Not sure where this should go in the forum so i'll do it here.
I bought an ec12 on ebay that is just outside of Austin Texas. I'll be visiting SanAntonio with the family and the seller has agreed to hold it till we get down there. I will not have any room in the SUV to tow the boat so it will need to ride topside on the roof rack. I'm looking for suggestions on boxing this up to make the trip back to the OKC area. I'm planning to leave it in the cradle and just setting it in a box with some form of structure inside and straping it to the rack..anyone see a problem with this? Suggestions? Better yet anyone in the area want to box it up for me? I'd compensate with in reason. My plan is to pick it up on the morning of 3/18/2006.

Charlie
OKC, OK
www.ssmyc.org

Charlie,
It would be recommended that the boat be inside the suv. You will come to love the EC-12 better than some other possession. Put your luggage on top of the vehicle. I dont' recommend you tie your wife etc. to the roof rack but some day you might consider it. Ship whatever is filling up the suv home by plane, bus, fedex etc.
Carl

Charlie,

When I needed to take the EC12 from Atlanta to upstate NY on vacation in a Honda Accord many years ago, I made a plywood box and strapped it on the roof. Worked fine. Boat got filthy - I recommend wrapping it in plastic sheet - but it worked fine. Boat did not resent the mistreatment. humor. Lots of drywall screws holding the box together and the lid on. And about a mile of rope as I always err on the side of caution. I always run a rope down from the box itself (actually from a lot of loops of rope around the box) to the front bumper and to the back trailer hitch as well just to make sure it has the best chance of staying on top of the car.

I made the box somewhat ugly and semi-pointy at the ends - seam in the middle of the sides. I carried the cradle inside the car, but you certainly could build the box around a cradle and boat. I wanted to make the box as small as possible for less wind resistance. That is probably less important with an SUV.

It would be good to borrow an EC12 for building the box around if you want to try to streamline it.

Scott

Good point carl, I'll have to think of shipping it all home unfortunatly my wife loves the EC class but doesn't share the passion that we do, so i'm afraid it will need to ride topside as the only way it will fit in my Xterra is with on back seat folded down, and I'm afraid the 4yr old might get a bit wind blown topside. I'm going to work on constructing a light box of some sort or even a cardboard box, it is only going 500 miles no rain in forcast just needs to sit up there and not blow off. I'd even thought of using egg crete foam and putting over the deck and running ropes/straps across to secure it, this is a better but don't want to make it worse.
Thanks for the ideas/tips.

Greyhound is great and inexpensive. Old men handle the freight boxes on rolling carts and slide everything in and out. Serious!

...94

Thanks for all the tips guys. We were able to transport it in my buddies Windstar, as my Xterra was full.

chalie
new owner of boat #353