Tinnie Transport

[awabbit6]

I’m after some suggestions on the best location to carry our tinny (3.7m) when camping – on the roof of the Disco or on top of the camper trailer. I guess it mostly comes down to personal preference but there are some positives and negative to both locations.

Roof Top
Positives

- No need to carry a collapsible trailer for transport once camp is set up.
- Doesn’t impact access to the camper trailer.
- Will not have to be removed for overnight stops.
Negatives

- Will require more complicated fabrication to modify the existing rack to load the boat to include a winch of some sort.
- Wind drag will most likely be more significant (the Disco struggles with a fully loaded trailer and everyone on board as it is).
- Salt water dripping on the car when loaded from the water.

Trailer Top
Positives

- Easier to load.
- We had the trailer made with mounts for a boat rack so the fabrication shouldn’t be as difficult.
- The top of the boat should be a similar height to that of the car so wind drag may not be a problem.
Negatives

- Interferes with trailer access.
- Must be removed for overnight stays (I’m not going to build a tilting rack as it requires too much work to the trailer which is powder coated and even when tilted, it will be awkward to access the trailer).
- Requires a collapsible trailer or something similar to transport the boat once camp is set up which is something else to transport.


So it’s over to you. What have you seen? What have you used? If nothing else, please vote in the poll.

Thanks in advance. Any input will be greatly appreciated. I've attached a photo of the rig and the tinny for reference.

[Chops]

This was one of my set-ups that I had for a while.
Didnt really need a trailer for the boat, (as in fold-away), it was easy enough to drag to the waters edge even with the motor on.
When I got lazy :eek: and wise, :D I would drop the boat and motor etc off at the waters edgde before setting up camp.

Chops

[inside]

Just one thing to consider is the maximum weight allowed on the roof of your Disco, this may only be 75kg. In the unfortunate event of an accident you could find insurance not willing to pay as you exceeded the limits of the vehicle. I have heard rumours of insurance companies weighing vehicles after an accident to ensure they are within payload so may do it for roof weight as well.

[isuzu110]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/07/156.jpgI just built a folding boat rack for my CT. Took a mate and I two saturdays to build it and under $300 in steel etc. Has a gas strut to fold the rack out of the way. I only have a canoe on it at the moment.

I's obviously vote for this option.

[weeds]

thanks isuzu110, i plan to do this to my sisters camper trailer

[awabbit6]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I have considered the weight on the roof of the Disco. I will have to confirm the weight of the boat but I think it is around 70kg. Combined with the rack itself and the awning that is already on the rack and I think I'll be pushing it.

I think I'd probably prefer it on the roof for practicality but logic tells me that it needs to go in the trailer.

I will wait for more words of wisdom ...

[weeds]

the only problem i see with it being on the trailer is you need to launch/carry/drag the boat before setting up the tent, guess you could invest in one of those fold up trailers

[Remy]

Why not do both the trailer should be cheap to do and with a bit of fabrication a gutter mounted rack for the disco shouldn't break the budget? Once the tinnie is off the trailer you then have the flexibility of throwing it on the roof and going to other places while leaving home setup.

Anyway that is what i am working on now!

[awabbit6]

Why not do both the trailer should be cheap to do and with a bit of fabrication a gutter mounted rack for the disco shouldn't break the budget? Once the tinnie is off the trailer you then have the flexibility of throwing it on the roof and going to other places while leaving home setup.

I hadn't thought of doing both. Saves making a folding trailer!

What car are you putting yours on?

[foz.in.oz]

Something I have seen but unfortunately don't have photos of is a boat trailer with a removable camper on top of it. When you get to camp you drop the legs on the camper part, jack it up and pull the boat trailer out from underneath. Camper stays put and boat goes a launchin'

[harlie]

I’m currently working on V2 of a completely different system - Boat goes on the trailer in the upright position. This enables the engine and all the boat stuff to remain on/in the boat during transit. Unless the boat is dropped at the waters edge first a fold-up is required, which I think is essential as it allows you to camp up to couple kms away from the launch point. Downside is that the boat must be removed for over nights (unless a system like isuzu110 is integrated in), but we’ve found (with pictured prototype already in operation - 3.7m boat & 15hp Honda) that this takes significantly less time (less than 4 mins to unpack, set foldup and transfer the boat) than it does to set the boat up when you arrive at the final destination… And it looks (it’s actually the same height) very high because the gunwale is at the top instead of the keel, but who cares…

[harlie]

Something I have seen but unfortunately don't have photos of is a boat trailer with a removable camper on top of it. When you get to camp you drop the legs on the camper part, jack it up and pull the boat trailer out from underneath. Camper stays put and boat goes a launchin'

Pain in the bum if you want to go to the mountains...

Belco Custom Trailers (http://www.belcocustomtrailers.com.au/photos.htm#ls)

[greenextreme]

Hi All, we usually carry our dinghy on the roof [110, td5] with a full length rack, helped with 4x2 pine-timber across back and front to take the dinghy's extra width. Gravity helps in getting it off the roof. While the missus and I use a light block and tackle to haul it onto the roof. We plan to fit a rack on the CT with gas struts / hinges enabling overnight stops without lifting the dinghy off. We like the option of reloading the dinghy onto the roof if we want to go exploring further afield hence we'll continue to use both methods. Hope this helps :D

[roverrescue]

Your tinnie looks like a Stacer 3.7
they fit good on a disco1.

If it were me, like Remy I would set it up for both situations.

Sell your stepped rack - should get okay money for it and modifying it will be as time consuming as making one from scratch.

Make a flat rack with no side rails to keep height down, incorprate small stoppers for gunwhale width at the front, have the rear bar (with teflon rub strip) 1500 wide (just wider than widest part of tinnie). (I have made one for the exact tinnie onto a disco1 - 50x25x1.8mm rails mesh flooring, gal dipped)

Make simple rack for CT... now you have the best of both. For the long road legs put the tinnie up on CT for drag etc etc. When you get to places where you are camping/ fishing the tinnie goes up on roof with gear in back.
Two people can easily heave that size tinnie onto a disco, I can do it solo if need be, but if not just put plasma rope on your winch and then winch it up, there is so little load it wont bugger up the bullbar or roof line and saves carrying more junk.

Roof topping allows you to get into the tight lagoon country and salt flat creeks, CT topping to do the miles.

Steve

[Remy]

A HSE P38a and you thought you had weight problems :( but i reckon it will be ok if one drives sensible. As i said i am going to do both just to give me the option. Trailer nearly done just waiting for someone else to weld my roof rack up - want it done better than my skills allow.



I hadn't thought of doing both. Saves making a folding trailer!

What car are you putting yours on?

[awabbit6]

Your tinnie looks like a Stacer 3.7
they fit good on a disco1.


It's a Savage 3.7.

Thanks for all the replies.

I like the idea of having both the trailer and vehicle rack. Making a folding trailer will take as much (if not more) work as modifying my roof rack.

So the decision is ... to mount on the roof of the Disco for now and decide whether I need a rack for the trailer later.

I've taken my roof rack off the car and have it sitting in my shed. The design stage has begun. I had considered building a new rack but I think I can modify my existing one to have a removable boat loader similar to this one.

YouTube - Custom Boat Loaders Demonstration Video 2008

Just have to practice my aluminium welding skills, source a worm drive winch (I think I've found one) and decide on bearings etc.

Should be good if it comes together as it appears in my head. I'll post photos as I go.