car topping a wave

hello there,

i have read the other threads about car topping with interest. but im still unsure on a couple of things; i have a kia sephia sedan, i take it that it will fit on a sedan? also what sort of roof rack systems are used? i apologise if this is going over old ground, but i live outside US and i will be ordering boat and rack from a florida based supplier and i want to get it right first time. many thanks.

You would need a pretty substantial roof rack to support all that needs to go up there. The hulls, mast, comtip, crossbars, tiller, add up to ~200lbs. Most racks are rated a max of like 150lb. Tramp would need to be complety disconnected from crossbars and folded as much as possible, and stuck in the back seat. Sail bag is 7' long, but probably could ride in back as well, if your seatbacks fold down, then all the better. Rudders can easily ride in trunk.
Personally, I would try to find a trailer. Your Kia can easily handle towing a Wave. I have seen car topping done w/ a pick-up, but have no experiece doing it w/ a small sedan.

Good luck.

_________________
Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

The most sturdy roof-rack I've seen is from Thuly... they usually take 165 lbs. The old models used to sit on the rain gutters. Most of today's cars don't have gutters anymore, but Thuly has designed systems that would fit almost any car.

The biggest weight are the 2 hulls @ 75 lbs each, the mast & comptip are around 30 lbs.. the rest could probably all fit inside -- especially if your seats fold down and you can pass long items through the trunk.

At the end you may need a decent trailer... that way you could add a beach wheel system too which is quite handy if you're planning to use it on a beach without a boat ramp (I recommend the Cat trax with soft wheels).

I brought mine home, still in the shipping boxes, on top of my 1996 Hyundai Elantra wagon. The car handled it fine; but like an over-loaded Wave, it was a bit slow on the accelleration. The weight would have been more than just the boat itself, with the heavy cardboard and other packing materials and accessories. I put two 2x4s across the factory-installed roof rack rails (which run length-wise) plus a piece of thick plywood across the rails in the middle (with padding underneath). The dealer placed the boxes on top with a forklift.

If your owner's manual doesn't discuss car-top carrying, you might check with the dealer. I would hate to see you distort the roof line, to the point where your doors don't shut right or windows don't seal.

Somewhere I saw photos of a small car that had been overloaded with building supplies, and the whole thing collapsed under the weight. I know a Wave isn't that heavy, but car parts are made to fit together just right.

I just made a trailer for mine from a small utility trailer I bought at a big-box hardware store for $500. I put boards across it to hold the hulls above the wheels, and cheap marine carpet for the boat to rest on. It works great!

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

When I first got my Wave, the trailers were backordered, so I had to assemble/disassemble it every time, from storing it in a shed to the bed of my pickup. It was a pretty big pain. The crossbars slip on relatively easily, but lacing and tensioning the tramp took a lot of time. I ended up making a "rope wrench" out of a short piece of 2" ID PVC, with a hole drilled through for a screwdriver (to act as a "handle"), and a slot cut into the bottom half, across the diameter, the width of which was just over the diameter of the tramp lacing line. This allowed me to crank the tramp lacing to a relatively snug tension each time I rigged it. It helps that the tramps slide into a track, using a bolt-rope configuration. I only had to do this for a couple of months, but it was over twice the work of rigging the boat off the trailer.

_________________
Sea ya,
Chris Larsen
Co-Pilot of the Hobie Getaway
"The Twins"

~~(\_~~

Come to think of it, if you want to car-top it you will most probably have to go for the Classic/SE version which comes with a one-piece trampoline -- as opposed to the Club version which comes with a 3-piece tramp which needs to be laced (i.e. more work).

The downside of the SE w/ one-piece tramp is you won't be able to add a Traveller without a lot of modifications to it (ask Wannahobie what he had to go thru to do it... LOL).

So buy a CLUB version and a trailer -- build your own trailer if you want to save $$$.

BTW, when we picked up our Wave.. the boxes weighed +350 lbs.... these boxes were HEAVY! Also, most OEM roof racks can only handle around 75 lbs so I would be very careful / reluctant to carry the Wave on top (especially on such a compact car).

Hey!

I bought a classic WAVE. I car top every weekend. I use the standard roof racks on my Honda CR-V. I only put the hulls and main mast on top, everything else goes inside the car.

(2) advantages to car topping and assembly:

1. It's a nice little workout, it's buffed me up a bit.
2. People are fascinated with the process. Many a bikini clad lady has approached and chatted it up with me.

I built some inexpensive rollers that I slide under the roof racks, so the hulls "roll" right up pretty effortlessly, without running the risk of scratching or dinging my car.

Great idea for the rollers! I could see a Cr-V bieng up to the task, it is a signifcantly/larger vehicle, longer roofline for rack, etc. Also, plenty of room w/ seats folded down for tramp/crossbar assembly, the bulkiest item to tote besides the hulls at 7'+.

Maybe it can be done w/ a Sephia but I would chech the center to center distance of a rack, most racks I have seen for small cars only place the rack bars only like 3' apart, not exactly adequate for 13' of 80lb hull.

On another note, the SE version definitely has its merits, as stated above. I personally use my pickup, as I don't have a trailer either. Some folks just don't have the option of storage of a fully assembled Wave/trailer.

The thing I don't understand, is why Hobie did not fit some handles, maybe something like the Bravo's. I find those hulls quite awkward to hold onto, because of the lack of good handles. About the only thing you can grab well is the holes for the crossbars.

_________________
Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

For Handles to carry hulls... a good option may be to custom build some nylon straps looped (w/nice handles on them) that could slide or be attached onto the hulls at couple of points to carry a hull like a suitcase... just a thought...

Yeah, Jim,

When I first got my WAVE, I found the lack of handles to be a negative. It's not that the hulls are heavy (even though they are a bit), it's more that they're so slick and awkward.

DHT: I tried fashionng a sling with handles, similar to your suggestion, but alas, again, the hulls are slick and the slings slip.

I eventually got used to lifting them, though. The key is to have one hand under the hull a little in front of center-of-gravity and the other over the top of the hull, holding the tramp track on the far side. sort of like holding a battering ram.

I always spend a second making sure that the tramp track is facing away from me before I lift.

How about wide nylon straps through the holes for the crossbars? Routed over the top, they would let you carry it like a suitcase. Routed under the hull, they would help you flip it over for car-topping. Or a figure 8 would do both even better, by tightening the loop you weren't holding.

I put straps through the scupper holes on my SOT kayak (Mainstream Doubleplay), to give me better handles. Underneath, they run length-wise through the groves; then above deck they cross the seat and cup-holder. Much easier to carry it solo: right-side-up, upside-down, or sideways; and the force is spread out, so no stress on the hull.

_________________
What - Me Worry?


2006 Hobie Wave 7358
"Ish Kabibble"

Hey jimlad, come to any conclusions? Juat curious to find out how this worked out for you. Certainly hope you found a way to own a Wave! Terrific little boat!

_________________
Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

Many thanks for all the advice everybody. I am going to have a trailer built for the wave and forget about car topping it. I have also managed to find a secure place where I can leave the wave and trailer, as I live in an apartment. I hope to be placing my order in the next few weeks, so I will probably have more questions to follow. Thanks again all.