The ultimate beach cat truck

The other day I picked up a spare truck to turn into a cat hauler. Aside from a device to stamp USCG approval on Zhik PFDs, what features would the ideal boat truck have?

I'm pretty happy with my extended cab 1500 Silverado with a cap on the bed and a carpet kit in the bed. I've got plenty of room to put gear, N20 and F18 sails fit lengthwise into the bed with no issue and I've never run out of space back there. Stinky gear also goes in the back for the trip home and because the bed is separate from the cab, we don't have to smell it. The seats in the back may not be suitable for a 5 hour trip but most of the time someone's back there, we're just headed to a restaurant.

Couldn't be happier with my FJ Cruiser.

Plenty of space in the back for all of your gear, 4WD w/locker for pulling trailer on sand. Trailers great. NO CARPET IN THE WHOLE DAMN THING so you can leave a pair of soggy sailing booties in the back for a day in the Florida sun, then pull them out and the car doesn't stink at all.

A fuel tank that never empties!!!!

The one hitch is that the truck needs to keep its ability to pull a gooseneck trailer. One of those canvas bed camper/cover deals might be a reasonable compromise. Right now I have a cab-chassis so the options are great.

I love my F-250 SD Diesel. 226k miles and running strong. I have the Crew Cab and it is nice dogs in back and people in front. I also have a slide in camper , or fiberglass shell for the bed.

I'd +1 Rich's setup... might even save some hotel costs?


How much did that camper setup cost?

http://www.rvclearinghouse.com/listings/view/17/toters-and-trucks-2002-fl112/11965

This should do it!

I think retail was 18,000 on the camper. had an old one I traded in and got last years model so it was cheaper.

So the project begins. Here is the starting point. It's an 07 F450 diesel, ambulance package which means it has a pair of generators that can produce ~250 amps. The plan is to build a steel flat bed with boxes for tools, sails or anything else. Add a larger compressor and inverter. The second part of the plan is to acquire a 25-30f gooseneck that is built a little on the lighter side and add a small pop-up or slide in camper to the front of it, leaving room for boats on the back. The goal is to keep all of this under $10k if possible.

I would love to hear ideas on how to practically move 2+ boats and their trailers at once.

How about just using a car and the money saved on gas will pay for the hotel room.

Yeah lol so what'd that big F450 cost?

I'm pretty sure trailex and others build double stack trailers for a reason, idk, maybe so you can move 2 boats at once?

I get 21 MPG towing with my car, Toyota Corolla (I know laugh now I need a different vehicle) and it isn't too happy about it (36+ MPG without towing). We got about 18-19 MPG towing with the V6 Toyota Highlander, which normally does close to 30 around town. Point is, the bigger the vehicle the less it gets around town and they all do about the same, ~17 MPG towing, unless you drive like Trey.

Something with a V6 will do the job well IMO. I want space for gear etc. The Toyota 4Runner fits the bill, as do a few pickup trucks and other SUV's. Nothing against American built but the foreigners have won until recently and I can't afford a brand new something.

I've got $2,700 in the truck so far. I often need to move big things, sure a car could do the basic 2-boat thing but that would be really boring.

How is that car gonna haul a p19 with no trailer and a 7,000lb bandsaw home from Miami?



Or haul 3 420s with no trailer to Mobile and haul an A with a unknown trailer back?

and a 7,000lb bandsaw home from Miami?

What's it rate?

http://www.bedslide.com/
i have one of these an i LOVE it. I have a camper top on my ram1500 and with the slide i don't have to crawl inside to get stuff. i bring it out to me!!!

sweet, just like the hearse my co-worker left in!

A hearse makes a great tow vehicle. Power, suspension, ride, and storage. There was a J24 college team that used to use one.

I use a Hyundai i30 with Diesel engine. I get about 25 mpg towing an f18 or double stacked vipers. Before this I would have always said at least an f150 or similar. Now if you're just hauling your boat plus the occasional 2nd boat. It doesn't matter what you have, it will get the job done.

For those that use a diesel, any problem with exhaust residue collecting on the boat?

My pickup smokes like a tire fire, I never notice anything but on the bumper of the pickup. It's just soot, water should take care of that easily enough.

I seem to collect the same amount of road grime pulling the CRV and diesel.

Since I dumped Facebook (THart unfriended me so I said f!@k it I'm out) I haven't been able keep up with all that is Karl. Are you going to be a daddy soon?

This thread is boring!

<**** first into a door jamb as a child, I'm probably sterile anyways. A few days of swollen bits, and a few more of pissing blood mixed in with a grotesquely large left nut and I'm calling it unlikely. Then there's the statistic anomaly that I'm not currently paying any child support, or amidst any custody battles despite my, .....um..... history. Seventeen years of not being the most careful boy on the block, and not one pregger scare.



Bacho- I've thought a flat bed would an awesome way to go. Much more useful than a box, especially if it were a 10' model. Plus, it'd be super easy to build a rack to put a boat on the truck that way when the trailer is full.
I'd look at these guys for a flatbed. I've got one of there trailers and it is the shiznit. www.fthr.com
I really like my trailer too. Its just a four place snowmobile trailer. 20' flatbed, with a pair of 2.5k# axles. Tows frickin awesome, even with three boats on it. The mondo box I built last fall can easily hold three boats worth of crap, and still have room to not have to put anything you don't want in the cab. I wish I could've coughed up the cash to do it out of diamond plate, but rough guessing I figured it was going to be a $5k box.

I only see any signs of diesel in the non skid on top of the decks of the tiger after 7 years. The new owner didn't notice so it wasn't that bad. But I did trailer with a cover on the boat.

Found the ultimate beach cat truck.




Just had a new trailer built and with 2 of the Velocity boxes on it should have plenty of storage.

I've been thinking about getting one of those for a couple of years. It sucks after a day or two at a regatta to get to the stuff at the front of the bed. I can't find dimensions on that site - can you still fit 4' wide sheet goods in the bed?

My regatta ride. Great to get down on the beach 4wd with lockers and heaps of room in the bag for sailing gear and tools. Will be adding draws and a slide out fridge down the track. A lift kit and winch is on order first.

When winter hits, unhook the boat trailer and hit the Aussie outback. Got both seasons covered

That's a cool Volkswagen! We don't get any sweet vehicles in the USA, hell you can't even get a normal transmission anymore. We've become so fat and facking lazy pretty soon the transmissions will be voice activated.

I knew you were straight all this time... Sort of like those QIPOs (queer in prison only)

We can start with NHTSA, the the EPA, and some other government alphabet soup organizations

That truck is probably safer and cleaner than anything we currently have on the road even if it may be a diesel..

Must be some serious sand if you need a snorkel!

I'm just guessing but I bet more of it has to do with GM and Ford's lobbying efforts.

Diesel's aren't welcome here. Whether that's from lobbying from the big three or not, who know's. I can't imagine its from them, as it has cost them a flippin' fortune trying to stay legal, and keep up with the warranty issues caused by all the smog B.S.

The difference in the small trucks available inside/outside the US has baffled me for a long time. The first time I visited Chile, I remember seeing an awesome four door Mitsubishi 4x4 with a diesel and 5 speed manual (before there was ever a four door truck in the US). I saw the four door Nissan in Saudi years before it came to the US and I bought one as soon as they brought them here (but was pretty unimpressed with the dreadful fuel mileage...remember that V8 Juice commercial? Slap your head...Yeah, that bad). Just look at these models of trucks with good power and put our truck's mileage to shame - two of which are US manufacturers...Why don't they think we would buy these?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/pictures/compact-trucks-we-want-to-come-to-america#slide-1

Maybe more so from the refineries.. what would happen if 50% of all cars converted with no infrastructure to meet the demand?

Had a BMW 335 Twin Turbo Diesel in Germany last summer... It was a blast. 6 Speed manual transmission and the Autobahn let me get my Steve McQueen on!!!!

Funny, standing behind the car and getting stuff out of the trunk with the engine running, you couldn't even smell the the exhaust..




Probably more so with tariffs and the Chicken Tax..

Could be, but the new Ford Escape is the Ford Kuga that has been hot seller in Europe for the past few years... And I think that is being built in South America.

From what I understand, there are a lot of models that don't make it to the continent. This has more to do marketing focus groups.. Let alone the safety standards and the MPG requirements..

I don't know if that would make that much of a dent. There's a lot of diesel burnt each day in shipping and agriculture, and basically aviation. JP8 isn't exactly diesel, but its in the family. Rail locomotives burn a different kind of fuel as well, but its just a higher sulphur content.

Because Americans want big v-8s and big power. Many do not really have any experience with diesels either. Many do not want to have to deal with not being able to find diesel at the pump in some areas. Diesels are also expensive, when I worked at BMW I learned that the Diesel engine was a $15k upgrade!

On the other hand the EPA seems to have concluded that diesels are the dirtiest motors on the planet. Most of the diesels internationally would not pass emissions here. I can see why many vehicles would not be offered here because expected sales would be low, and it would be expensive.

I take my boats everywhere with my '04 Nissan Xterra. She has pulled a beachcat back and forth from Florida 3 times now and counting...

It gets terrible gas mileage but the top rack is perfect for coolers and wet gear.

BTW, Bacho are you the same Bacho from the Xterra forum?

Yes, I dabbled with Nissans for a while.

Diesels do produce more emission than petrol per litres burnt however this is offset by the better fuel economy of diesel engines. Diesels also typically have forced induction (turbos) and whilst not accelerating as quick as a simular petrol unit with forced induction, has more low down torque giving V8 type grunt which is great for towing or off-roading. Diesel (and the snorkel ) are ideal for water crossings. Another tick for off-roading. In Australia, when you head off into remote areas, you will be hard pressed finding a gas station that sells petrol. No problem with diesel.

Americans also are hooked on their big cube engines. I am too for a play car, but for day to day driving and long distance touring which my VW is being built for, then small capacity turbo diesels are the go.

My VW Amarok would be considered small to most Americans (don’t want it too big for off-roading in the bush) and most will laugh at the little 2 litre twin turbo engine. It may not be a race car but it will give me combined city / highway driving off 7.8 litres/100 km = 30.1557158 miles/gallon(US). On the highway, I can get down to an approximate average of 6 litres/100 km = 39.2024306 miles/gallon(US). I also have a VW Golf 2 litre single turbo which gives me 4.4 litres/100 km = 53.4578598 miles/gallon(US)

BTW, The Amarok is built in Argentina and I believe they have plans to sell it in Canada. No plans for the US though as they believe they will not get the sales to justify it.

Also, in Australia a diesel vehicle will only add an extra 2.5k to a vehicle.

I think we are a long ways from having vehicles like that. I am still thinking that most Americans still are not terribly concerned with MPG and would rather just complain about fuel prices. The ones that want to be "Green" have to have a Prius or other hybrid. Diesel is not on the radar.

My mom owns a 2001 Jetta Diesel and a 2007 Prius, the Jetta goes 15 miles further for each gallon of fuel consumed her her driving.

The problem with most hybrids is that you cannot tow anything with it which makes them useless for most sailors.

Diesels are very popular in Europe, especially for those that drive more than 30k/KMs a year.
My Renault stationwagon uses about 5,5L for every 100KMs and 10L when towing a cat.

The amount of road tax you pay is determined by a so called Energy Label which is used to stimulate both producers and consumers to drive cars with smaller CO2 footprints:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_energy_label#Cars

Probably would be subject to the Chicken Tax!

I looked into importing a Toyota Hi-Lux turbo diesel pickup from Argentina. It seems that our govt has an outrageous import duty on small light-duty diesel pickups. I could import a motorcycle or gas car for a 3-5% import duty, but a diesel light duty truck is 35% (applies to new and used vehicles). If the US automakers don't want to build one, they make sure we can't import one...

In a barrel (42gal) of crude you need to divide it into separate parts. These parts are roughly:

Naphta and other condensates that are liquid. 2gal
Kerosene, where most is jet-fuel 4gal
Unleaded gasoline 20gal
Diesel fuel and heating/furnace oil 10gal
Engine oil .5gal
Gear oil .5gal
Grease .5gal
Tar/asphalt 1gal

Given these approximate fractions alone, I can see why refineries wish to sell more gasoline than diesel. what else would they do with it if everyone ran diesel engines?



On the other hand, wikipedia has a comparison of energy content of various fuels as they related to 1 gallon of unleaded gas.

For instance, you get the same energy from 0.88 gallons of Diesel as you do from 1 gallon of unleaded gas, so I would figure you'll get better mileage from a diesel just based on energy comparison alone.

It takes 1.39 gallons of E85 blend to get teh energy equivalent of 1 gallon of unleaded gas BTW - which is why some people note crappy MPG when using blended fuel.

And yes, the "Bigger is better" concept seems firmly ingrained in the American psyche despite practical experience to the contrary.

And do those European vehicles meet all the safety standards for US market? Or are we stuck along the same lines as PFDs and the CE vs. USCG requirements?

My Roketa scooter gets 128 mpg and will cruise at 35 mph all day.

Just not on diesel but on all... it is called the Chicken Tax.. LBJ put it into place.

A few years back me and friend; who use to have a van conversion business, were looking to bring in the Volkswagen T-5 Transporter and convert them to Westfalia campers. We felt there is a market for this as Sportmobile is doing well, and there are a bunch of Baby Boomers looking to relive the good years. VW Norte Merica doesn’t feel the numbers are there to justify it, but we felt it could be a great cottage business.

In our doing our due diligence here is what we found out:

Because this would be new vehicle to the US market it would need to go through crash and roll testing. I believe it was Germans…. more specifically Mercedes Benz who developed this testing back in the late 50’s. And they have already been tested in Germany to meet their standards which I feel are better that ours. But, they need to be tested here and this was at the cost of a few sacrificial vans which we would have to pay for.

Secondly it would need to pass the emissions stuff. We felt this wasn’t going to be a problem due to these vans using the same “drive trans” as some of the current VW vehicles in the US… But, it would need to get through the California standards and the required an additional battle with getting this through CARB… In starting this conversation, let’s just say I was better off talking to the wall.

Thirdly, because we were looking at bringing in the “cans” as they call them in the trade, this was considered a light duty truck and was subject to a large tariff ala Chicken Tax which put an additional 20 plus percent to the cost. We could have brought in passenger version, which is what Ford is doing with the Ford Transit Connect, dumped the interior and gone from there, but why! We are converting these to passenger use anyway…

But wait, that’s not all…. There is also liability insurance that added about $3K to each vehicle.

In the end once converted we would need to sell them for $95K plus and turn them in 18 months to break even. That price point is well addressed with the glut of RV’s currently out there, and even though there was the novelty of the VW Camper with a few modern accoutrements like, power seats, solar, hot water, and satellite tv/internet the numbers just didn’t work.

Here you had two guys looking to start a business to realize a dream and got a first class beat down by government regulations… Sometime I see why these Tea Party people are bat shite crazy

How old/ new were you looking? I have seen some grey market alternatives over the years.

You may be right as GM and Ford may get tired of playing the little game they need to do to circumvent this or VW sets up manufacturing here to build the vehicles..



Can't speak from where you are, but here is the Peoples Socialist Republic of Kalifornicated you wouldn't be able to get it past the smog inspection...

That is unless of course you spent buckets of ducklets.. but as my dad always said.."there isn't a problem that can't be fixed with money."

Wouldn't call this a great beach truck, but when I got into the Hobie 18 in 1980, Mary and I trailed it with a VW Rabbit PU Diesel, with a cap.
Kept all our gear back there in the bed, and when at the site off-loaded the gear and slept in the back, with our Golden Retriever, Nugget. Good old days.
Not pulling a trailer we got 62 mile per gallon.
However, when pulling the boat I could only keep it in high gear with a tail-wind, or drafting a truck.
I first met Jim and Deb Fredericks at the Indiana State Hobie Championships at Eagle Lake, IN. When I heard they were from Port Clinton, OH (as were we) I asked if I draft him home.
It worked.
Rick