"Cartopping" Idea for Pickup

[Porpoise2]

(Found on the Internet.)

This wooden boat is about the same weight as a Sunfish. This might be a solution for those of us who have a pickup and a need to transport a Sunfish without the rigors of a trailer ride.

Related wood boat discussions:

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1861705

"...I wouldn't want to use a more powerful tackle because the length of line involved would become excessive . After every lift the tackle is unhooked ,the line (the fall ) is carefully coiled and secured ; then stored in the truck , ready to run free when needed .

"The tackle is most elegant when launching . Backing away from the vehicle with the boat's stern line in one hand , the fall of the tackle runs out through the other, all under complete control .

In many situations I can launch directly into the water , ramp or no ramp . When I have to I can set the boat down gently and dead level onto rocks or concrete . The fully extended tackle is then just tossed up on top of the plywood panel ,ready to go for the retrieval."

http://www.woodenboat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1860239&postcount=11

He's now converted the rear-hinged "carefully glued-up stressed skin panel" plywood piece to 2' wide, and uses two blocks (3:1) and 3/8" diameter line to pull up to 150 pounds of boat.

I use the same 3:1 tackle to lift my boat up onto a dock: it's an easy lift.

I LIKE it!