Rooftop Bunks?

[roccaas]

Is there a posting of methods/materials/plans for building a roof top mounting (Chevy Equinox with rack and rails)?

Thanks

 

[papayamon2]

I solved the problem just about as simply as you can on my minivan w/ no roof rack. I went to Walmart and bought 3 oversized swim noodles (about 5" in diameter). I simply place those on top of the van, set the Sunfish on them upside down (with the front noodle just in front of the splash rail), then strap down the boat with ratcheting tiedowns (two from the bow handle to the front corners of the van, one from the back down to the rear bumper, and one over the middle of the boat from side to side). I then did a little woodwork and made two brackets to hold the spars and sail onto the top of the boat when inverted. One bracket has a board that slides down into the inverted daggerboard well, with a 2x6 turned perpendicular w/ a cutout to match the shape of the spars & sail; the other bracket is also a 2x6 cutout, but with a one-foot threaded bar inserted into the bottom of the bracket. That threaded bar just fits into the rudder housing where the rudder pin normally goes. I've threaded a nut onto the bar so that the whole bracket sits at just the right height to support the spars & sail. A few bungees later and I'm ready to go sailing. As for how well this works, I normally travel about 12 miles to where I sail from with no problems. I have found, however, that you do need to crank down a little bit on the middle ratcheting tiedown to keep everthing secure. Total cost was 3 oversized noodles at $1.99 each, a pack of tiedowns for $12.99, a threaded shaft for $2.00, a 4' pine board for $4.00 or so, and a scrap piece of 2x6 = around $25.00. A poor man's roof rack for sure, but it works like a charm for me! Just thought I'd go ahead and throw out the low-cost alternative.

 

[Fred P]

Car-topping a 'fish soon becomes a real pain. Usually you need two people to at least get it on the car (if not also off the car). Get yourself a trailer. If you plan to sail a lot it will be the best way to go. If you're only transporting once or twice for vacations and such, car -topping will be OK.

Fred

 

[minifish]

I then did a little woodwork and made two brackets to hold the spars and sail onto the top of the boat when inverted. One bracket has a board that slides down into the inverted daggerboard well, with a 2x6 turned perpendicular w/ a cutout to match the shape of the spars & sail; the other bracket is also a 2x6 cutout, but with a one-foot threaded bar inserted into the bottom of the bracket. That threaded bar just fits into the rudder housing where the rudder pin normally goes. I've threaded a nut onto the bar so that the whole bracket sits at just the right height to support the spars & sail. A few bungees later and I'm ready to go sailing.

That's a nice idea, thanks!
I think I can picture what you did, but do you have any pics of it by chance?

 

[fishfoody]

I successfully use pads on my Yakima racks which mount onto my factory rails. Pads can be bought from places such as APS, or for a quickee use pipe-insulation. Harken makes a tricked out hoisting system which will make loading/unloading your boat simple at home (if you have a garage or car-port) but doesn't help you at the water.