I have an idea!

George Hart

homeless
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Looking for opinions
The appendage over the tailgate is attached with screws and stores away once boat is loaded.
 
Yes for weeks at a time. The tubes I use for bunks are the light weight PVC, I like the way they fit to the form of the hull to give what I feel is a bigger foot print on the hull and a little cushion.
 
Mr. Howard did I address your thoughts or is there something else I need to consider about keeping my boat setting on its hull for long periods of time.
 
Looking for opinions

For those of us who sail (and cartop) solo, I'd be tempted to add a block (at the "x") and configure a small winch to an existing tow hitch. A light line (parachute cord) could be strung under the Sunfish, secured to the gudgeons (using a long 3/8" bolt and nut). Once it's winched more than halfway up, a nudge would get the Sunfish loaded on the PVC bunks. :cool: Watch for gusts of wind! :eek:
 

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Like the concept,but the idea of 4 zip ties holding the boat on the roof concerns me.
A heavy gust or an emergency braking situation could prove disastrous. I wonder what the load rating is on the small zip ties holding the wood in place?
 
The zip ties simply hold the 2 x 2's and tubes in place while the boat is not loaded. Once the boat is loaded I use ratchet straps to hold the boat to the 2 x 2's that are wedged into the roof rack. I will post more photos of the operation once I put the boat back on the van.
 
Don't remove those end caps...Belay that last idea. :oops:

Using PVC or metal U-clamps the end caps can be attached to crank the Sunfish up. Run a metal pipe through the U-clamps, weld a crank-handle to one end—wrap a line around it—leading to the Sunfish's bow handle. (The U-clamps don't appear in the sketch, but holes to fit the pipe could drilled through both end caps instead).

Removal of the cranking apparatus can be accomplished by tapping the end caps off. :)

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I like this idea, I have had the notion to have a line on the bow handle possibly to have assistants in pushing the boat forward and control of boat but with the bunks in place it seems to not be an issue like when I was doing it with only the luggage racks. My van is almost six foot tall and when I lift the front of the boat into the yoke, the boat is setting at a forty five degree angle. Witch is too much for the handle on the boat or the said pulley arrangement. I think if I then lifted the back of the boat over my head, then the Wife could use the pulley to move the boat forward or the line on the bow handle.
 
As promised its been six weeks at Lake Blackshear and I am loading the boat again to head for Minnesota. Here are the additional photos for who might be interested.....
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Can you do the 'lift and push forward' part by yourself? Or, in other words, how do you go from photo 2 to 3?
Seems pretty hard to me...
 
I can do it myself. It is easer with the Wife's help! Since I waxed the hull it slides much easer than before. In fact I have to be careful not to push it too far forward, as it slides on the PVC very easily. The yoke attachment allows me to work on simply lifting the stern and the PVC keeps it centered so not to worry about sliding right or left.
 
As a follow up with "Wavedancer". If you can lift the front of the boat up to the height of the yoke, I would suggest the stern would not be an issue. My Wife helps me usually, as she worries about me doing such things.
 
Sailboats benefit from a slightly rough hull turbulating the layrer of water contacting the hull.

Wax prevents that turbulation.

Actually leaving the hull "scuff sanded" to slightly dull with fine paper (appx 280 grit) helps.

For just going out and having fun... no big deal. We're talking 1/10ths or 1/100'ths of mph difference. It can win or lose a race.
 
George,
I cringe when I see a sail wrapped around the spars like in picture 5. And your sail isn't happy either at 65 mph, pointing towards Minnesota...
 
For a long trip, the best way is to take the sail off the spars. Takes 15 min at most. Alternatively,
2. Put the spars + sail in a tube (a tube can get expensive) and tie the tube to the roof/rack
 
Actually leaving the hull "scuff sanded" to slightly dull with fine paper (appx 280 grit) helps.
When I bought my first catamaran, I took it to Key Biscayne event (Miami), and found other Hobies on the beach using fine sand paper on their hull bottoms. That was in 1972!
 
Can be a little annoying sliding the rings on and off the spars...

So a thin wall PVC tube with endcaps so the wind can't get at the sail. Glue one endcap on with PVC cement. The other gets a "pin" all the way through and a cotter pin or lockwire to keep it from sliding out.
Stuff about 2 inches of foam in the permanently capped end and stuff foam in to keep the booms from sliding back and forth as you accelerate/decelerate (which would act like a hammer beating on the caps.

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you don't sandpaper the hull every use... just once. It wouldn't take a lot of times to go through the gel coat.
 
^^^I was also going to suggest using one of the tubes to store the sail and spars in, although they may need to be longer?
 
I had consitered making on longer and doing that but I didn't want to mess with the Goose Neck or cut a slot to accommodate it.
 
I would like suggestions for a better way to travel?
1. instead of wrapping the sails around the spars, roll the sail up by itself to the spars. then use a chain sinnet knot with both your halyard line and mainsheet to wrap around the sail and spar combination.
see here: storing Sunfish sails with a chain sinnet knot
and here: Untitled Document

2. instead of a PVC tube, you can also consider a spar bag. you will just replace it more frequently as it wears out.
Sunfish ® Spar Bag or several other Sunfish suppliers will have their version.

cheers,
tag
 
Now remove the caps on the front to reduce wind resistance. :D

OK, forget that idea (again). :oops:

Maybe it's my hearing that is going, but I googled ways to increase the volume on cellphones.

Cut a slot for your cellphone in a 2" PVC pipe and drop the phone into it, the volume will become much greater. (It's best that two ends should be exposed, as this example shows).

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Something as modest as a #10 tin can will also increase the volume, but since you carry even larger pipes on top of your vehicle, you can "stream" your cellphone outside your car. Never miss a "ring" again. :)

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I had considered making one longer and doing that but I didn't want to mess with the Goose Neck or cut a slot to accommodate it.
If you get two more 4-foot PVC tubes, they can be slip-fitted fore and aft to accommodate the wrapped sails. You'd still have to cut a slot for the gooseneck, but the gooseneck could be fitted to face downwards—away from weather—and secured at the rearmost (new) pipe section. Or don't cut a slot, and slip a heavy canvas bag over the gooseneck end at the front end, then slip the new rear PVC section onto the rear section.

I'm still tripping over this heavy canvas bag I got at a yard sale:

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Or buy one for $15 at eBay:

LARGE VINTAGE HEAVY CANVAS US MAIL POSTAL BAG w LEATHER STRAP 37"x24"
 
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I like the idea of the slotted tube if I was to do that just to make the whole thing easer to stow away. But to help "WaveDancer" to be able to sleep at night. I don't have the sail raped around the spars, I do have it folded and laying next to them. And I wrapped them with rope similar to the knot suggestion. Then I raped a cheap plastic tarp around the whole thing and wrapped rope around that to come up with what you see.
 
very clever, I have been trying to think of a way to load mine on my Astro van it's much higher. wooden sailfish about 140 lbs. How much does yours weigh? I will experiment with it. good work very clever , thanks for showing your idea
 

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