Carrying bicycles on a boat trailer

[Lafayette Mike]

We own a laser II, sunfish and sailboard. Just bought a used trailer with a Seitech rack on it set up to carry just that configuration! But I'd also like to carry a couple of bicycles as well (can't carry them on top of the car, that's where the luggage goes!). We might end up looking the the Beverly Hillbilly's going down the road......but might anyone have any ideas how to rig a trailer like this to carry a couple of bikes 250 miles or so? (the picture I uploaded is not my trailer, but it's the same configuration).

Thanks

 

[minifish2]

Do you have that pictured configuration? Very cool. Very cool.

See those two lowest crossbars in the pictured trailer, bottom front and rear? Do you have a pair of those longer bars like those pictured? Those are for carrying boats on the side of the trailer. If you have the longer pair like that, they can be reset maybe a notch or so higher, and you can add two boats slapped on the side, deck-side in, with the lower gunwal edge resting on those glued-on black rubber pads. That will work better for the board (or a minifish, or even a Laser) than a Sunfish (the Sunfish splash guard position makes carrying on its side on that trailer trickier than for boats and boards without that protrusion), but it is a very cool option.

That said, I might try adding a side attachment, so the bike crossbar is strapped or otherwise secured to the upper side bar of the trailer.

Also, if your car luggage is a longish Thule or similar case, the molded attachment indentations in the Thule will likely fit nicely on those top bars of the trailer. Check it out - sometimes it is an exact fit. That way you can carry both a Thule-type carrier AND a sail board on the top tier of he trailer, side by side. That would be too good. Then with the bikes on the side, that would be OTT.

 

[tag]

I like minifish2's proposed options.

I've trailered my Sunfish with bikes sort of haphazardly strapped down where I could fit them, along with all my other stuff - my PVC dolly, a bag of life jackets, etc.

plain and simple: don't do it in anyway where the bike might scratch the boat. even when I've tried to put padding down at "hard points", the bikes shift around when you're driving, and you can end up with scratches in your gelcoat. trust me, I've learned the hard way.

good luck,
tag

 

[Lafayette Mike]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will be carrying the boats deck down so there really isn't room to "pack" any bikes in. I'm thinking of trying to hang the bikes off the side however.

The only other option is to buy a hitch extended/ that will let me use my hitch mount bike carrier as well as tow the trailer. Anyone have any experience with one of these? And if so, how many bikes could you carry without banging them up?

Thanks