to build a cat trailer on top of a pop-up camper? I never back my tariler into the water, so is a pop-up strong enough? And do you forsee any problems?

Thanks
David Mosley
(too poor for an RV, tired of a tent)

Dave,

It's funny you should ask. I've been thinking of doing that with a camper that I imported from Australia. It's made by 3 Dog Camping, and my H-20 fits over the top of it perfectly. It would be a great way to have a comfortable lightweight camping setup and still carry the boat.

My camper is about 12-feet long and 7-feet wide. It pops open to a 12-foot by 20-foot tent with a queen size bed, kitchen and tons of storage for all of my camping and sailing gear. I'm sure the weight of the boat is a non-issue (the camper has trailer breaks), the trick is to mount hull cradles so they don't interfere with the operation of the camper and extend the tounge so the hulls don't pierce the back of the car in tight turns. You can check out a picture of the camper at www.3dogcamping.com

My buddy Tommy Granger has done this. He has a pop-up camper trailer with a couple of PVC rails in a transverse location on the roof. He slides his 18HT Bimare Javelin onto this and straps it down. This seems to work very well, though your mileage may vary depending on the weight of the boat and the sturdiness of the pop top.

Chris.

There was a man with an 18sq disassembled and carried on top of a large pop-up at Spring Fever for several years.

I had a long discussion with him about it, because I was considering it also.

He explained that most pop-ups have very little reserve carrying capacity (small frame and springs).
He found one model which had a large external storage box and plenty of weight capacity.

I have considered buying a small pop-up and removing it from the factory frame and
installing it on a nice long and strong boat trailer frame.

I saw a custom rig on ebay where they had put a small pop-up sideways on a long trailer with a flat deack for four-wheelers.

I have a friend selling a pop-up camper. If anyone wants details let me know via PM or email wildvan at bellsouth dot net.
The camper is nice, I would buy it, but my car cant pull it. Pulling the boat around is pushing it.

Dick and Betety Bliss (my brother and sister in law) used to have a popup camper and carried their Sizzler (very heavy boat) on top and later their Tornado.

Funny, but at regattas when everyone was loading up and they saw the BLisses about to ask for help loading the Sizzler, everyone would disappear. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Rick

Years ago when we were doing seminars in the Midwest, we saw all sorts of creative camping techniques. One was kind of the reverse of carrying your boat on top of a camper. Instead, a couple of people had big boxes on their trailers (like people use to carry their sails and tools). But after the boat was off the trailer, the box folded open and turned into a sort of pop-open camper right on the trailer. Pretty nifty.

Hey Dave, that's why I got the pick-up camper, just so I could pull my toys. The nice thing is on long trips you can hit a rest stop or Wallmart/sams without alot of setting up or attracting attention. It does take about 45 minutes to setup or take off. Also cost less than a pop up.
Your idea should work, look for one that you could upgrade the axles, springs and tires, not that hard to do, I've done it on many boat trailers. You could reinforce the rack by extending down to the trailer frame, but you wouldn't be able to set the tent up with the boat on top.
Take a look at ebay, they have an RV section, also rvtraderonline.com.

Jerry

We have an 18sq sailor in the Houston area who does the same thing and travels to many of the regional regattas. His boat is so light that I don't think the pop top is in too much danger.

Chris.

The truck bed camper is a great compromise and it gives you the most flexibility with the least investment. I too looked at those but was shocked at how much they weigh! Choose your pickup wisely!

I think in David's case, where he already has an SUV that can handle the camper, the camper mod might be the way to go but the modifications could be pretty involved. Storing the mast (and sails) could be a little troublesome but would just take some forethought. Upgrading the axle, springs, and tires (if necessary) would probably be about $250 and an afternoon. Extending the tongue is a bit more involved but certainly possible.

Years ago when I was single I purchased a used truck camper, A 11.5 foot unit. Put it on a 3/4 ton truck and stuck a 2 x 2 tube in the hitch as a extension for the trailer ball. I pulled my Hobie or small fishing boat everywhere. I had a blast, but then came a family, and they get crowded with more than 3 people. Yup, they can be heavy but the right truck and air springs and your set. The fold down kind are lighter but you loose storage space. When the kids are gone I will get rid of the travel trailer and move back to the truck camper.

You know something else you might want to consider? Getting an old VW Westfalia van. I had a roomate that was nuts over these things and I helped him rebuild two of them. They can be had relatively cheaply (although some folks are very fanatical about them) and as long as you find one that is water cooled (I think post 1985 or 1986) it could be quite a regatta mobile. I am quite sure that the air cooled might have a problem towing a catamaran (and the heater sucks in the wintertime).

Here's an ebay link: Ebay Westfalia Vanagon serach

on second though...holy crap...those things are STILL expensive for a 20 year old one!

Now that would be a perfect vehicle for this!

I spent 7 days in the Keys in one with Rico, Candace and my ex, and let me tell you, there is no fan big enough to cool that thing down in the heat of the night. It was a fun trip minus that. It towed Rico's G-cat for several years to countless regattas and never failed though. They are still real expensive, and I still need a trailer for the F18 too.

David

Dave, Go ahead and get the camper, but make Jake's trailer a double stacker, and forget towing the boat!

Brian,

If we lived closer that would definitely be an option! However, we're about 90 miles apart.

After looking again at the Westfalias, I am reminded why I chose my Class C RV instead. I paid about the same for a 1990 model as I would for a similar model VW Westfalia Camper but I got a vehicle that was a lot cheaper to work on, has a ton more space and storage, and more amenities. I still like the idea of driving a smaller, more effecient, vehicle around though. 7 to 9 mpg is hard to swallow on a trip to the Keys!

Who was it that had that commercial van that they used at Tradewinds? That looked like the ticket. Stand-up headroom throughout. Even had a separate A/C for the back. I think it was an Isuzu or some other light commercial van. It may look a bit goofy, but so do those dang Scion shoebox vans and they're selling like hotcakes.

The driver of the van said they get about 15 mpg...

The other issue with the VW is a lack of power, particularly when towing. The problem with A-class or C-class campers is they guzzle gas and are no fun to drive. Rigid truck-bed campers are a good compromise, but have limited space.

After much searching, I found a lightweight truck-back camper that works really well and fits a wide range a vehicles. It's made in Australia and like the trailer that I mentioned earlier in this thread, it folds open to a large room with a queen-size bed over the bed of the truck and you can add a room to it that doubles the size of living space. The main tent takes about five minutes to set up and the whole thing folds down to about 10-inches thick and has no noticable effect on my Ford Ranger's performance. You can check it out at www.3dogcamping.com. I also have a similar setup made by 3 Dog Camping that mounts on the roof of a vehicle, in my family's case an Acura MDX, but it can fit almost any SUV. I've had all of these out on a sandy beach in 30 knots of wind and they held up perfectly. So far, it's the best compromise of weight, quick setup and space that I've been able to find.

That looks similiar to the trailers that you pull behind a motorcycle. My brother has one that opens up like that with enough room to sleep 2. The Package is small enough you could probably install it onto the trailer under the boat next to the sail box. Sorry I don't have any pics or links as I don't know who makes them now.

Clayton

Similar but much larger and much tougher. If anyone wants one, let me know, I have three of the rooftop campers to sell.