Camper Trailer Boat Rack

[Rosie]

Ok, well i started drawing up and planning my mods to the camper trailer and although i think i've got it sussed it'd be nice to see what others have before i start cutting it up.

The basic plan is to have a sturdy rack on the top to hold the Inflatable boat above the tent and have it pivot up to the drivers side so i can still set the tent up while the boats on there. I want to keep it as strong and simple as possible so i can pivot the boat up and set the tent up with as little effort as possible.

I'm also going to make up a light Ali dolly for towing the boat down to the beach but seeing as ive only got to go about a KM i've got that sorted.

If anyone's got a pic of their camper with a boat rack on top it'd be great if you could throw up some pics and info just to give me more ideas.

Ben

[carvesdodo]

Pretty much any gussetted / pivotting rack system of sensibly sized materials,you come up with will be fine.

One thing though .... make the boat carry frame one piece e.g. a " H " shape as a minimum.

That way the boat has the two cross bars to sit on and a joiner rail that ties the front and rear bars together.

Without the joiner bar the two crossbars can vibrate independantly and cause damage to whatever is sitting on them.

Worstcase scenario/experience .... a brand new 12' aluminium boat that hadnt been wet .... with 8" vertical splits starting at the gunwhale rail after a gibb road run.

[Rosie]

It'll all be made well (I've got a habbit of going overboard on stuff like this) but im just after ideas of how others have done it to pivot.

Ben

[Gildo]

I saw one that actually pivoted horizontally from one back corner with a jockey wheel on the diagonally opposite corner. Neat set up that also provided an extra hard roofed sleeping area with a tent that rolled up underneath.

[carvesdodo]

http://www.bareco.com.au/files/general/g21b.htm

What gildo has seen works well ... especially if the pivot point is central on an edge rather than a corner ... can double the length ... or width of the original area rather than having it angle off somewhere else.

[Rosie]

Ah i get you. It would't really suit me though

Carvs: Whats the point of that link?

[carvesdodo]

Originally Posted by Rosie

Carvs: Whats the point of that link?

4 x 40mm shs vertical uprights with the tops drilled and each have a horizontal piece of 10mm I.D. tube welded in.

Crossbars have drilled, 5mm tabs welded on at the ends 41mm apart to fit either side of the vertical shs.

One pin ( displayed in link ) through the horizontal tube in the upright and crossbar tabs acts a hinge ... allows you flip it from either side.

Bigger and different types available .... at any good tractor shop


Just one way of doing things.