Cartopping - Trailering

B

bikspk

New Member
Looking into getting a Laser and have been waffling on trailers and the possibility of car topping. I have a Honda Accord and would need to put a receiver (Class 1 of course) on the car to tow. Already have some pretty sturdy racks but getting the boat up there could be no fun.

I guess what I'm looking for is advice on either. Going to have to trailer the boat about 500 miles to begin with which may blow up my poor little car. I'd take the hit on the aerodynamics / mileage if cartopping was a good option.

Any recommendaitons would be appreciated.
 
I've done both for a number of years - as you point out, the Laser will wreck the aero and knock off 3-5mpg when it's on the roof. It's possible, with the right setup to get the boat on and off the roof unassisted - search the drLaser web site, I think there are some writeups there, it basically involves getting the bow up on both racks with the boat perpendicular to the car, then lifting the stern and pivoting/pushing the boat into place. If you have a garage, you can hang it in the garage and then at least at home it's a one person operation to get it on and off the car.

With a light trailer, you are talking less then 400 lbs to pull, and you won't feel that much at all behind an Accord (especially the V6 model) - it's actually a little better on the gas mileage too (at least with the small cars and vans I have towed with) then on the roof. The tradeoffs: Flat tires on the trailer, wheel bearings, roads you can't travel on, additional purchase for trailer, hitch, wiring....

There really isn't a wrong choice here, I don't think either is going to shorten the life of the car much more then the other, it comes down to the ability to get the boat on the roof vs the added costs of the trailer....
 
One problem you might have if you go the cartopper route is with the roof racks lateral bars being too close together.
I have an Acura Integra, and the bars were only 15 inches apart. What I ended up doing was making a long frame/cradle that supports the boat under the mast step and the aft cockpit edge.
the nice thing is it's going to double as my storage cradle on the docks when I start frostbiting in spring. It started out pretty simple, but now Im adding carpet to allow it to slide off of when launching the boat, and brackets to hold the gunwales. If you're interested, I will have digital photos when It's complete.
the type of trailer people have been talking about here (the util. trailer with supports bolted on) seems to be a pretty good idea too. if it wasn't for the fact that I have to fit car+boat in single space garage, i would probably do that. also, 500 miles with even a secure rack makes me nervous.
safe traveling,
kristian
 
I have done both truck/car topping and trailering. I have a small boat trailer that I got with my boat that I have modified so that I can slide my laser on dolly up on the trailer ( The modification is a U shaped track that runs up the center of the trailer which the front of the dolly slides in and two risers that fit over the side rails of the trailer that support the cross bar of the dolly. ) Modifications took a day to build and install. This setup makes it much easier to setup for and break down from a race. There is no need to have help getting the boat down from the top of the car.

Andy
 
From my experiences, I'd personally pay more and go with the trailer....either a modified one or a Laser trailer. The problem with the roof other than the need for more hands is that sometimes they get a bit wobbly. If you are just using the standard racks the car came with, sometimes when you set the boat on them they bend and flex alot. So whenever you accelerate or deccelerate, the shifting of weight causes the bars to wobble and it can cause the boat to shift it's position, which isn't a bad thing, but for such a long trip you may have to pull over and reposition the boat.
 
I went with the cartopping option on my Honda Civic 4-door because it was cheaper than getting a trailer and hitch, etc and I have had no problem with it except for needing an extra hand to load and unload. I have a Thule rack which is very sturdy and when the boat and spars are strapped on tight, they don't slide around at all. I have briefly gone as fast as 90 MPH and driven 1400 miles roundtrip to regattas with no problem. The gas mileage does suck at interstate speeds, although it's still better than your average SUV. You'll probably want a full cover if you trailer to keep the road gunk off your hull.
 
hi

cartopping is great and certianly less expensive than buying a trailer
but you would have to cover your roof rack with some sort of padding so as not to damage the car or boat

of course you would probably need someone to help you put your laser on top of the car ang to make sure your lines are tight

dont worry about the boat blowing off as long as it is secure

every time i go laser sailing i cartop and i have never had any problems

happy sailing :D
 
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