Securing for transport
- Thread starter SoDoWarts
- Start date
Porpoise2
New Member
Re: Securing for transport—pickup truck
I've got the same situation, but with a small pickup truck with a homebuilt frame of 2x4s. It's been reported here to transport it upside down, though I suspect there will be much "lifting force".
My plan is to use one wire cable in the front, and cinch-down straps across the rest of the hull. Because my bow handle is mostly AWOL, my fish will be transported stern-first, using the rudder plate as a forward mounting point. (Should be plenty strong).
I've heard that passing truck airflows will tend to force the hull sideways—away from the lane they're in. (Most often the passing lane).
Because my trip will be 2000 miles, I've removed the sail and rigging for storage inside, rather than attempt to secure the sail from flapping on such a long trip.
I'm certainly open to the experience(s) of others.
and 
, even .
I've got the same situation, but with a small pickup truck with a homebuilt frame of 2x4s. It's been reported here to transport it upside down, though I suspect there will be much "lifting force".
My plan is to use one wire cable in the front, and cinch-down straps across the rest of the hull. Because my bow handle is mostly AWOL, my fish will be transported stern-first, using the rudder plate as a forward mounting point. (Should be plenty strong).
I've heard that passing truck airflows will tend to force the hull sideways—away from the lane they're in. (Most often the passing lane).
Because my trip will be 2000 miles, I've removed the sail and rigging for storage inside, rather than attempt to secure the sail from flapping on such a long trip.
I'm certainly open to the experience(s) of others.
and , even .
Porpoise2
New Member
I've completed my preparations for my 2000 mile trip; however, I should have just bought a Sunfish at my destination!
For other forum members, I'll charge only $10 an hour for preparation. (It took about 40 hours!)
For the top of your station wagons/RVs, try tying/taping four or six 2-liter plastic bottles in strategic spots. (Empties with caps on, stuffed into cut-off flannel shirt sleeves). I used tennis balls instead: I think all here will approve upon inspection—when I get my photos back.
I recently car-topped my new ( to me ) Sunfish approximately 75 miles.
I used a cargo cage and swimming noodles that I sliced down the center
for protection on the sides. That and some foam and tie downs and it was
fine ( even at 65 mph ) on the expressway. Needless to say, I am still in
search of a trailer if anyone knows of one in the Upstate N.Y. area.
See attached photo.
I used a cargo cage and swimming noodles that I sliced down the center
for protection on the sides. That and some foam and tie downs and it was
fine ( even at 65 mph ) on the expressway. Needless to say, I am still in
search of a trailer if anyone knows of one in the Upstate N.Y. area.
See attached photo.
Attachments
Porpoise2
New Member
Almost ready for the 2000 mile trip.
'Thought I'd share some ideas. The first photo (left) shows the front of the pickup truck, with the stern of the Sunfish facing forward. (There is only 1" of bow handle remaining due to corrosion). A 3/8" eyebolt (9mm) is bolted through the rudder gudgeon assembly, with the shroud threaded up through it, and secured tightly with a very special cable clamp found, serendipitously, at the bottom of a box containing sundry yard sale hardware!
A long, heavier-than-necessary chain holds down the front of a stainless steel wire shroud. (A discard, with eyes on both ends). The chain's been cinched-up some since the photo. Gravity seems to supply enough downforce on the shroud—necessary, because there is some lift at moderate speeds.
The shroud was fed through two lengths of 1" PVC pipe (to protect the bottom's finish from the shroud), thence down through the daggerboard well. It's guided in such a way that the shroud does not contact the leading or trailing surfaces inside the daggerboard trunk.
A wooden 4"x4" keeps the chain off the bumper. A plastic tube keeps the shroud off the truck's paint, and will be wrapped with denim just before starting off.
The next view is of the rear passenger side of the truck bed. The photo shows the shroud (left diagonal line) which was fed down through the daggerboard trunk. The shroud makes a bend under a 2x4 support, where the eye is bolted to two pulley/blocks.
Since the combination block/cam cleat had to be removed to clear the crossbeam between the forward wood uprights, I bolted it to the passenger side wood upright and ran the Sunfish's removed traveler line through all the blocks. This gives mechanical advantage in tightening down the shroud on the forward part of the boat. What's really cool is that while driving, I can reach through the sliding rear window of the truck and tighten the shroud as needed.
Nearly all of the Sunfish's weight is on the first upright, as I didn't want any part of the Sunfish to extend very far over the rear bumper. The rear crossbeam has two tennis balls secured at the gunwhale to absorb bumps (with cable ties through them). A bungee cord keeps the deck in contact with the tennis balls.
A boating fender is positioned atop the windshield in case of any rocking movements. There is not much weight on either extreme ends of bow or stern when the car is stationary.
Loading the boat wasn't too bad, as I was able to lift the bow onto the rear crossmember alone. A neighbor helped me lift and position the stern, after first unscrewing the radio antenna for clearance.
The works has survived about ten miles of routine driving. I'm optimistic, and I don't have to think about backing up with a trailer. (Or forgetting about a trailer while backing!)
'Thought I'd share some ideas. The first photo (left) shows the front of the pickup truck, with the stern of the Sunfish facing forward. (There is only 1" of bow handle remaining due to corrosion). A 3/8" eyebolt (9mm) is bolted through the rudder gudgeon assembly, with the shroud threaded up through it, and secured tightly with a very special cable clamp found, serendipitously, at the bottom of a box containing sundry yard sale hardware!
A long, heavier-than-necessary chain holds down the front of a stainless steel wire shroud. (A discard, with eyes on both ends). The chain's been cinched-up some since the photo. Gravity seems to supply enough downforce on the shroud—necessary, because there is some lift at moderate speeds.
The shroud was fed through two lengths of 1" PVC pipe (to protect the bottom's finish from the shroud), thence down through the daggerboard well. It's guided in such a way that the shroud does not contact the leading or trailing surfaces inside the daggerboard trunk.
A wooden 4"x4" keeps the chain off the bumper. A plastic tube keeps the shroud off the truck's paint, and will be wrapped with denim just before starting off.
The next view is of the rear passenger side of the truck bed. The photo shows the shroud (left diagonal line) which was fed down through the daggerboard trunk. The shroud makes a bend under a 2x4 support, where the eye is bolted to two pulley/blocks.
Since the combination block/cam cleat had to be removed to clear the crossbeam between the forward wood uprights, I bolted it to the passenger side wood upright and ran the Sunfish's removed traveler line through all the blocks. This gives mechanical advantage in tightening down the shroud on the forward part of the boat. What's really cool is that while driving, I can reach through the sliding rear window of the truck and tighten the shroud as needed.
Nearly all of the Sunfish's weight is on the first upright, as I didn't want any part of the Sunfish to extend very far over the rear bumper. The rear crossbeam has two tennis balls secured at the gunwhale to absorb bumps (with cable ties through them). A bungee cord keeps the deck in contact with the tennis balls.
A boating fender is positioned atop the windshield in case of any rocking movements. There is not much weight on either extreme ends of bow or stern when the car is stationary.
Loading the boat wasn't too bad, as I was able to lift the bow onto the rear crossmember alone. A neighbor helped me lift and position the stern, after first unscrewing the radio antenna for clearance.
The works has survived about ten miles of routine driving. I'm optimistic, and I don't have to think about backing up with a trailer. (Or forgetting about a trailer while backing!)
Attachments
Porpoise2
New Member
Well, my "rig" made the 2000-mile trip without any changes!
The effect of passing traffic was more evident than I thought: there was a definite—but manageable—shift of the Sunfish to starboard.
The boat fender positioned above the cab's roof was unnecessary, as it turned out. (But gave some piece of mind).
It's one of the few Sunfish that have traveled over 80-MPH!
The effect of passing traffic was more evident than I thought: there was a definite—but manageable—shift of the Sunfish to starboard.
The boat fender positioned above the cab's roof was unnecessary, as it turned out. (But gave some piece of mind).
It's one of the few Sunfish that have traveled over 80-MPH!
scottswierenga
New Member
I needed to transport a sunfish from St. Louis to Omaha (about 600 miles) and had a full sized crew cab (shorter then normal box) pickup to use. I started out by building a custom fit "ladder rack" that would fit the bed cap holes of this truck, I just used 2" x 4", 3 inch screws, and 3.5 inch lag bolts. I also used some eye bolts to use to secure the assembly to the truck box with ratchet straps, in a criss-cross fashion. I tightened the starps till it was rock solid and then loaded the hull upside down on top of the rack and rachet strapped the boat to the rack until that was also rock solid. Needless to say the boat never moved a millimeter the whole trip, even at speeds of 75mph. I would check the straps every time we would stop and didn't even have to tighten or readjust a thing. It worked brilliantly.
imported_chucktowncolie
New Member
Here's how I transport my 'fish on my racks. Some people may have issues with it, but I've traveled at 75 miles per hour on the interstate for four hours and my 'fish is still there. It's a pretty simple and efficient set up, btw, I used this set up on a mazda 626, and a saturn ion. It works well on both cars.
I bought Thule Racks with bars that were long enough to hang about 8-10 inches further out on the passenger side. Go to some place where they set up the racks, find out what you need for your car, and get longer racks. I use the extra space to tie my spars on (they are bagged w/sail attached).
I bought my straps from John Sayre at Sayre sailing. Contact him, and ask him what he uses when he transports lasers and sunfish on the roof of his truck. Tell him Dayton bought them, likes them, and has recommeded them. I won't get any money, but it will help him figure out what they are. These straps are heavier duty tie down straps with a pad over the buckle (to save your hull), and an adjustable elastic band that you place the tail of the strap in after you tighten it down. They work.
I do not tie down the back and front of my boat, as there is no place to do it on my car without messing up bumpers. The combination of Thule racks and These tie down straps have worked well. I know there will be people out there who will tell me I need to do it a different way, but like I said, I'm good for a 4 hour haul at 75 miles per hour and haven't had problems yet. This system is a little pricey @ 300 bucks for the racks and the ties, but I'm not going to change it. I tried ratchet straps, shorter bars, etc. - but this works well, just watch your head when you get in the passenger side.
I bought Thule Racks with bars that were long enough to hang about 8-10 inches further out on the passenger side. Go to some place where they set up the racks, find out what you need for your car, and get longer racks. I use the extra space to tie my spars on (they are bagged w/sail attached).
I bought my straps from John Sayre at Sayre sailing. Contact him, and ask him what he uses when he transports lasers and sunfish on the roof of his truck. Tell him Dayton bought them, likes them, and has recommeded them. I won't get any money, but it will help him figure out what they are. These straps are heavier duty tie down straps with a pad over the buckle (to save your hull), and an adjustable elastic band that you place the tail of the strap in after you tighten it down. They work.
I do not tie down the back and front of my boat, as there is no place to do it on my car without messing up bumpers. The combination of Thule racks and These tie down straps have worked well. I know there will be people out there who will tell me I need to do it a different way, but like I said, I'm good for a 4 hour haul at 75 miles per hour and haven't had problems yet. This system is a little pricey @ 300 bucks for the racks and the ties, but I'm not going to change it. I tried ratchet straps, shorter bars, etc. - but this works well, just watch your head when you get in the passenger side.