Tips for Transporting TI on Honda Odyssey?

Hi Everyone,

I will be picking up my new (2014) Tandem Island soon and was wondering if anyone could share their experiences in transporting the Tandem Island on a roof rack.
The details -
The boat will spend most of its time at the cottage, so I won't be transporting every week-end. I have been hoping to avoid getting a trailer (due both to expense and the annoyance of having the trailer sitting around). The cottage is about a 250km (150 mile) drive.
The weight limit on my Odyssey roof rack is 165 pounds, and I believe that with all the accessories removed and packed inside the van, I can get under that limit. Mast, sail, mirage drives etc can all go in the van.
If needed I could get a trailer hitch installed on the van, and use a kayak carrier attachment, which would take some of the weight and give another tie down point, but given its not going to move every week-end I am not sure if its required.
Would love to hear other peoples experiences.

Thanks,

I've been car topping on an BMW X5. I have the Thule square bars about four feet apart and attached 1.5" PVC bunks. I solo load and unload using a Roller Loader which works great. There are some DIYs on youtube for similar devices. My published rack weight limit is 165 lb also, but I load the hull, amas and sail without issue. I think the weight limit may be more for vehicle handling safety than actual load capacity. Good luck!

Thanks SCC....would you happen to have a picture of your bunks?

any tips for attaching PVC bunks to your roof rack? I also, plan to use this approach.
Thanks!

I inserted 1.25" wood dowels into the PVC. Drilled pilot holes at appropriate intervals for my bar spread. Inserted 1/4" hanger bolts into dowel/PVC. Cut some strips of aluminum (would use steel in retrospect - aluminum flexes too much). Bought some knobs from Amazon. I had to make sure the rear PVC overhang was appropriate for a smooth transition from the Roller Loader to the bunks. Not shown: attached a piece of 11.5" nylon webbing between each end so spacing matches the grooves in the hull. Sorry I don't have a picture of it on the car.


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Hi Muskoka, aren't you the lucky one with lots of fun adventures to look forward to.

I have been TI car topping for over 3 years using this frame which sits on my roof rack.


The advantage of this type of rig is that I can still tow the caravan and can attach
an electric winch in my garage and lift the TI up to the ceiling for storage.
I have fitted a frame front and rear which takes some of the weight off the roof racks.
The one at the rear attaches where the safety chains attach. The twin poles at the front
were more complicated as modern vehicles don't have an extended solid chasis.
This also holds the frame down when travelling.

This is the rig loaded.


I'm not suggesting you go to this extreme but it does show what can be done.
There are many other good ideas and information about car topping on this site.

PS I am the odd one who loads their TI with Amas attached. The weight is quite
substantial to lift the nose onto that roller. Must be a nice size van if you can fit
the mast. Post some pictures when you have it set up.

_________________
Cheers, Brian in South Australia
Tandem Island -

Thanks for the pictures!

I will post some once I get it all set up. It has been a late spring up here in Ontario, ice only off the lakes recently. Looking forward to finally getting the new boat out!

Doug

I must visit one day Doug.
Until then I will enjoy the warm weather Down Under.
Hope it warms up quick for you, if not, I remember an article on putting skids on a Hobie and ice skating.

Hey Doug I think we have the same challenge. I have had a TI for years and am a huge fan of car topping (pic below). I can keep it at 75 on the interstate, drive it around town without even noticing. It's solid as a rock. But we have more kids now and also have an Odyssey. I can't fit all 4 kids in the truck. So now Im trying to figure out the TI / Odyssey thing. I've looked at the top of the Odyssey and im not that encouraged. fortunately the TI is really light but a hitch extender is obviously needed. Brian's method looks like it would work well. Let me know what you end up with, I'm scratching my brain on this one too.

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"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

You might also consider the Rhino Rack T-Loader if you have a hitch receiver. It would give you a third support and assist in loading on the roof.

This is what I origionally going to do but thought it would be to difficult to do alone. Any way you could post a video of you getting it off and on?

_________________
Chris


2015 Tandem Island-ivory dune

I'm a bit swamped right now with alot of nonsense but it's pretty easy to describe. So theres 4 racks on the truck. The back two are these Thule racks that can be raised and lowered http://www.prolineracks.com/item/Thule-XSporter-Pro-Pickup-Truck-Bed-Rack-303 I remember paying less than they are quoted for on this site.

So the back rack lowers, then I open the tailgate and it basically creates this ramp all the way down. When I want to load it back up I open the tailgate and have to raise the nose so that its resting on the lowered tailgate (2.5 ft?). Then I stand on the bed of the truck and pull the nose of the Hobie onto the first lowered rack (another 2.5 feet). Then I get off the truck, pick up the stern waist high and push it on with almas off. I then raise the back rack back up, attach almas, strap it on.

It's about a 15-20 minute process once you get used to it. It's no walk in the park, definitely physical, but theres not really any difficult lifting involved. It isn't for everybody but it's definitely for me. I have had some crazy experiences with boat trailers in the past.

_________________
"Not everyone who wanders is lost." - Tolkien

I normally trailer my TI but have a trip I want to take (Puget sound and San Juan island area) that works best car topped. So Ive been trying to make this work with a Subaru Forester and the dang rack front and back are only 28 inches apart. Because of that very short distance, I have this super kluge sub frame.. Sort of works but I would not want to this all the time.

This is still a work in progress.. but this is what I have so far