Transporting a 14ft boat with a pickup truck

[zul]

This may qualify as the dumbest idea and worst question ever ... so ... for your entertainment value:

I've got a 6 1/2 foot full sized truck bed and an old 14ft aluminium boat. I've read online where people transport aluminium boats with pickup trucks and tie downs/straps where the boat hangs out the back. Seems like every time, they do this with the tailgate down. Challenge for me in that I will have an 18 foot boat on a trailer.

Would it be possible to have the tailgate UP with the 14 ft aluminium boat in the truck bed AND the 18 ft boat on the trailer?
Oh, I know, the image is terrible ... Hmmm?!

 

[GA_Boater]

Ladder rack.

 

[Scott Danforth]

many people haul aluminum john boats in the back of pickemups all the time.

most are long-beds and short boats

a 14' boat on a 6-1/2' bed would put all the boat weight on the tailgate

as GA stated, your going to need a ladder rack....or a second vehicle and trailer

 

[Tassie 1]

You're right,

it is a dumb idea lol

 

[poconojoe]

The ladder rack seems like the best idea. And you can always get other usage out of that rack.
There are many add-on accessories for pickups such as racks for many purposes.

You say you are also trailering an 18 foot boat. What type of boat is this?
Can you strap the 14 footer on top of the 18 footer?

 

[JimS123]

Been there, done that. Put her in stern first, drop a couple cement blocks in the stern, tie her down real good and you should be good to go.

Now, I'm assuming you are moving the boat from one place to another. If this is a weekly routine thing to get to the water, forget it...!!!

The roof rack is even a worse idea, unless you have 6 guys to help you load and unload. Been there, done that as well.

If you need 2 boats at the water, use 2 cars and 2 trailers. Been there and done that too and it worked very well.

 

[poconojoe]

There's SO much wrong with that guy's contraption in that video.
It's dangerous. A recipe for disaster. He said it weighs 205 pounds. If something fails, it can fall on someone or damage his truck or other property.

How does he drop it in the water? His truck needs to be partially in the water. He has to be in the water. The same with retrieval.

It takes too long. Everyone at the ramp is going have to wait for him to winch that thing.
He won't have any of his fishing gear, life jackets, oars, fish finder, anchor, lines, cooler, gas, motor etc. pre-loaded into the boat. So that will also take time. There's nothing worse than waiting at the ramp for someone to load gear into their boat.

Hey You-Tube dude! Just buy a trailer!

I have two boats. 18' bow rider and a 15' Jon boat and each have their own trailer. Just pick a boat, hitch it up and go. Launch/retrieval is a couple minutes for either boat. And safe!

 

[DouglasW]

Yeah, I agree. His life is not easier, just the opposite. At best, his design is in the Alpha stage and needs some improvement, like guides to keep the boat on the rollers. It reminds me a bit of my contraption to step and un-step my small sailboat's mast single handed. It took several revisions to get it right.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I built a rack to do just this. I’ll see if i can find pictures. It was really simple and very safe.

 

[82rude]

poconojoe I literally see dozens of those setups each year up in the great white north.Most are manual powered but same basic setup.Now mind you people are going into remote lakes not busy ramps .Id prefer a wireless remote for added safety though.

 

[JimS123]

You didn't watch the video did you? One man job.

Yes I did. See post #9.

There's an old guy that takes his little tinny to the same ramp that I use. He puts it on the "roof" too. Watching him load and unload gives me a headache. I have offered to help several times and he gets huffy because he says he built the contraption so he wouldn't have to ask for help. When I causally suggested he get a trailer he said he already had one. His excuse was he wouldn't pay the $30 for an annual trailer parking sticker.

Now I just smile and say hello when I see him.

 

[82rude]

Now that's a hem frugal!

 

[JimS123]

Gee, what's a guy to do? If you won't help you get chastised. If you offer, you still get yelled at.

I guess the Millennials have the right idea. Put your thumbs and nose in your I-Whatever and people will think you just aren't aware.

 

[JASinIL2006]

This is what I did... see post #18 for pictures.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...70-tow-bowrider-and-rowboat-on-single-trailer

 

[JimS123]

This is what I did... see post #18 for pictures.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...70-tow-bowrider-and-rowboat-on-single-trailer

Super awesome job, and for a single trip you couldn't have done it any better.

If that's what the OP has in mind, he should give you a call. If he wants to boat week after week, see the previous thread posts.

 

[fishrdan]

This is what I did... see post #18 for pictures.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/gen...70-tow-bowrider-and-rowboat-on-single-trailer

I built something similar for a canoe I had. It was more a "sled" that I would slide up into the truck bed, with uprights to hold the boat above the truck cab. Bottom of sled was 1/2" plywood, and gear was loaded into the sled to weigh it down. Sled was secured to the truck with a couple ratchet straps, then boat and sled with another couple of ratchet straps. I could easily load/unload the plastic canoe by myself, but that was 30 years ago, and it wasn't a 14' aluminum boat....

 

[Captain Caveman]

I did this with a 12ft tin boat in the back of my Ranger bed. I weighed it down, strapped it down, and drove slowly. I can't remember how I got it in there but rolled up to the ramp with a few extra beers to hand out and quickly got help from a few young bucks eager for free beer.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I did this with a 12ft tin boat in the back of my Ranger bed. I weighed it down, strapped it down, and drove slowly. I can't remember how I got it in there but rolled up to the ramp with a few extra beers to hand out and quickly got help from a few young bucks eager for free beer.

And at highway speeds the air resistance would pull it out of the back of your truck and hit the car behind you.

If you have to drive slow, the load is not secured