Can I carry a Topper Topaz on a roof rack?

Great. A bit of research and pre-planning works wonders. Suprised you needed 3 people . Boats can be awkward to actually physically get hold of.

On my Shougun I could get the rear roof bar right at the back so that a boat could be put upright and then leant against the bar. You could then just lift the end on the floor and slide the boat on.

Get pictures of her maiden voyage.


Then post them here! :D
 
lw395 said:
The clinker dinghy in this thread looks a tad scary to me.
Click to expand...

Nothing inherently wrong with it, I've done similar. Not convinced by the lashing in the picture though - obviously it worked for Ellie on the day, but I would have lashed down the dinghy alone rather than including the oars which could shift (they'd either be lashed on separately or ideally fit inside the car). Ratchet strap at the front probably ok, not totally convinced by the white cordage. I also like to have positive location fore and aft, although in this case the bulge of the dinghy will probably stop it slipping through the lashings.

Pete
 
Lakesailor said:
Great. A bit of research and pre-planning works wonders. Suprised you needed 3 people . Boats can be awkward to actually physically get hold of.

On my Shougun I could get the rear roof bar right at the back so that a boat could be put upright and then leant against the bar. You could then just lift the end on the floor and slide the boat on.

Get pictures of her maiden voyage.


Then post them here! :D
Click to expand...

The awkward thing about the Pico, is when upturned, the mast base socket sticks down lower than the rest of the boat. So much so that it would have touched the roof of the car. So trying to load it as you suggest would have resulted in a deep gouge along the roof of the car. This forced you to properly lift it all the way. It was more a question of awkward to get hold of rather than sheer weight. Once lifted forward, the mast base protrusion was above the "cab" where the roof starts sloping away, so it didn't touch the roof.

I fully intended to photograph the rig while still on the roof, but no sooner had I arrived home, everyone was rushing to help unload it, so I plain forgot to photograph it.
 
The answer is Yes. I carry my Topaz Race X on a roofrack three or four times a year. (Of course, check the car's capacity and that of the roof rack.) I chose the Topaz because it was, at the time and according to my own research, the only boat available with an asymetric kite that was able to be put on a roof rack. I wanted to be able to take it away when towing a caravan.

On my old car the standard rack was wide enough, but my VW Touareg has the mounting rails set well in, meaning that with the Thule roofrack that fits the bars are rather short. I've had to extend these to suit the width of the boat. I did this by using some heavy duty jubilee type clips and pieces of square tube that were about the right length to accommodate the boat and the mast/boom sections, rather than try to add pieces to the end of the bars. (The mast splits into two for those who asked the question here.) I then wrapped the whole lot in pipe lagging and plenty of black gaffer tape to tidy it up and make it boat friendly.

Lifting it on and off is "interesting" but I normally manage to find a few volunteers wherever I am. When I take it away I tend to try and stay somewhere I can launch from rather than have to unload and load it each time I go for a sail. Hill of Oaks Caravan Park on the side of Lake Windermere is ideal... :)

Don't let the word "Topper" fool you though, not all Topper Sailboats can be put on a roof rack, I think it's pretty much limited to the Topper itself and the Topaz!
 
I have over a short distance. On a Ford Mondeo saloon. Mast sections ended up inside the car. You need two strong folk at the end of the journey to lift off. The Topaz is a pretty robust dinghy so invest in some really good rachet straps. Good Luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top