Car topping hoist

[Bill Perkins]

I’ve just finished some maintenance on this piece of gear ; the first after over a decade of use. This rig has carried my Delaware Ducker to Maine twice ; Blue Hill Bay being the furthest East I’ve gotten . I’ve launched with it at the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior and as far South as Cedar Key Florida ; plus many, many times in nearby waters. No wonder it was a bit road worn . This is way nicer than dragging a trailer, if your boat is light enough . Mine weighs 120lb.
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All new paint and varnish .The deck had been rubbed bare in a couple of places ,which I reprimed with epoxy . The outer plys are especially important to maintain in this case because this is a stressed skin panel . The plywood ,with surface plys running lengthwise and a structural scarf joining its 2 pieces , is an essential part of the units strength and stiffness . The rails are construction grade SPF, finished bright because , as with a wooden ladder, I need to know if these critical pieces develop cracks . A hook tackle supplies the lifting power.In the background you can see the hatch I cut in the side of my house to admit my boats and associated gear.

New hinges ,bolts ,and stop nuts . A new White Oak cross piece replacing a beat piece of softwood 2by4 that had been converted to work with a series of ladder racks and then my Track Rack system . I finally backed the lift into a post this Spring and damaged the old cross piece , initiating this whole redo .
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Here is how the unit rests on top of the rack during transport (imagining the whole panel flipped over) . The black square headed things are the heads of the T bolts that are held by the racks metal groove .They’re attached to the crosspiece now for what I hope is foolproof storage .In practice ,they are detached and slid onto the rack first .
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This approximates the crosspiece position with the panel nearly vertical ,about to lift the boat off the ground .Actually the panel comes to bear against the lowered tailgate and the hinges don’t open quite this far in use.This is the top of the crosspiece .

[Steve Lansdowne]

Can you post a photo of it "in use" on the vehicle with the boat attached?

[Tom Robb]

Yes, what the hell does it do and how do you do it?
Is it a long ramp from the top of the car to the water?
Video would be instructive:)

[Bill Perkins]

You men are taxing my photo retrieval system .I seem to be shut out of my old Shutterfly account .Maybe I can find some old pics this evening .No video .I ask that you instead visualize the panel effectively hinged to the back of a pickup rack, varnished rails up . A long tackle runs from the rope eye at the front end of the panel (shown) ; along its length and down to the bow of the boat which is resting on the ground ,or preferably ,on the water .

Haul on the watch tackle and as it tightens it slowly forces the end of the panel down till it touches the lowered tailgate and simultaniously brings the boats bow right up to it.Keep hauling and the boat is pulled on top of the nearly vertical panel . When the boats center of gravity passes forward of the hinge the panel can be gently swung back up to the horizontal and the loading completed .The boat's up on the rack,projecting over the cab.

The tackle gives the operator a freedom of movement a winch would not . This is especially usefull when the boat is afloat .You can stand by its side while lifting and keep it properly aligned despite wind or current (no ramp required) .

Launching is very smooth with a tackle .You grab a short stern line in one hand and back away from the vehicle with the fall running out through the other hand . The boat can be set down quickly and gently on any surface . Again ; water preferred,no ramp required . Car topping is a very small niche in the boating world ,but a good one .

[Richard Jones]

Pictures are still worth a thousand words, especially to stupid people like me. I've been looking for a way to easily cartop my Rushton pulling boat(now under construction) and this looks like it, if I can understand it. If pics are possible, please post. You'll be saving countless strained muscles!

[Dave Carnell]

I've cartopped a lot of boats beginning around 1950. I strongly recommend carrying them upside down to avoid problems if you encounter heavy rain on the road.

[Bill Perkins]

Aha! Shutterfly sent me a new password in the night . This is my Ducker ,about to go up top.This is an old photo .I ran Toyota pickups with camper top and ladder rack for many years .It's a good system as long as the top has large operable side windows so you can get at the interior .

The lift shown was actually the prototype for the one I now use .It worked fine for a number of years -till I made something more compact and lighter .You can see in my previous pics this piece is still in my basement ,used as a light utility table occasionally .

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/3659325607_38dbbc014b_m.jpg
The length of the panel aft of the hinge needs to be long enough to bear on the vehicles extended tailgate or bumper. Forward of the hinge the panel needs to be long enough for the tackle to hoist the boats center of gravity forward of the hinge .When that point is reached lift and boat settle down nicely on the roof rack .For the final slide forward on the level panel ,just grab the painter .You can just see the top block ,a double ,pressed tight to the raised panel .I use a fiddle block there ,feeling that it runs more smoothly in this condition than a standard double.

[Pernicious Atavist]

I've been thinking of such a thing to get my White-style canoe on my Ram. A basic setup like yours is a peach, but I need to have the boat upside-down, and that poses a problem...

[Bill Perkins]

Why upside down? As far as rainwater water is concerned , on the few occasions I felt I was carrying too much water I just hopped up and bailed .At least the right tool is always at hand ,as I have to bail the boat when sailing in a good breeze .It's never been an emergency that had to be dealt with on the side of the road , in the rain , although I'm prepared to do that . For me; no problem (no doubt the decking helps) .

Ed are you the publisher of the Fly fishing mag? I fish in South Georgia, and have been wanting to try a fly .

[Steve Lansdowne]

Ah, it all makes a lot more sense now. Thanks.

[Pernicious Atavist]

Well...I reckon I could install a drain....NOT! A rightside-up canoe causes too many problems on the road, anyway, I leave it on for days at a time.

I do publish Florida Fly Fishing Magazine. It's brand spankin' new and my goal since '97. Canoe Sailing Magazine has worked out very well, but my first (non-female) love is fly fishing.

[Bill Perkins]

I know there are intense Summer rains down your way.How about the tiniest bilge pump, plugged into the cigarette lighter when needed?

i peeked at the mag and was suprised to read people were flycasting at night .

[Pernicious Atavist]

Bill...now that's an idea! Funny thing is that folks who know me around there would 'expect' that from me!

Thanks for taking a peek! Yup--fly fishing at night. Done all the time for snook. A lot of guys wade at night--I've done it--but it tends to increase giving one the willies when a shape moves towards you that you can't quite make out, but you swear you can see a fin....