Raising And Lowering A Dinghy For Transport On Top Of Pickup Truck Cap

N

n4lbl

.
Oct 7, 2008
307
I'm about to install a roof rack on the cap of my pickup truck. The top of the rack will be about 85 inches high. The dinghy weighs >100 pounds. I'm sure that I'm not the first geezer to confront this problem. Has anyone seen any solutions online or have any ideas. One requirement is that I carry whatever tools I need to raise and lower the dinghy.I've thought of making a gantry of PVC pipe but have no idea of what will be strong enough. Same for 2x4 or larger of wood. The dimension from the gunwale to the bottom is ~2 feet and the clearance will be slightly higher than that due to the sheer. The height of the top member of the gantry would need to be at least 10 feet.I've considered 2 2x4s leaning on the side of the truck and sliding the dinghy up or down. For the up drama one person would push and the other would pull on a line from the far side. If the 2x4s were 10 feet long then the angle of the slope would be ~45°.Any ideas??thanks,,, Alan
 
M

mat_per99

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Sep 17, 2012
9
Hi Alan,

A while ago I had a similar application and looked into a hitch crane. They are quite simple and can typically be found inexpensively (less than $200). The ones I was looking at didn\'t have the reach you need, but could easily be modified to fit your needs. 


I think PVC might be on the weak side to lift the dinghy. 2x4s would certainly work, but may be somewhat cumbersome. Some 1.5" conduit or water pipe might be a better bet if you\'d prefer to make something of your own design.


Cheers,
Matias



From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 10:25 AM

To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Raising And Lowering A Dinghy For Transport On Top Of Pickup Truck Cap



 






I\'m about to install a roof rack on the cap of my pickup truck.  The top of the rack will be about 85 inches high.  The dinghy weighs >100 pounds.  I\'m sure that I\'m not the first geezer to confront this problem.  Has anyone seen any solutions online or have
any ideas.  One requirement is that I carry whatever tools I need to raise and lower the dinghy.




I\'ve thought of making a gantry of PVC pipe but have no idea of what will be strong enough.  Same for 2x4 or larger of wood.  The dimension from the gunwale to the bottom is ~2 feet and the clearance will be slightly higher than that due to the sheer.  The
height of the top member of the gantry would need to be at least 10 feet.




I\'ve considered 2 2x4s leaning on the side of the truck and sliding the dinghy up or down.  For the up drama one person would push and the other would pull on a line from the far side.  If the 2x4s were 10 feet long then the angle of the slope would be ~45°.




Any ideas??




thanks,,,

     Alan






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N

n4lbl

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Oct 7, 2008
307
Matias:Thanks for the reply. I found MaxxTow Hydraulic Pickup Truck Crane for 2" Hitches - 1,000 lbs MaxxTow Truck Bed Accessories M and it would require some kind of extension coupling that would fit the current bearings and provide new higher bearings. Something else I looked at was Truck Bed Accessories | etrailer.com and it could be used if I improvised a new pedestal mount with a cantilever that I could drive a rear truck tire over for stability. I would need a ladder to operate the winch! This is a lot lighter than the first crane.Something like 1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane with a ramp for height could do but at 150 pounds I'd need another crane to load it into the truck!Perhaps I'm delusional but I'd really like the inclined plane approach to work. Maybe someone can find fault (or not) with that so I'll either try it or put it out of my mind. I may sound like I really want to hear one answer but I'm really still open to advice.I'm still thinking about a gantry. I don't know about PVC strength under compression. With a 6 inch diameter perhaps it would stay in compression. It will need at least 10 foot high members, ~7 feet to the top of the truck, 2 feet for the dinghy, and at least 1 foot for the sling.thanks,,, Alan
 
M

mat_per99

.
Sep 17, 2012
9
Alan, a ramp could work as well. I'd add some rollers to it and a hand winch on one end to help pull the dinghy up the incline. It certainly would be the simplest solution.

Cheers,
MatiasFrom: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com [AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2015 12:31 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Raising And Lowering A Dinghy For Transport On Top Of Pickup Truck Cap

Matias:

Thanks for the reply. I found
MaxxTow Hydraulic Pickup Truck Crane for 2" Hitches - 1,000 lbs MaxxTow Truck Bed Accessories M and it would require some kind of extension coupling that would fit the current bearings and provide new higher bearings.

Something else I looked at was
Truck Bed Accessories | etrailer.com and it could be used if I improvised a new pedestal mount with a cantilever that I could drive a rear truck tire over for stability. I would need a ladder to operate the winch!
This is a lot lighter than the first crane.

Something like
1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane with a ramp for height could do but at 150 pounds I'd need another crane to load it into the truck!

Perhaps I'm delusional but I'd really like the inclined plane approach to work. Maybe someone can find fault (or not) with that so I'll either try it or put it out of my mind. I may sound like I really want to hear one answer but I'm really still open to
advice.

I'm still thinking about a gantry. I don't know about PVC strength under compression. With a 6 inch diameter perhaps it would stay in compression. It will need at least 10 foot high members, ~7 feet to the top of the truck, 2 feet for the dinghy, and at
least 1 foot for the sling.

thanks,,,

AlanOn Tue, Sep 15, 2015 at 10:22 AM, 'Perret, Matias N'
matias-perret@... [AlbinVega] AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com wrote:
 
N

n4lbl

.
Oct 7, 2008
307
I did envision it with a block and tackle. A trip to the hardware store is called for to think about rollers.thanks,,, Alan
 
P

pjacobs55

.
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
I built this system for loading my plywood dinghies, a "Rachel" and an "Eastport Pram". It works very well and is a one-person rig.Since then I built a "Black Fly" skin-on-frame dinghy that only weighs 28lbs so now I use the armstrong method :)
 
R

rchrdcoe

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Dec 11, 2007
179
- - port st. lucie,fl.
That's a very ingenious method of loading a dinghy, however after pretty much ruining a car from rust from salt water, I got a small trailer to transport my 14' Sunfish.
 
P

pjacobs55

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Oct 30, 2019
1,459
I try to rinse off the dinghy before loading, but if not a quick car shower when I get home does the trick.Peter.
 
N

n6ric

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Mar 19, 2010
208
The eastport pram also comes in a nesting version with the front half sitting into the back half. Each half is a lot easier to muscle around. It also fits on the Vega much easier that way.Rics/v Blue Max#2692www.ric-maxfield.net
 
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