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Thread: What tinnie for the roof top?

  1. #1

    What tinnie for the roof top?

    Hi all,

    I put this in the 4wd section as it will be on my Land Rover Defenders roof racks and will need to suit its criteria.

    Im goin around Oz in about a year, and a boat in one form or another is coming!
    Im thinking around 20HP. Would you go 2 or 4 stroke if you could choose and why?

    Also what brand would you choose/ modle etc?
    It needs to fit on the roof, so can't be massive or heavy, but want a good ride, be able to get right up creeks and punch out to close reefs!

    My other option would be to get one custom made if it would be worth while/ advantagious?
    Who would you get to make such a tinnie in SEQ?

    I look forwrd to hearing your input.
    Thanks in advance.
    Tight lines and heavy crab pots.
    Stop professional fishing... before it's too late!

  2. #2

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Wouldn't a 2 stroke be a lot lighter than a 4 and therefore advantageous when it come to putting it on and off the boat whenever you use it?

  3. #3

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    I just received a 20hp honda from the legendary Spaniard_king and it is actually lighter than my old 2 stroke 20hp merc (1987)..... and it is awesome........ awesomely awesome.
    There are only two moments in time.... There's now, and there's too late.

  4. #4

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    honda BF20hp short is 47kgs the yamaha 20 2 stroke is 48kgs so there would be little or no weight advantage between most of the engines.

    ...of all the liars among mankind, the fisherman is the most trustworthy. ~William Sherwood Fox.

  5. #5

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Are you towing a van or camper trailer? Solo family or couple? Doing offroad and how serious?

    Boats on roofs are hard work and it takes up so much space for all the motor, fuel tank, jackets , anchors etc that you don't want weight high up. Off the shelf racks and some of the loaders are not real tough when it comes to offroad stuff and have limited weight carrying. Fuel ecconomy dies in the bum big time if you want to travel fast and huge amount of extra stress on suspension and tyres.

    Lovey80 was building a interesting trailer with camper over boat - might be worth a look at how his build is going.

    Years ago mate did a offroad dual axel low profile car hauler style trailer. Tinny went in top half on trailer , winched in on ramps, with motor and all gear and bottom was all the gear extra tyres etc etc. All enclosed and lockable. Boat was always secure , clean and main trailer took all the punishment rocks etc. Rods and reels were all secure and the trailer had a alarm in it. As nice as the areas are there are thieves everywhere. Slightly bigger boat made him feel safe in croc country and offshore in less than glassy weather. Gave him fridge , feezer space with panels on trailer roof also charging the leccy batteries and good amount of fresh water to be self sufficient.

    I have done the North in a disco, 2 up and it would tow anything but didn't like carrying a lot and got worse manners the more weight up high as you would expect. We had rack with spares on top and surprised how little space you really have and we had the rear seats pulled out. Rack was seriously the best place to sleep at times though. We took a inflatable and I wouldn't be game to try and get away with that again but young and stupid I guess and rented / chartered boats in other places. Was still a pain to unpack and pack motor back in the disco and carrying spare parts, tools for the disco was a must as it ain't a landcruiser with parts everywhere.

  6. #6

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Quote Originally Posted by cormorant View Post
    Are you towing a van or camper trailer? Solo family or couple? Doing offroad and how serious?

    Boats on roofs are hard work and it takes up so much space for all the motor, fuel tank, jackets , anchors etc that you don't want weight high up. Off the shelf racks and some of the loaders are not real tough when it comes to offroad stuff and have limited weight carrying. Fuel ecconomy dies in the bum big time if you want to travel fast and huge amount of extra stress on suspension and tyres.

    Lovey80 was building a interesting trailer with camper over boat - might be worth a look at how his build is going.

    Years ago mate did a offroad dual axel low profile car hauler style trailer. Tinny went in top half on trailer , winched in on ramps, with motor and all gear and bottom was all the gear extra tyres etc etc. All enclosed and lockable. Boat was always secure , clean and main trailer took all the punishment rocks etc. Rods adrels were all secure and teh railer had a alarm in it. As nice as the areas are there are thieves everywhere. Slightly bigger boat made him feel safe in croc country and offshore in less than glassy weather. Gave him fridge , feezer space with panels on trailer roof also charging the leccy batteries and good amount of fresh water to be self sufficient.

    I have done the North in a disco, 2 up and it would tow anything but didn't like carrying a lot and got worse manners the more weight up high as you would expect. We had rack with spares on top and surprised how little space you really have and we had the rear seats pulled out. Rack was seriously the best place to sleep at times though. We took a inflatable and I wouldn't be game to try and get away with that again but young and stupid I guess and rented / chartered boats in other places. Was still a pain to unpack and pack motor back in the disco and carrying spare parts, tools for the disco was a must as it ain't a landcruiser with parts everywhere.
    Either solo or with a partner. Im not keen to tow with the Defender, planning on having a roof top tent over the bonnet and the tinnie over the rear of the rack.
    And in the back of the rig, a small bed, pullout kitchen and storage, she will be loaded up but have/ will have the tyres/rims/suspension to suit! Any advise on which way i should head with the tinnie?
    Stop professional fishing... before it's too late!

  7. #7

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Try this thread and do a search for "car topper "and you will see a few ideas and how others have loaders etc.

    http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...ghlight=topper

    With a factory limit on dynamic load on a roofrack for insurance you may want to check out if you are covered and also on axel loads fully laden. A lot of set ups wouldn't comply so and get away with it but when it turns to crap - Murphy law happens.

    Defenders flex so check with the expedition forums how to construct a good rack, maybe 2 pieces etc and securing a rigid tinny.

    Captian seaweed I think is on his way round Aus again now I think so it may be worth seeing how he set his up.

  8. #8

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    I used to carry a Quintrex Fish Nipper on a home made roof rack on a Hilux dual cab. I had a 15hp 2 stroke and built a collapsible trailer. The boat was winched on by a hand winch mounted on the bull bar.

    I used to go to one spot and stay there for a month so it was worthwhile. I chose a Fish Nipper as it was 70 kg and the 15hp 2 stroke as it weighed 32 kg, a 4 stroke was 10 kg heavier. Outboards are mongrel things to handle due to their shape and the 15hp was a handful to get on and off. I had a small block and tackle set up to lift it into and out of the back of the vehicle. With 4 strokes you have to be careful how you store them but 2 strokes you can store them anywhere.

    You have to remember the safety gear fuel tank etc you have to carry.

    As for custom making one you can forget it as custom made boats are made of plate and they are to heavy you need a boat that is pressed in a die to keep the weight down and strength from thin plate.

    I know someone who carried a boat on a roof rack all around Australia and never took it off the top as it was too much effort.

  9. #9

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    I have seen a custom made RIB that when deflated on the roofrack was quite low but when inflated still had reasonable side height- crocs. Kept a bigger boat much more compact and I see there are inflatable side tube that some blokes put on sailtrack on either side of a smaller tinny to make it a lot harder to capsize , stable at rest and more dry / capable offshore but still light . The custom inflatable had really heavy travel covers etc and I think 7 chambers for safety as the bloke worked for the guys who make up new tubes. Not sure anyone else could afford it.

  10. #10

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    hulls made specifically for cartopping will make life a little easier, they don't have any raised sections or rails that impede you easily putting it up on the roof. most pressed tinny builders make them. i'd maybe look at a 2 stroke 15hp and a hull size to suit as the outboard weight will be a big issue. even thought he weight of that 20hp honda is damn impressive, i would not want to be lifting 48kg in and out of the car too often, 15hp 2 strokes will be in the mid 30's kg and will be a whole lot easier but still painful enough. a tohatsu 18 will give you a bit more torque than the 15 and at 41kg slots in the middle weight wise but i'd still go for the lightest and smallest motor you can get cos like bros says outboards are awkward to handle. good luck with your search.

  11. #11

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    I'll also be doing the tinnie rooftop thing in the not too distant future.

    The roof-topper I am most interested in at present is an Ezy Topper http://ezytopper.com.au/ as they are strong and light.

    The 3.7m is less then 50kg whch means you could probably get it up onto the racks yourself without major dramas.

    You can get a dismantable trolly style trailer for them too that can fit alongside them on the roof racks. Handy for sitting the boat on while you're camped & for dragging the boat to the launch zone etc.

    For the motor I am thinking a 4-stroke 9.9 or something like that. I'll do some research and go the lightest one available (maybe Suzuki, Tohatsu or Nissan).

    I have seen a few of those fold-up boats around lately but the aesthetics don't do much for me. They just look kind of weird. I s'pose they do the job though. And they'd sit flat on the roof racks. Some folks like 'em.
    "...a voice in my head keeps telling me to go fishing..."

  12. #12

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    there is a couple of things to look out for when car topping, first off, the boat must be completely flat on the top, no rails, bollards or curved deck sections (most will build you one for a bit extra) next you need to remember you have to get it up there and down again, so weight is your enemy, the roof racks will need to be good ones, 100KG or so boucing around up there will test even the best racks and roof gutters! you will need to get everything out of the boat at days end, and store it all again, (all wet gear) fuel tanks, motor, life jackets, oars and christ knows what else, when you finish for the day, you will be loading the boat back on the roof, dripping salt water all over the car, if you are camped (with your rooftop tent thing) and want to go boating, you will need to pack up everything to get the boat to the water. Motor choice is a flip of the coin, personally I guess if it was new, then problems should not come up, (but they could) so I would choose a motor that is readily available around Aus, and that would be maybe Merc and Yamaha, I would maybe tend towards a 2 stroke, just for the not needing to be wary of what side I lay the motor on, nothing would be a bigger pain than a car full of oil I would think, but a 4stroke would still be on my shopping list maybe. I am sure there is another dozen things that you will need to ponder over, and no matter what the end choice is, you will wish it was bigger, smaller, faster, lighter or something at some time.

  13. #13

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Hello Waterbuoy,
    If you must carry all of that stuff good on you, but I used to have rooftopper and I got thoroughly fed up with all of the loading and un-loading and then re-loading.
    A 40kg outboard gets really heavy on a muddy creek bank.
    For mine a less hassle option would be a motor canoe from Rossco canoes + outriggers + a four horse outboard.
    http://www.roscocanoes.com.au/produc...263&fulID=21#1
    A lot less hassle and stress on the vehicle your back and your wallet.
    The ease of use may encourage you to use it more often.
    A lot slower but would be surprisingly seaworthy.
    You would be closer to the crocs but are you really safe in a tinny?
    I used to have 16' canadian canoe with an outrigger on one side with a 2.3hp outboard, most fun for the buck possible. Malcolm Douglas cruised the Kimberly in the same rig.

  14. #14

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    I've done the 10ft tinnie on the roof thing up croc country and I would never do it again. It depends on how keen you are on the fishing, exploring by boat etc that you're interested in. Next time will be with a bigger boat with its own trailer. A 12 footer on the roof is a very heavy option. A slightly bigger boat opens up so many more options up that way.

  15. #15

    Re: What tinnie for the roof top?

    Jarrah - was that because of the crocs, or the travel, or both?

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