Can you really car-top that? [Tony Porter]

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Tony Porter wrote:

I'd like to buy a second-hand Dart 15 but I'm worried about car-topping it. I have a 4.6m saloon car, and it is only possible to get the roof bars about 70cm apart. In addition the mast is one-piece. I only want to make one trip to the South of France and leave it there, and I dont have the space for a trailer. I was thinking it might work if I tied the ends of the hulls down to the car bumper, and lashed the mast to one of the hulls so that it was supported along its length. Has any done this with a saloon? or do you all have Volvo estates?

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Bob replied:

Hi Tony,
Yes you really can. The ex Laser Centre sales manager, Peter Ewing, used to car top a dart 15 with a Xantia Saloon car. I have been overtaken by him doing about 90mph with a dart 15 on top on his way to our Nationals at Pentewan.
You do have to tie the bows and sterns down to the bumpers fore and aft. Care must also be taken to make sure the hulls do not swing around sideways. fitting profiled wooden guides to the roofrack is the best way. Your biggest problem is the mast. It is very dodgy car topping a one piece mast. You have two options if the boat you are contemplating has only a one piece mast. 1) think about trying to borrow a trailor for the trip 2) try and swap the one piece for a two piece. Quite a few of our sailors with trailors would prefer to have a one piece mast. So you could use this web page to advertise to swap it.
Best of Luck
Cheers
Bob

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Tony Porter replied:

Bob,
Thanks, it was mainly the mast I was worried about, because I think it might bend during the journey if it is only supported in the middle. I was thinking I could support it by making a rope cradle between the two hulls at the bow and stern. It would overhang each end by a metre, which is just legal in France. The boat is actually in Lille, North France, so it is a bit difficult to arrange a swap. It also seems a bit expensive for the age, they are asking 1500 for an '83 boat, albeit in good condition. Maybe I'll just hold on for a boat with a 2-piece mast.
Tony