Truck Campers and boats?

duffy4 · #1 01-06-2013, 01:47 PM

I have a truck camper on my F150. Went up to the yukon last summer for a few weeks and did not have a boat of any kind and it drove me nuts trying to fish from shore on all the fine lakes we went to.

We have a canoe I would like to figure a roof rack for.(more weight on the truck)

Or should I look into an inflatable boat with a small kicker?(more weight on the truck)

Or should I get a "utility trailer" to tow behind, that I can put the canoe or our 12 foot car-top boat on?

MtnGiant · #2 01-06-2013, 01:51 PM

All good questions and I'm looking for the same thing for my truck camper.
I'm prolly goin with a small trailer to haul extra supplies.
I also heard of suction cup roof racks....that might be a good idea too.

bubba 96 · #3 01-06-2013, 02:04 PM

IMO, I would go with option c, the utility trailer, trying to get anything on the roof of a camper while in back of truck might be a task all in itself, trailer and tinny, then you have all that extra space in trailer for, xtra gear motor, coolers ect..

bobalong · #4 01-06-2013, 02:08 PM

I would look for a used or new "boat" trailer for the boat. The ease of loading and unloading will be worth the bucks IMO. The motor and all the gear can be put in the boat before you launch, and in most spots you can probably just tarp it and leave it in there. Even in a tight spot you can un hook the trailer and move it by hand.

thumper · #5 01-06-2013, 02:28 PM

I'm facing the same dilemma but am going with the overhead rack. I just don't want to be dragging a trailer behind me, maintaining more running gear and storage problems. If you're concerned about the additional weight, and if you fish by yourself, you may wish to consider using a kayak instead of a boat/motor combo. Then you could get away with a much lighter duty roof rack (something that doesn't require drilling holes in your camper roof - like the suction cup or inflatable racks) Plus a light kayak is easier for us 50+ guys to load and unload.

Wile E. · #6 01-06-2013, 05:10 PM

You're in in oil country! All you need a 2013 Denali HD, a 35 foot 5th wheel and a 22 foot Lund tournament boat! Problem solved! LOL

DisplacedCaper · #7 01-06-2013, 08:09 PM

I had a big camper on my ram 1500, I had a 10 ft Pelican predator boat. I also had a quad trailer. Sometimes I put the boat in the trailer, but on some occasions I took the boat and quad with me. On those occasions the quad was in the trailer and I used some boards across the roof of the camper in two spots (make shift roof rack), just to get the boat up over my vents. I had to take the seats off the boat (which was a pain, but not that bad really) laid the boat on top, and ran straps over the boat and hooked them onto my jacks. Never had a problem. Just make sure you bring a step ladder and a buddy to help load and unload. Hope that helps.

Xiph0id · #8 01-06-2013, 10:37 PM

I have a camper on my f150 also.
I pull my boat behind it. Launching is no problem and the nice thing is you can take some weight off your rear axle by putting it in the trailer. EI: water, gas, coolers, etc.
If you've done the scales and math, you know that you're probably over weight with the camper on a f150 to start with and adding a motor, gas and boat on top of the camper is going to hurt that situation.

Pm me if you want any more details.

PlayDoh · #9 01-06-2013, 11:16 PM

I've used a F-150 with a 8' camper, roughly 1000lbs, and pulled a 14' fiberglass with a 50hp merc. I didn't do any long trips, only 2 hours each way, and I took side roads on the way back just to take it easy on the Ford. Mostly cause it had a leaking rear main seal, and the truck was my Uncle's.

I can't remember the numbers, but I did do the math and the F-150 was legal with the 8 foot camper. It has a 5.0L and pulled the camper only just fine. If I remember right the Camper was 1400 LBs with water, propane, ect. Fully loaded.

I wouldn't dare yard a boat on to the roof myself and I'd go with a trailer or boat/trailer. One thing I've seen people do, which I've been taught not to, is load a boat up with heavy objects. I only put light items in the boat, and if I'm going over rough roads I'll even take the battery out. Anchor, gas tanks (unless empty or light) batteries all come out while I travel. Especially in a Fiberglass boat, as I've seen a battery crack the floor, which was obviously damaged to some extent before hand.

bubba 96 · #10 01-07-2013, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wile E.

You're in in oil country! All you need a 2013 Denali HD, a 35 foot 5th wheel and a 22 foot Lund tournament boat! Problem solved! LOL

Xx2 f350 27.5 fithwheel and 15 ft crestliner, or 14 ft quad trailer....

Redfrog · #11 01-07-2013, 01:08 AM

I hate Baskin Robbins. I love ice cream but they have so many options to choose from. I find the same thing with the truck/camper/12 foot tinner.

I have a F350 crew.so weight isn't an issue. I have an 8 foot camper with a canoe rack on it, but it is some awkward to wrestle a canoe up and down.

I have the tinner on a small trailer and that works well with the camper on the truck, depending on how tough it is to get to a lake.

I also run a canopy on the truck most of the time. It has to come off to load the camper of course, or I have a self loader boat rack that goes on the truck over the canopy. An electric motor makes loading the boat easier. The downside is that now I'm back to tent camping or sleeping in the canopy.

I'm also planning to work a truck box into a utility trailer with a service canopy on it. It will have a boat rack and the boat can stay there all the time. The service canopy has compartments so will work well for storing equipment. With this rig I will be able to have the camper on the truck and use the utility trailer for hunting and fishing.

Leisure time can be a lot of work.