Re: Small boat "trailer"........UPDATE 5/22
Not bad, but since you're asking for input.... I would do it differently.<br /><br />My first choice would be to put a single roof rack on the cab and build some sort of support bar that plugs into the receiver hitch and holds the transom up. The boat would be upside down, bow on the cab, transom clamped into support at the back. Box of truck would be for your motor, gas, cooler etc. I have seen rear support things that clamp on (like a big C clamp) and the whole support swivels. Like this:<br /><br />
boat loader thingy <br /><br />You lift/hoist/manhandle the transom into the bracket while the bow is pointed away from the truck. Then you lift the bow and swing the whole boat around until you slide the bow onto the roof rack. I've seen these "one man loaders" be used, and they're slick. Added bonus is that the boat doesn't collect water when it rains, and actually keeps your stuff psuedo-dry. Also since you don't need the extension out the back, you can close your tailgate.<br /><br />Second choice would be to have a headache rack to protect the glass, and a couple of cross pieces across box. Boat would go upside down and backwards, stuff underneigth.<br /><br />3rd choice: The few times I've carried a 12' in a pickup for short daytrips, I laid 3 old tires (no rims) in the bed of the truck and put the boat in backwards and right side up. Put piece of foam or old lifejackets in boat and laid motor gas etc in boat. The tires lifted the boat enough to clear the wheel wells, and also supported to boat nicely for the weight I put into it. I liked that if I slammed on the brakes, the transom would push flush against the front of the box (not the pointy end). A flag on the bow and a couple of tie downs and it worked good. After unloading the stuff, it was no problem to slide the boat out by myself. I think foam in the boat and the cushioning provided by the tires are important, 'cause otherwise, with bumpy roads you could beat the **** out of the boat.<br /><br />So even with extension thing, I'd have the boat in backwards and supported on tires, and the motor lying inside the boat. Having weight in the boat may not be ideal, but I think it's way better than having the motor hanging out there. Tough on both the boat and motor.<br /><br />Anyway, that's my $02 (seems more like $.04
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