Question on options for carrying a boat with a rack

Hey All,

First post!

I have a 2014 Plat Crewmax. I am trying to figure out what the best option would be for carrying our 12' fibreglass fishing boat while towing our travel trailer.

It came with a tonneau cover. I'm at a bit of a loss, but we need to bring the boat. Topper with rack and ditch tonneau? Or what?

Any ideas? Thoughts? Help!

 

I have a 12' RIB tender that I bring home to the garage every winter and then put back in the water/bigger boat every spring. I use the Northern Tool trailer for this. Has worked out so far and pulls well at interstate speeds.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200596746_200596746

BTW, welcome. Also you may want to post a n intro post in the introl section and include a pic of your ride.

 

Hey BayRunner!

Thanks for the welcome. I will do that!

My issue is that I will be hauling the travel trailer, and so will need to have the boat on the truck somehow.

Any ideas?

 

How much does the boat weigh? I'll put a few hundred pounds on my camper shell roof rack but 12' "fishing boat" may be a little much.

 

It weighs a few hundred for sure. I usually throw it on the old truck's rack and take it off on my own. Damn near kills me but it isn't so heavy I can't handle it solo.

 

I am sure you will find a rack that can handle that, but make sure you take uplift in account - that can cause more problems than the stationary weight of the boat. The way the boat is shaped it will tend to pull it up the faster you go. I have seen a boat rip the rack off a truck's bed and went flying on a highway. Fortunately it went sideways and landed on the side of the road and not in front of other cars.

 

There is always this option

 

WELCOME

 

When I had the same dilemma, I mentally designed a roller/rack system where the boat could be winched up a set of rollers/slide boards at a angle from the tailgate to up over the cab. Once the boat was winched all the way up, the be able to winch up the rear end so that it would sit horizontally even to the cab top. Basically a custom rack system for this specific purpose. It could be done, but to do it right would take a lot of work which is why I simply settled on a small trailer.

 

This guy has the solution:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HST1601iWUE

 

The ‘Sanford and Son’ theme song is playing in my mind right now.

 

I don't have a picture of it up there but I haul my layout boat on my rack once in a while. It is about 12-13' long and weighs maybe 100#. If you look I mounted my rack as far back on my camper shell as I could. I did this so I could load long items by leaning them on the rack and sliding them up without tearing up the rear edge of my shell. I always haul small boats upright so they don't turn into a parachute going down the highway. My rack is through bolted with good sized backing plates.