Hi again, we have brought a boat loader and tinnie, and am seriously thinking of taking this along fr the big lap, but now a few neighbors have said its not worth the effort, weight and fuel consumption in taking one... Can i get some honest opinions on those that have or are travelling with a roof top tinnie, do you use it a lot, and is it worth the effort of loading and un-loading all the time..?
Branchie
travellinglew said
05:35 AM Jan 10, 2020
I did a trip in 2018 of some 15000 k with the tinny on the roof. Found that fuel consumption was slightly less with it on than off as the boat tends to push the wind up over the van rather than hitting a fairly flat surface of the van. Also found the troopy was a little more stable with it on as the front of the tinny tends to have a downward pressure from the wind going over the top. (bit like an air foil on the back of a race car to keep the pressure on the rear wheels). For me it was a worthwhile exercise as we had a fishing trip planned.
TheHeaths said
07:33 AM Jan 10, 2020
From the use point of view, you would probably be able to answer the questions of how much you enjoy fishing, and how often you are likely to use it, rather than taking someone else's experience regarding those questions. What is right for one is seldom right for another.
In my opinion, what does need to be answered first, and you may have done it before buying the boat, is the weight aspect that must be considered carefully.
A small tinnie probably weighs between 50 and 60kgs, a small motor 15 to 20kgs, a tank of fuel 12 to 22kgs, and the other safety gear 5 to 10kgs, and that is the absolute basic needs. Then add on a small boat trailer maybe as many do, at another 20 or 30kgs I guess and that is somewhere from 80 to 140kgs of your available load in the van and on the tow vehicle.
So the first question I would be asking is do we have that amount of load space spare and available to use. If the answer is yes, revert to the previous 2 questions to decide. If no, then you have a problem if you wish to take the tinnie, and remain legal weight wise while towing. My personal view is that many who do take car topper tinnies around the country simply ignore this load availability issue, and are in fact overloaded.
My comment regarding use would be that in all of our travels I have only ever seen car topper tinnies used regularly when in locations that people go to for prolonged fishing trips like Karumba and Burketown, and those on vehicles of people doing a "touring around" trip never seem to get taking off of the vehicle and simply go for a ride around the country. That is because when they do a prolonged fishing trip, they are able to remove the boat, and leave it set up on a trailer, rather than getting it on and off every couple of days to fish, which I must admit I would find tiresome.
Anyway, not trying to put you off, but putting forward a some points for you to consider, and I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Friday 10th of January 2020 07:34:48 AM
Peter_n_Margaret said
09:08 AM Jan 10, 2020
It is almost certain that you would be overloaded.
We have only taken a boat with us twice (on a trailer) when we have very specific plans for it. Otherwise it simply won't get used most times because the effort required is too much unless you are at a spot for several days or more.
Tinnies and small motors are in fact too small for most northern waterways, considering tidal rates and croc sizes and a boat of sufficient size and speed is out of the question as a car topper.
Leave it home.
Cheers,
Peter
Branchie said
09:20 AM Jan 10, 2020
Many thanks to those that made comments, the weight factor will be a big thing indeed, with the tinnie at 35kg, the motor at 15kg (although this would be set up on the rear bar of the van) the trailer will be left at home, as i will look at tinnie wheels..
As for the fishing, yes i am keen to try places, but must admit I forgot about the crocs at the top end.. But there are plenty of other locations with-out crocs..
So, yes all comments are appreciated..
Peter_n_Margaret said
11:30 AM Jan 10, 2020
Branchie wrote:
the motor at 15kg (although this would be set up on the rear bar of the van)
From a caravan stability perspective (the effects of yaw inertia), that is the worst place you could choose to carry the motor, even if the ball weight is still OK.
Cheers,
Peter
-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Friday 10th of January 2020 11:31:05 AM
yobarr said
12:29 PM Jan 10, 2020
Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Branchie wrote:
the motor at 15kg (although this would be set up on the rear bar of the van)
From a caravan stability perspective (the effects of yaw inertia), that is the worst place you could choose to carry the motor, even if the ball weight is still OK.
Cheers,
Peter
-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Friday 10th of January 2020 11:31:05 AM
X2
Greg 1 said
12:54 PM Jan 10, 2020
The weight issue is definitely one that you need to consider and make sure you are legal.
I read a comment by a transport inspector who had been weighing vans, and he said that they always pulled over and checked people with tinnies on the roof because they were invariably over weight.
Iva Biggen said
01:00 PM Jan 10, 2020
Many years ago when my father in law retired he fitted a boat rack to the top of a brand new Holden panel van and with the boat on top he set off in search of a good place for fishing and camping. He towed a very small pop top van as well.
He found a good spot in Nth Qld and used to stay for long periods before coming home in summer.
After about three years his new vehicle was showing bad signs of rust.
The problem being that when the boat was loaded back on the roof and when it rained, traces of salt water ran down onto the vehicle and caused it to rust even though he used to wash the boat before re loading it.
He had a collapsible trailer so the boat did not live on the roof of the vehicle full time.
I would never carry a boat on top of a vehicle for this reason, apart from the above points of being overweight.
I would also go X3 for not carrying the outboard on the back of the caravan.
Travel and find a good spot and stay longer term and transport the boat to site and store it when travelling home, if you intend to return to a home base. If not fish shore based or charter service.
By the way, my FIL had the panel van resprayed and sold it. He then got a small unit in the town he used to visit and just bought a boat.
When he came home he just locked the place and drove home...no more towing at all.
Eaglemax said
01:21 PM Jan 10, 2020
Why not an inflatable boat?
This thread explains that fishing hooks wont normally puncture the rubber. And you use pliers to curve the hook more than normal.
Weight restrictions often mean thinking outside the square.
Tony
2trout said
02:10 PM Jan 10, 2020
I am a fisherman and I used to carry a 10 ft tinny and a 4hp motor. Both were a pain in the arse. The obvious thing about getting the boat on and off is bad enough but every time that you put it on top of your vehicle it drips water (salt?) onto your vehicle. The motor ,depending where you put it, leaks water also into or onto your rig and sometimes oil and/or fuel can find a way of leaking out. Then you have to find a place to store your gear- anchor, rope, fuel tank etc. Easier and cheaper to hire a boat occasionally. You then get a boat suitable for the destination that you are fishing. I would not be too happy fishing out of a car topper in the Adelaide River, for example, where there are 6 meter lizards present.
Cupie said
04:19 PM Jan 10, 2020
There are plenty of light weight fishing kayaks that might do the job, away from the snappy handbags & raging tides of course.
I have a Viking Tempo Fisherman that weighs 30kg & is good for western waterways, estuary & close in ocean fishing. It can be fitted with an electric or small petrol motor too, if you want to go that way. I rarely use my motor.
It has been carried on the roof of my 4WD as required multiple times over 15 years & there is not a sign of rust.
BTW, these days when touring I just carry my lighter 24kg Viking Javelin and use it very frequently. It is much easier to paddle & if I really must fish, something that doesn't happen too often, it is (just) OK for that too. Nothing like a paddle on an inland waterway at dawn or dusk.
On my first trip round the block I took a range of rods in a locked tube on the roof racks. I only took them out on two occasions over 6 months. Shows that I'm not really into fishing I suppose. Didn't have any kayaks in those days.
Bobdown said
06:25 PM Jan 10, 2020
travellinglew wrote:
I did a trip in 2018 of some 15000 k with the tinny on the roof. Found that fuel consumption was slightly less with it on than off as the boat tends to push the wind up over the van rather than hitting a fairly flat surface of the van. Also found the troopy was a little more stable with it on as the front of the tinny tends to have a downward pressure from the wind going over the top. (bit like an air foil on the back of a race car to keep the pressure on the rear wheels). For me it was a worthwhile exercise as we had a fishing trip planned.
I have read that they work in principle the same as the aerofoils fitted to the roof rack..............not sure about the extra weight though.
Cheers Bob
Bicyclecamper said
06:54 PM Jan 10, 2020
A few years ago, I borrowed a Port a bote, from B.inlaw, with a 4 hp motor, when we went away for 3 months, we used the boat about half that time and found it suited our needs, mostly on quiet rivers and dams, both for fishing and general boating out to little islands for camping and picnicking. Would I take a boat again yes and I would get a port a bote to do that, , but with an electric motor, because I did more rowing then using the fuel motor, and was fed up with carrying extra fuel all the time, plus it was easier for the boat to sit on the roof racks all folded up. Took about 10 min. to set up.
-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Friday 10th of January 2020 06:55:19 PM
Peter_n_Margaret said
09:12 PM Jan 10, 2020
Change to a motorhome and you can take whatever boat you wish....
12ft tinny with 15hp outboard in the Kimberley - towed from Adelaide and back. The outboard is in a fibreglass box on the trailer A frame. It is a tilting trailer.
Lots of big fish in the Kimberley!
4.2m " Mack" with 70hp outboard that we towed from Brisbane to the Kimberley via Alice Springs and Marble Bar, and back via a more convoluted route.
We did lots of fishing and some longer exploration trips in this boats over a couple of months to explore the Kimberley coast and islands.
We were camped by a river a couple of years ago and there was a camper there with his tinnie on top of his vehicle.
So I walked up to the couple sitting under the awning of the van and asked.
""How often do you use the tinnie. The Guy replied that he uses it regularly""
To which his wife replied,
"Now come on Bill or Jack, tell the truth, in the last 3 months you have only had the tinnie in the water twice.
I have thought about a tinnie, but to date have given it a big miss.
Jay&Dee
blaze said
09:51 PM Jan 10, 2020
I had 5 years in WA and unloaded the tinnie the morning I was leaving tassie. Never regretted that move. I met plenty of people in my travels that offer a trip out or when in a location longer (had 2 years in broome), just hook up with the locals. I always found fishing, actually , catching fish hard without local knowledge and I have fished just about any where in aus there is fish
boab said
10:23 PM Jan 10, 2020
i take my dinghy every time i go away caravaning its 3.85 mts takes 5 minutes to unload and the trailer stays on the boat while traveling and it gets used most days i am camped because thats what i go camping for. If you dont intend to use your boat dont take it you would be the only person that knows the answer to that. It will add to your fuel consumption but thats something i dont worry about my boat, carrier and trailer weighs in at about 180 kilo's so weight is something you have to take into account
Eaglemax said
04:16 PM Jan 11, 2020
I mentioned earlier - "thinking outside the square"
You want big fish?, want to fish one kilometre off shore? Dont want to take a tinny, fuel, batteries or carry an outboard?
The road ahead is drones. Attach 1500 metres of line with hook and bait, stand and remain on a sandy beach fly your bait several hundred metres, drop it and drone returns.
Hi again, we have brought a boat loader and tinnie, and am seriously thinking of taking this along fr the big lap, but now a few neighbors have said its not worth the effort, weight and fuel consumption in taking one... Can i get some honest opinions on those that have or are travelling with a roof top tinnie, do you use it a lot, and is it worth the effort of loading and un-loading all the time..?
Branchie
From the use point of view, you would probably be able to answer the questions of how much you enjoy fishing, and how often you are likely to use it, rather than taking someone else's experience regarding those questions. What is right for one is seldom right for another.
In my opinion, what does need to be answered first, and you may have done it before buying the boat, is the weight aspect that must be considered carefully.
A small tinnie probably weighs between 50 and 60kgs, a small motor 15 to 20kgs, a tank of fuel 12 to 22kgs, and the other safety gear 5 to 10kgs, and that is the absolute basic needs. Then add on a small boat trailer maybe as many do, at another 20 or 30kgs I guess and that is somewhere from 80 to 140kgs of your available load in the van and on the tow vehicle.
So the first question I would be asking is do we have that amount of load space spare and available to use. If the answer is yes, revert to the previous 2 questions to decide. If no, then you have a problem if you wish to take the tinnie, and remain legal weight wise while towing. My personal view is that many who do take car topper tinnies around the country simply ignore this load availability issue, and are in fact overloaded.
My comment regarding use would be that in all of our travels I have only ever seen car topper tinnies used regularly when in locations that people go to for prolonged fishing trips like Karumba and Burketown, and those on vehicles of people doing a "touring around" trip never seem to get taking off of the vehicle and simply go for a ride around the country. That is because when they do a prolonged fishing trip, they are able to remove the boat, and leave it set up on a trailer, rather than getting it on and off every couple of days to fish, which I must admit I would find tiresome.
Anyway, not trying to put you off, but putting forward a some points for you to consider, and I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do.
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Friday 10th of January 2020 07:34:48 AM
We have only taken a boat with us twice (on a trailer) when we have very specific plans for it. Otherwise it simply won't get used most times because the effort required is too much unless you are at a spot for several days or more.
Tinnies and small motors are in fact too small for most northern waterways, considering tidal rates and croc sizes and a boat of sufficient size and speed is out of the question as a car topper.
Leave it home.
Cheers,
Peter
Many thanks to those that made comments, the weight factor will be a big thing indeed, with the tinnie at 35kg, the motor at 15kg (although this would be set up on the rear bar of the van) the trailer will be left at home, as i will look at tinnie wheels..
As for the fishing, yes i am keen to try places, but must admit I forgot about the crocs at the top end.. But there are plenty of other locations with-out crocs..
So, yes all comments are appreciated..
From a caravan stability perspective (the effects of yaw inertia), that is the worst place you could choose to carry the motor, even if the ball weight is still OK.
Cheers,
Peter
-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Friday 10th of January 2020 11:31:05 AM
X2
He found a good spot in Nth Qld and used to stay for long periods before coming home in summer.
After about three years his new vehicle was showing bad signs of rust.
The problem being that when the boat was loaded back on the roof and when it rained, traces of salt water ran down onto the vehicle and caused it to rust even though he used to wash the boat before re loading it.
He had a collapsible trailer so the boat did not live on the roof of the vehicle full time.
I would never carry a boat on top of a vehicle for this reason, apart from the above points of being overweight.
I would also go X3 for not carrying the outboard on the back of the caravan.
Travel and find a good spot and stay longer term and transport the boat to site and store it when travelling home, if you intend to return to a home base. If not fish shore based or charter service.
By the way, my FIL had the panel van resprayed and sold it. He then got a small unit in the town he used to visit and just bought a boat.
When he came home he just locked the place and drove home...no more towing at all.
Why not an inflatable boat?
This thread explains that fishing hooks wont normally puncture the rubber. And you use pliers to curve the hook more than normal.
https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/fishing-hooks-and-inflatables.194298/
Then look for a really small outboard or row it.
Weight restrictions often mean thinking outside the square.
Tony
There are plenty of light weight fishing kayaks that might do the job, away from the snappy handbags & raging tides of course.
I have a Viking Tempo Fisherman that weighs 30kg & is good for western waterways, estuary & close in ocean fishing. It can be fitted with an electric or small petrol motor too, if you want to go that way. I rarely use my motor.
It has been carried on the roof of my 4WD as required multiple times over 15 years & there is not a sign of rust.
BTW, these days when touring I just carry my lighter 24kg Viking Javelin and use it very frequently. It is much easier to paddle & if I really must fish, something that doesn't happen too often, it is (just) OK for that too. Nothing like a paddle on an inland waterway at dawn or dusk.
On my first trip round the block I took a range of rods in a locked tube on the roof racks. I only took them out on two occasions over 6 months. Shows that I'm not really into fishing I suppose. Didn't have any kayaks in those days.
I have read that they work in principle the same as the aerofoils fitted to the roof rack..............not sure about the extra weight though.
Cheers Bob
A few years ago, I borrowed a Port a bote, from B.inlaw, with a 4 hp motor, when we went away for 3 months, we used the boat about half that time and found it suited our needs, mostly on quiet rivers and dams, both for fishing and general boating out to little islands for camping and picnicking. Would I take a boat again yes and I would get a port a bote to do that, , but with an electric motor, because I did more rowing then using the fuel motor, and was fed up with carrying extra fuel all the time, plus it was easier for the boat to sit on the roof racks all folded up. Took about 10 min. to set up.
-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Friday 10th of January 2020 06:55:19 PM
Change to a motorhome and you can take whatever boat you wish....
12ft tinny with 15hp outboard in the Kimberley - towed from Adelaide and back. The outboard is in a fibreglass box on the trailer A frame. It is a tilting trailer.
Lots of big fish in the Kimberley!
4.2m " Mack" with 70hp outboard that we towed from Brisbane to the Kimberley via Alice Springs and Marble Bar, and back via a more convoluted route.
We did lots of fishing and some longer exploration trips in this boats over a couple of months to explore the Kimberley coast and islands.
Cheers,
Peter
We were camped by a river a couple of years ago and there was a camper there with his tinnie on top of his vehicle.
So I walked up to the couple sitting under the awning of the van and asked.
""How often do you use the tinnie. The Guy replied that he uses it regularly""
To which his wife replied,
"Now come on Bill or Jack, tell the truth, in the last 3 months you have only had the tinnie in the water twice.
I have thought about a tinnie, but to date have given it a big miss.
Jay&Dee
I mentioned earlier - "thinking outside the square"
You want big fish?, want to fish one kilometre off shore? Dont want to take a tinny, fuel, batteries or carry an outboard?
The road ahead is drones. Attach 1500 metres of line with hook and bait, stand and remain on a sandy beach fly your bait several hundred metres, drop it and drone returns.
https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/p/reply/?topicID=66210623
Towing a trailer, pruchasing a tinny, outboard etc- that could buy you a good drone and a hell of a lot of fish
Tony
-- Edited by Eaglemax on Saturday 11th of January 2020 04:18:28 PM