Tinnie topper on camping trailer - advice please

[Platitudinus]

Hi guys;
Well we are joining the grey nomads next year and doing our big trip around Oz. Probably over a couple of years. We are looking at taking a camping trailer behind our Landcruiser and are seriously thinking about a tinnie on top of the trailer rather than the car.
Can anyone recommend a good quality camper trailer for off road use that is easy to open up and has all the mod cons (as we are getting old) that can take a small tinnie (3-3.5m) on top. Most of the newer trailers have all the gizmos, i.e solar, kitchen pull outs etc but dont look able to take the tinnie.

We certainly dont want to stick to the main roads and have enjoyed off roading for some years.
Perhaps we just need to visit the next local camping show?
Any advice will be appreciated.
Plato
PS: No Winnebagos!!!

[bigjimg]

If you are looking to get one built try Geoff at G and S Trailers at Kingston,that is of course if you are in Brisbane.While i never got my trailer from him he custom builds the trailer to your requirement and the camper he puts on is the best i have seen,I will be getting my camper top from him.I got my trailer custom built by FMS Trailers at Seventeen Mile Rocks,they hot dip galvinise.GandS have a web site just google them.Jim

[Gator]

Saw this set-up at awoonga a few years ago.
Can u believe it? What a legend.

[chisel]

I thought most of the big name camper trailers have options to take tinnies.
Certainly at the high end (eg. Kimberley ) they do, but also tracakabouts and similar models have options too.
This list might help http://campertrailers.org/manufacturers.htm

[STUIE63]

send a pm to member lovey80 he has a good looking rig on his avatar but it is a camper on top of a boat trailer by the looks
Stuie

[Platitudinus]

Hey guys;
Thanks for all that. We hadn't considered getting a custom built one, however as the top end range can cost upwards of $30,000 (and much much more) it could be a good option. I would be upset to leave the tinny behind but most locations we expect to visit have good charter boat services etc.

I guess the real question is the trade off between 'comfort' and 'bushability'. Many of the magazines identify this but the 'comfort camper trailers' weigh upwards of one tonne unladen. Add everything else and I am not happy at the thought of towing 1.5 tonne up to Cape York and across the Territory to the Kimberleys. Alright south of the Gold Coast and round to Melbourne and Adelaide though.
Anyway thanks for all your ideas - I will follow them up.
And hey Gator - was that a real photo or a made up one. Lol
Cheers
Plato

[shano]

i saw this one at winton in june this year , it blew us away! man was it high thought it was cop bait , i tell ya i would of hated driving it up the highway with them road trains going by! we had a camper on the back and was getting blown around when we passed them hate to think what it woud be like in that!

[sleepygreg]

Might be a silly question maybe.....but how the f&ck do ya get the boat and trailer off the Toyo without a crane????

Greg

[GBC]

Greg, just a boat winch in the tray, a couple of pulleys and use the ally planks as skids - I've seen a couple done that way now - not that I'd do it personally.....

Plats - Two options with campers and boats -
1. Carry the boat on the vehicle and use a boat loader
2. Carry the boat on the camper and use a portable trailer

Another option if always close to water is to carry the boat on the camper, then tow it (very slowly and illegally) on tinny tosser wheels and a dodgy bow/tow hitch connection.

People that camp in the one park for two weeks a year will get away with the old style ladder racks on a camper and drop the boat off near the water before they set up camp. This is a real PITA if touring however.

If travelling for a long time like you are doing - the only feasible otion for a tinny on the camper is a proper cantilever rack (expensive) - see Kimberley, camp-o-matic, trakshak, trackabout websites for info and pricing. I see cost as a reason most go back to keeping the tinny on the roof of the vehicle - I certainly did. A roof mounted tinny also allows you to 4wd away from the base camp to launch etc., something a folding trailer is going to struggle with - this is especially important in places like lakefield N.P. where camping near launch areas is unpreferred for a whole host of reasons.

A cartopper has to be easy to transport and setup or you'll find you just won't use it.

Most importantly, everyone's needs and ideas are extremely different in the camping world - just because I have an opinion on how my camp should work, doesn't mean it'll work for you or that you'll even like it.

My ideal setup for two people would be a hard floor flipover camper with the tinny on a cantilever rack over the camper, but with racks on the vehicle big enough to handle the tinny when the need arises.

Good luck with the search - your brain will get fried before you make a decision.

[mull dog]

gday mr platitudinus, you should check out www.adventurecampers.com.au and have a look at their cape york trailer. they are set out with all the mod cons/flash kitchen etc and the boat can stay on the top even when fully set up. you could get one of those racks that you can drop the boat down by the use of a battery drill and a little foldaway trailer for the boat and your set. i think they have outboard brackets on their trailers too. not sure on their prices but might be worth a look

[cormorant]

There was a thread on here in the last 6 months and the websites for the couple of manufacturers of camper over boat trailer.

We have done the tinny on top and like others you only do it the once. Pain in the bum. You end up with your vehicle full of all teh motor an dsafety gear that is in a boat and I mean full. Foldable trailers like the little bulldog and easyride? ( it has suspension) are OK but still weigh a bit and are hard to store. Ok if you go to one place and stay a week at each.


Thieves are everywhere when you travel so make sure you boat and camp can be locked and resonably secure. We put a safe box in both camper and vehicle with space for laptop and ID documents etc. We also had a sma;; camera that recorde movement day and night so we could identify thieves. Surprising how many peopel come near your gear ( even if tehy don't steal) when you are not there. Not kids either scumbags.

I think you need the boat the right way up always so you end up with a decent size and all the gear in it
Will search for the thread later


http://www.campertrailers.org/slide_ons.htm


www.campertrailers.org

Whatever you do don't adapt light duty stuff as it will let you down every time. Spend the money , build it tough and keep it well within it's limits and it will be a very smooth trip with few hassles. ood suspensiona nd good brakes using same wheels and bearings etc as your tow vevicle keeps everything standard

[Platitudinus]

Special thanks to everyone who has helped with their advice.
I guess a 'trip of a lifetime' needs a lot of planning and I certainly appreciate the first hand advice from those who have tried it. There is a big difference between going away for a few weeks with a tinnie ontop and taking a couple of years to do it.
Every fisho knows the thought 'if only I had my tinnie with me - I could get over there'! However, I need to sort the camper trailer out first and that will do my brain in for starters.
Many, many thanks
Plato

[shano]

Might be a silly question maybe.....but how the f&ck do ya get the boat and trailer off the Toyo without a crane????

Greg

yep as said you will see 2 painters planks on the trailer they go behind the boat trailer wheels, and an angle goes up the middle for the jockey wheel, there is a electric winch in the back of the tray that goes up around a pully and pulls the lot up the ramps.

[jimbamb]

Platty,
IMHO a boat is more problems then they are worth when travelling for a long period of time.
Reasons.
1 You use it less than 2% of the time
2 Extra fuel used Wind resistance/weight
3 Vehicle loaded with motor, fuel,safety gear.batteries.sounder.and everything else you are required to carry.
4 Getting boat to water and back requires Some type of trailer,More gear to carry.In most places it is not wise to leave boats away from your camo
5 If you carry boat on camper it has to be shifted someway either by tilt devise or taken off manually. I can gaurantee after doing it everytime you sleep in the camper it becomes a REAL PITA.(May only take 10 minutes but you have to put it back on every morning as well another 10 min (20- min a day)
The setup shown in the pics from Shano and gator is by far the best as all the boat gear stays in the boat.only downside is height.Wind resistance hence fuel usage.
After 2 trips around auz i personally recon it is best to leave the boat at home and Hire a boat when you want one or find someone in park that wants a fishing buddy or use charter boats..We fished from the bank/beach mostly and caught all types of fish..

We met a bloke at Adelaide river who carried a boat from Melbourne and in 10 months hadn;t taken it off the roofrack..
On a recent trip out west we did 10000k and seen NOWHERE where we needed a boat.You will do lots of miles where a boat is just extra weight.
Just my observations
Jim
PS Don't forget if the boat is on top of car you cant get into shopping centre carparks..another downside.
Jim

[cormorant]

The grey nomad and the 4wd campervan forums are good as they can be honest about what breaks on them and what is usefull. A lot depends on if it is just 2 people or kids as well. A lot have for sale sections with many people advertising there stuff 6 months in advance and they may be like minded people so you get a well maintained fully operational set up with the bugs worked out. The budget is a key one as there is some big dollar set ups out there an deven on a lower cost one by teh time you have quality batteries , chargers etc it ain't cheap.

Best thing about the grey nomads is tehy will have a chat and tell you about their set up so you get it first hand so if you see something ask - might cost you some time but talk to teh next bloke who has his tinny set up and the issues.

Here is a list of basic considerations to start with

http://www.campertrailers.org/ask_a_salesman.htm

The othe roption is a inflatable, or deflatable as I like to call en as they do save a lot of space an dcan be lightweight. It will get you out there in a stable boat in a lot of places to have alook around , fast with minimal power but hell you have to be carefull for obvious reasons and I didn't see many in the far north Multichamber and new materials with rubbing strips etc are very very tough but expensive as well.


Foldabotes- well you still have to store all the other crap but at least you don't have the wind resistance.


Here is the belco land sea with boat under camper , there is another brand that is better but can't remember the name. Great to be able to wind off camper whan using teh boat and wanting camp set up but a high center of gravity. Everything has a downside and a lot depends on what teh tow vehicle is and how you hav eit set up. A ute back with a pop top slide on means you can just tow a boat trailer.

http://www.belcocustomtrailers.com.au/landsea.htm

These are the folding trailers you can stack on a drawbar that have suspension and can be towed at speed
http://www.realezytrailers.com.au/


Here is an idea = folding tinny on eprey
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT