by Weston Farmer
This coming season many people for the first time in their lives will be transporting their boats either on top of their cars or on a shiny new trailer. Here are some tips that will make for better “trailer boating” and safer hauling of the outfit.
There are two schools of thought on transporting the small boat. One group of people will say the only way to haul a small boat is on top of the car. Another group will like the less cumbersome loading and launching features of the trailer, being content to go more slowly, and to keep an eye peeled for the “extra car in the train.” It is true that higher road speeds can be maintained with auto-top carrying. There is a limit to length and a limit on weight that can comfortably be carried this way. The best length for auto-top carry is between 12 and 14 ft. The lighter the boat, the better. Usually 150 to 175 lbs. is top limit. Anything longer, or anything heavier, calls for special security in fastening the boat down, and will call for lower over—the-road speeds. An unusually large boat will be heavy, and the metal in the car’s dome may “pant” or “oil can” on bumps. Also, longer boafs are prone to get loose directionally in higher winds, and to give trouble. It is the general consensus that 12 to 14 ft., and a light boat 150 to 175 lbs. is about ideal for top-deck carry. This system has the advantage of no trailer cost, no trailer license, no trailer stowage or theft problem, higher general road speed, no backing problem. Disadvantages are: hard loading, especially after the boat, has been used and has soaked up weight; the need for help in loading and unloading; possible scratching of the hull in overhead brush; proneness of the hull to open in long exposure to the sun. If your outfit is big, say from 15 ft. up, and weighs the usual 250 to 750 lbs., a trailer is the only answer. For one thing, the tires on your car are not burdened by other than normal weight. Hence the more expensive rubber in your outfit is saved. Then too, one man can haul and launch a much heavier, more adequate boat and engine than the fellow who hauls atop his car. The hull of the boat itself becomes extra toting space for gear the car can’t haul, and more adequate excursions and cruises can be taken. For instance, what better place to stow your tent and camp stove than in the hull of your boat when she is cradled on a trailer? Advantages the trailer will give are many: greater load capacity, easier launching, much easier hauling. Your load may be “broken”— that is, you can leave the boat and trailer behind for side excursions once you have reached your vacation area. Aside from the disadvantages of cost, license, backing problems and a mite less general mobility, one must also consider the ever present hazard of mechanical failure at the hitch, and subsequent insurance costs. It all boils down to the size of the outfit you need. Light boats on an auto top give generally greater freedom, but you’re going to get wet in them and they don’t carry much. Bigger boats need a trailer.
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