Can I carry a Topper Topaz on a roof rack?

ProDave

ProDave

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Mrs PD is wanting to buy a Topper Topaz or similar plastic (not GRP) dinghy.

So we are looking on ebay and elsewhere for one.

we are off on our travels darn sarf in a few weeks so that opens the prospect of buying one some distance away.

Fine if it comes with a road trailer we can tow it home.

But if there's no trailer, or just a launching trolley, what's the prospect of putting it up on the roof on the roof bars to bring it home?
 
I've carried a mirror on the roof rack before and it was fine. The Topaz (hull only) weighs 60kg apparently - http://www.toppersailboats.com/topaz_stats.aspx

So even with the mast that's like to be less than the max for the average car roof rack -seem to usually be rated at 100kg - but check the manual.

ProDave said:
Mrs PD is wanting to buy a Topper Topaz or similar plastic (not GRP) dinghy.

So we are looking on ebay and elsewhere for one.

we are off on our travels darn sarf in a few weeks so that opens the prospect of buying one some distance away.

Fine if it comes with a road trailer we can tow it home.

But if there's no trailer, or just a launching trolley, what's the prospect of putting it up on the roof on the roof bars to bring it home?
Click to expand...
 
Not only check the max for the car roof but check the max for the cross rails.

Also consider how you will get 60kg of boat on and off.
 
VicS said:
Not only check the max for the car roof but check the max for the cross rails.

Also consider how you will get 60kg of boat on and off.
Click to expand...

We are not looking to carry it like that regularly. If we buy one without a trailer I will buy or make a trailer for it.

It's just a means to get one home if we buy one without a trailer. So it's just a case of gather enough people to lift it.
 
To move a big sailboard about I made some timber, 2x4", crossbars to fit my roof rails on the Grand Vitara.
I attached some small chocks beneath them to locate on the inside edge of the roof rails.
Then I just lashed them on and put the sailboard and mast on them and lashed them on (to both the cross beams and the roof rails).

If there is a long overhang over the bonnet think about a bridle from the bow to each side of the car (attaching to towing eyes or something handy). It'll prevent yaw and wind-assisted lift.

Worked fine.
 
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Is the mast one piece?
That is quite awkward.
Also, if it come with a trolley, that may push the weight over the limit, if you put it on top of the upturned boat.

I'd be looking at borrowing a trailer.
 
The weight or mast length won't be much of an issue. Standard VW cross bars are rated at 125kg each (or mine is anyway). I used to have a Mirror dinghy, the problem was the beam was wider than the cross bars. I used some old metal tubing, covered in pipe insulation, cable tied behind the front bar and infront of the rear bar. Mast & boom lashed either side and then ratchet strapped the boat to roof rails. I drove miles and miles without a hitch. good luck.
 
I managed a similar feat with a couple of friends, minus a roof rack!

Sqilq.jpg
 
So we know the topaz weighs 60Kg.

What do we estimate a simple galvanised launching trolley weighs?

I'm now considering one that comes with a trolley, so looking at upturned boat on the roof, with the launching trolley on top of the boat.

Can't see a problem if it's all strapped down, just wondering what the total weight might be.
 
Some launch trolleys intended as half a combi trailer are quite heavy.
By the time you add in the mast and boom you will be around 100kg I expect.

I would say the main thing is to make sure it is tied on well and looks the part, then you won't get pulled.
The clinker dinghy in this thread looks a tad scary to me. It may be OK, but it doesn't look it at first sight. Speak as one who has come close to stuffing up badly with this sort of thing in the dim and distant past...
 
Topper

We are taking our topper this summer to Croatia on the roof of Mercedes estate, I have even bought rig tube-http://www.rigtube.co.uk/- hopefully that will go next to it...


ProDave said:
So we know the topaz weighs 60Kg.

What do we estimate a simple galvanised launching trolley weighs?

I'm now considering one that comes with a trolley, so looking at upturned boat on the roof, with the launching trolley on top of the boat.

Can't see a problem if it's all strapped down, just wondering what the total weight might be.
Click to expand...
 
I put this in to practice today.

Originally SWMBO was looking for a Topper Topaz, but soon realised a Laser Pico was almost the same size boat of the same construction, and there was one for sale more locally, well only 100 miles away. So today I went and bought it, got it for about half the cost of the Topaz's we had been looking at.

Because it was me on my own collecting it, I bought it home on top of my Subaru Forrester. If anything that was a little easier as it's not quite as high as her VW Touran. the Pico is slightly heavier than the Topaz weighing in at 70Kg. It was a 3 person lift to get the boat on top, and a 3 person lift to get it off comfortably.

Same applies, the boat is just a little wider at the back than the width of the roof bars so a timber extension was employed for the rear roof bar.

Annoyingly, the mast splits in two, but not equally, and the longer half is just too long to go inside the car, so had to be strapped to the roof with the boat. The longer half is also 6 inches longer than the boat, so when the whole lot is packed away and the cover is on the boat, the end of the longer mast section sticks out 6" from the end of the boat. Whoever decided to make the mast split just at that point needs to be sacked. Make the split a foot lower down, and the mast would have gone inside the car, and both halves would stow in the boat under the cover without sticking out. That I'm afraid, just typifies "British Design" where simple, but important details, are completely overlooked.

Hopefully this is the only time it will need transporting by roof. I have a small luggage trailer that's due for a refurbishment (most of the wood is rotten) so the plan is to ensure during the trailer refurbishment that it's adapted as necessary to carry the dinghy and it's launch trolley, so future trips will be by trailer.

We hope to get it to the clubs dinghy park in the next week or two so swmbo can try sailing it.
 
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