Does a Minifish Bounce?

Yes. From the top of my old Subaru Forester a falling minifish makes a Boing sound on impact followed by the louder sound of *:eek:#$:mad:@!!$^:oops:... One of my questions has always been can I load and unload the boat myself. I pushed it up the first time, strapped it down, drove around the block and unloaded successfully. Double checking my prowess on loading and unloading was less successful due to the fact that a convex hull being pushed onto a convex set of roof racks tends to slide off :(. No visible damage, but I think an air leak test is in order. Today's task, build a roof rack. Any thoughts? One more question, my traveller line doesn't have a loop so do I just put the mainsheet line under the traveller.
 
I use foam pads on my crossbars to avoid damaging my Minifish. You can get by with thick pool noodles, but I prefer the pads designed to carry canoes without a roof rack. One is linked below, or search for "canoe foam blocks". In the attached photo, I used white pads on the rear crossbar and black pads on the front crossbar. I use ropes with the "trucker's hitch" to cinch them tight. Note the rear ropes start at the bridle attachment points and loop around the hinges of the tailgate, which works great. I've taken the boat from Michigan to South Carolina and back several times with this system, no problems.


It is hard to find good tie-down points on the front ends of most new vehicles. I recommend hood loop straps which use an existing bolt just inside the edge of the hood. I do *not* recommend the type which use a plastic bar slammed into the hood, I think a bolt is much stronger.


I use a Yakima rack with a "BoatLoader" accessory, which is basically a bar that slides sideways out the end of one crossbar. You lay the boat out beside the vehicle, pick up one end and put it on the BoatLoader, then pick up the other end and put it on the other crossbar, then slide the first end over onto the other crossbar. You never need to lift more than half of the boat's weight. It is awkward, especially for a short person with a tall vehicle, but it can be done if you're reasonably athletic.


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I literally opened the forum today to talk about Car-topping my minifish.
I took it out last evening for the first time and it was totally successful-helped by a lot of accessories I acquired over the off-season here in Jersey.
Here's the rundown of what I used:
(car is a Kia Niro)
#1-Roof Racks for the car. I suppose with a mini being pretty light you could probably just put it on the bare roof (with padding) but I think that's probably a terrible idea.
#2-Foam blocks for kayaks-If you get nothing else, get these. I bought this as a set at R.E.I. and it came with four cam straps (see below). Total game changer. Boat is upright and sits nice and high so that it clears the antenna and also leaves a space for the spars. . The foam also protects the hull from any bumps. I really liked this better than when I just strapped it down to the bare rack when I bought the Mini in the fall.
#3 Cam straps. I already had some but as I mentioned above I got some extra as a bonus with the pads. These are so much easier than using rope and truckers hithces.
#4Under hood tow straps-Another game changer and one of those "how the hell did I live without this?" kinda item. tying down the front is super important. I actually find that with the front tied down securlely I don't have the psychological urge to overdo it on tightening the belly straps on the hull. I got the ones that you slam into the hood unlike the poster above. I suppose the others are technically more secure but I think it would take a whole lot of force to pull mine off. It feels like one of those instances where a lot more crap would happen before these things fail.
#5 Spar bag-don't car top without one. So much easier and secure to put your spars and sail in a bag and secure them to the roof than it is with them just rolled onto each other. I seriously underestimated how much better it is to car-top with a bag .
#6 Wheels/dolly-I'm using one of the dollys that mounts to the centerboard tunnel. I know some people say theyre bad but it's what i have now and getting the boat from the car to the water would be pretty impossible without it. I will be checking the inside of the tunnel this summer to see if it looks to be wearing through the glass.

That's it. My wife goes paddleboarding when I go sailing and we are reasonably athletic so I don't have much of a problem getting the boat from the roof to the ground. If I decide to start going solo I will probably invest in one of those side assist loaders so I can do it myself.

The mini is SUCH a good boat. So nimble and so light. I wish they were still being made. As much as I love the original Sunfish, it just seems like the mini is the 'sweet spot" for a lot of people.
 
I literally opened the forum today to talk about Car-topping my minifish.
I took it out last evening for the first time and it was totally successful-helped by a lot of accessories I acquired over the off-season here in Jersey.
Here's the rundown of what I used:
(car is a Kia Niro)
#1-Roof Racks for the car. I suppose with a mini being pretty light you could probably just put it on the bare roof (with padding) but I think that's probably a terrible idea.
#2-Foam blocks for kayaks-If you get nothing else, get these. I bought this as a set at R.E.I. and it came with four cam straps (see below). Total game changer. Boat is upright and sits nice and high so that it clears the antenna and also leaves a space for the spars. . The foam also protects the hull from any bumps. I really liked this better than when I just strapped it down to the bare rack when I bought the Mini in the fall.
#3 Cam straps. I already had some but as I mentioned above I got some extra as a bonus with the pads. These are so much easier than using rope and truckers hithces.
#4Under hood tow straps-Another game changer and one of those "how the hell did I live without this?" kinda item. tying down the front is super important. I actually find that with the front tied down securlely I don't have the psychological urge to overdo it on tightening the belly straps on the hull. I got the ones that you slam into the hood unlike the poster above. I suppose the others are technically more secure but I think it would take a whole lot of force to pull mine off. It feels like one of those instances where a lot more crap would happen before these things fail.
#5 Spar bag-don't car top without one. So much easier and secure to put your spars and sail in a bag and secure them to the roof than it is with them just rolled onto each other. I seriously underestimated how much better it is to car-top with a bag .
#6 Wheels/dolly-I'm using one of the dollys that mounts to the centerboard tunnel. I know some people say theyre bad but it's what i have now and getting the boat from the car to the water would be pretty impossible without it. I will be checking the inside of the tunnel this summer to see if it looks to be wearing through the glass.

That's it. My wife goes paddleboarding when I go sailing and we are reasonably athletic so I don't have much of a problem getting the boat from the roof to the ground. If I decide to start going solo I will probably invest in one of those side assist loaders so I can do it myself.

The mini is SUCH a good boat. So nimble and so light. I wish they were still being made. As much as I love the original Sunfish, it just seems like the mini is the 'sweet spot" for a lot of people.
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to get some kayak blocks and front and rear tie downs. For me the real danger occurs when I pull it off the back of the car and tip it down to put the stern on the ground. At that point the whole boat is balanced on the keel and the edge of the hatchback. I can imagine it very easily sliding to right or left and falling to the ground. Any thoughts on how to manage that point of the unloading or am I imagining something that isn't going to happen.
 
Walmart sells this interesting kit, might have promise or generate ideas.


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Some folks rig a bar that slides out to the side of the car, attached to either the forward or aft rack. Then they put one end of the boat on the bar, go around and lift the other end and slide the boat onto the rack, then go slide the other end over the other rack. Don't forget to detach the bar.

I'd lift the gudgeon end first to avoid it digging into the ground and bending. The reverse the procedure to lower the boat. Bring some pads the protect the hull when it is on the ground.

Another gent on the Forum made interesting for and aft bunks out of PVC pipe to support the hull, strapped those to the racks. He even put small elbows on the aft end that helped guide the boat onto the PVC.

Forgot to mention it seems better to cartop deck side down, not sure how you're set up.
 
...it just seems like the mini is the 'sweet spot" for a lot of people.

It's not a bad little boat for cartopping, that's for sure. Those foam blocks look like a good investment, wish I'd had those over the decades when I was cartopping my Laser & Mini (separately, I mean, lol). I suppose pool noodles would help when transporting a boat topside-down, never tried it but it would probably be secure enough with the boat lashed down. Anyway, I don't think a day goes by here in the high desert when I do NOT think of sailing my Laser to the islands, or sailing the length of the Salton Sea aboard my Minifish.

Meh, this free & clear home ownership doesn't suck either, something I couldn't do on the coast... I'll get back out there someday to sail to Catalina or wherever, at least the weather here in SE Arizona is gorgeous, no smog either, lol. Had a pretty good dust storm in the San Pedro Valley yesterday, with winds howling in the afternoon... maybe I should buy one of those 'Blo-Kart' landsailers, or build my own, like a sand rail with a rig, lol. That's another thing I like about this area, there's SO much offroading to be enjoyed right nearby, mere minutes from my home, so it's a trade-off as far as the ocean goes.

WELL, TIME TO GET CLEANED UP AND RUN TO TOWN TO RESUPPLY... I'M THINKING BBQ THIS AFTERNOON, IN THIS GLORIOUS WEATHER ON MY DAY OFF, LOL. CHEERS!!! :cool:

P.S. If ya Google 'San Pedro Valley AZ', you'll see my stamping grounds, lol... better yet, Google 'Cochise Stronghold images' and check out the huge natural stone fortress minutes from my home, with primo world-class technical rock climbing, lol. Lemme throw down a few pics from the best guidebooks available:

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Yeah, there's DEFINITELY a trade-off, LOL. And howzabout those climbing cuties? Besides, where ELSE can ya turn to your partner high on a crag and say, "HEY, THERE'S TOMBSTONE!!!" Lol... damn, I love this area! CHEERS!!! :rolleyes:

Edit: Note the route 'GILLIGAN'S ISLAND' in the fourth pic... guess we're not so far from the ocean after all, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ;)
 
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