truck and rests on the tailgate.

We put the trolling motor in the bed first - longways. Two of us can pick up the 100lb boat, then, slide it in the bed upside down. Once in, one holds the back end up while the other closes the tailgate.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sun-Dolphin-8-5-ft-Sportsman-Boat-11077/204690387?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0...