Trolley and boat

JohnSaw

New Member
Hi, I’m thinking of buying a laser but really need to be able to put the trolley and boat on my roof rack, is this doable for 1 person? Thanks for any help
 
Yes, definitely.

But how easy it is depends very much on your vehicle, how high it is, the position of the roof bars etc......

I trolley the boat to the back of the car, then with padding under the transom, lift up the bow and pull the trolley free. Then flip the boat over. Again, you need to have some cushions or carpet in appropriate places so that the boat ends up upside down at sort of 45degrees behind the car facing the front. It can be tricky flipping the boat over by yourself in any sort of wind!

Then, lift the bow up and slide it over onto the rear roof bar so the boat is now resting on its transom and the rear bar with the bow pointing in the air. Then lift up the transom and slide the whole boat forward over the car. Some wiggling is needed to get the deck fittings over the roof bar.

You may want to consider putting some carpet or padding over the rear of the car.

Tie the boat down, then put the trolley on and tie that down separately. If it is a gunnel hung trolley, I tend to tie the front of the trolley to the bow eye and then take a tie down from that to the front of the car.

I generally put the boom in the car, and lash the mast to the underside of the roofbars, one on each side.

Obviously, you must take care to lift carefully and certainly not do it if you have any back issues.

I hope that helps. It is how I have car-topped my Laser happily for years - others may have different methods.
 
Yes, definitely.

But how easy it is depends very much on your vehicle, how high it is, the position of the roof bars etc......

I trolley the boat to the back of the car, then with padding under the transom, lift up the bow and pull the trolley free. Then flip the boat over. Again, you need to have some cushions or carpet in appropriate places so that the boat ends up upside down at sort of 45degrees behind the car facing the front. It can be tricky flipping the boat over by yourself in any sort of wind!

Then, lift the bow up and slide it over onto the rear roof bar so the boat is now resting on its transom and the rear bar with the bow pointing in the air. Then lift up the transom and slide the whole boat forward over the car. Some wiggling is needed to get the deck fittings over the roof bar.

You may want to consider putting some carpet or padding over the rear of the car.

Tie the boat down, then put the trolley on and tie that down separately. If it is a gunnel hung trolley, I tend to tie the front of the trolley to the bow eye and then take a tie down from that to the front of the car.

I generally put the boom in the car, and lash the mast to the underside of the roofbars, one on each side.

Obviously, you must take care to lift carefully and certainly not do it if you have any back issues.

I hope that helps. It is how I have car-topped my Laser happily for years - others may have different methods.
Thanks a lot , you have helped me make my mind up
 
Hi, I’m thinking of buying a laser but really need to be able to put the trolley and boat on my roof rack, is this doable for 1 person? Thanks for any help
I am not able to get my laser on my car's roof rack by myself...not without damaging either car or the boat. It's just heavy enough to be very awkward to manipulate by yourself. It would make a simple sail a lot of work. In our town we are able to rent beachside rack space so we just need to bring mast and blade bag, etc. to go sailing. I only need to move it twice for the year and help is easy enough to find. I would not use my Laser at all if I had to hump it up on the roof every time. You'll be exhausted after a good sail and your enthusiasm will wain quickly with so much work to go for a sail.
 
I am not able to get my laser on my car's roof rack by myself...not without damaging either car or the boat. It's just heavy enough to be very awkward to manipulate by yourself. It would make a simple sail a lot of work. In our town we are able to rent beachside rack space so we just need to bring mast and blade bag, etc. to go sailing. I only need to move it twice for the year and help is easy enough to find. I would not use my Laser at all if I had to hump it up on the roof every time. You'll be exhausted after a good sail and your enthusiasm will wain quickly with so much work to go for a sail.
Thanks for the advice, another option is to walk an pull the trolley with the laser around 1km...would this be too much?
 
another option is to walk an pull the trolley with the laser around 1km...would this be too much?
Certainly, as jimlaserboat notes above, it can be a lot of work to put the boat on and off your car, especially to go only 1km.

If the roads are level and quiet and the trolley is well balanced, there is no reason why you shouldn't walk with it. It isn't far and you would certainly achieve that faster than loading and unloading the boat.

You might want to adapt the handle a little though, so you are not constantly stooped over whilst pulling the trolley and damaging your back.

Or, you could try towing it behind your bike. I have seen various photos of that being done over the years. I can't find any to hand at the moment but this is on YouTube

 
Certainly, as jimlaserboat notes above, it can be a lot of work to put the boat on and off your car, especially to go only 1km.

If the roads are level and quiet and the trolley is well balanced, there is no reason why you shouldn't walk with it. It isn't far and you would certainly achieve that faster than loading and unloading the boat.

You might want to adapt the handle a little though, so you are not constantly stooped over whilst pulling the trolley and damaging your back.

Or, you could try towing it behind your bike. I have seen various photos of that being done over the years. I can't find any to hand at the moment but this is on YouTube

Great video, thanks!
 
If you go down the bike route make sure to attach the trolley on the rear wheel hub. (or even lower with a drop bar) Some trolleys attach at the seat post. When you break hard the trolley will lift the rear wheel and cause a skid. I have the scars to prove this:)
 
1k? Dolly hitch & drive slow!
 

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