Custom Boat Loader

One of the common things you see when travelling around Australia is the number of vehicles that have dinghies on top. Travellers just love to take the boat to go fishing. Isn’t that why you’re touring after all? To do the fun things you want.

The next thing you notice is how few of them actually get used or used often and once you set off on that extended trip, a 15 foot dinghy is not something that you can simply post home if you no longer want it.

One of the common things you see when travelling around Australia is the number of vehicles that have dinghies on top. Travellers just love to take the boat to go fishing. Isn’t that why you’re touring after all? To do the fun things you want.The next thing you notice is how few of them actually get used or used often.

It seems that the effort of constantly taking them on and off the roof of the car far outweighs the pleasure. Hence they become fuel guzzling adornments, reminders of unfulfilled intentions and once you set off on that extended trip, a 15 foot dinghy is not something that you can simply post home if you no longer want it.So the key is if you are taking it – make sure you use it.

That is where the Custom Boat Loader comes into its own. The boat loader and roof rack combined enables ONE person to easily and safely load and unload an aluminium dinghy onto a 4WD vehicle roof, secure it down for travel whilst also providing ample roof rack storage. It is operated simply using a cordless 14.4 volt battery drill or you can opt for the fully remote controlled electric motor model. The rack is custom made for most 4WD vehicles, check the website to see of yours is there, if not ask and I’m sure they will make it for you. Made from high grade aluminium with stainless steel fittings the rack is both strong and light weight.

Its strength is obvious being able to carry dinghies up to 100kg in weight and 3.9m in length. That is bigger than most people would or should want to take with them. Its practicality and versatility is evident with a sturdy mesh floor for carrying equipment beneath the boat such as boating accessories (tackle boxes, Lure organiser, rods etc.) It is not necessary to remove anything carried on the rack during the loading/unloading process as the boat travels up and over the stored equipment.

The Custom Boat Loader is the brainchild of Perth man, Bill Maney, who like a lot of manufacturers designed something for themselves when they couldn’t find what they wanted on the market. The idea came when Bill who could no longer lift a heavy aluminium dinghy on and off the roof of his 4WD, to travel in the caravan and still take the boat as well! He has done an excellent job.

The boat loader is exceptionally well made with excess capacity engineered in. The fittings are stainless steel, the ropes have a 70kg and 900kg certified breaking strain, the winch is a fully sealed, oil filled gearbox driven by a cordless 14.4v electric drill or there is an electric motor model which is fully remote controlled and the whole shebang is maintenance free. It keeps the fun in boating by taking the hard work out of boat transport.

Let’s see how the Custom Boat Loader operates. It’s simple really. The vehicle reverses to the stern of the dinghy. The four lifting ropes are pulled through the guides on the Custom boat loader and secured to four anchor points on the boat. A fulcrum plate fits between the stern of the dinghy and the tow-bar of the vehicle. Once in position the winch is activated, pulling the boat up and off the ground. The worm drive winch gives full control when loading and unloading – you can stop at any time & the winch will hold the boat at any stage, automatically.

Once over the vertical, the boat pivots on the rear bar of the rack, & then runs easily forward until the bow is resting on the front edge of the rack. The winch continues to pull on the four ropes until tension is sufficient to secure the boat onto the Custom boat loader & locked for transport, although tie down straps are recommended for extra safety over rough roads & anchor points are provided on the loader for this purpose.

To unload the boat the process is reversed. You can back the car right up to the water edge and unload right into the water if possible, negating the need for a separate dinghy trailer.

It is a well thought out robust piece of engineering that is self contained and maintenance free. It makes the task of using that dinghy you have carted halfway across Australia so easy and anything that gives me more fishing time is cool in my books. If you want more information on the Custom Boat Loader and where to see it in action check out their website at http://www.customboatloaders.com.au/.