Hi all,

I have to transport a hull from Chester to Newport in a couple of weeks but, as I don't have a towbar at the moment, I was planning to put it on my roof having adapted the rack to take it.

Has anyone done this? Am I asking for disaster?

Thanks in advance.

All the best,

Tom Hodgkins

Has certainly been done, there is a picture in the MR book of a Merlin on the roof of Robin Judah's Aston Martin (wouldn't do it now with the present values!!!) but do make sure the roof bars will take 100kg and tie it down well!  Opinion is divided over which way up to put it but that will probably be upright and wedged securely.  I wouldn't try  going too fast either - has anyone done it?  Have a vague memory of it being done at Shoreham, was Alex involved?

In 1964 I took Colin Stokes Merlin on the roof of my Austin A60 whilst towing my own boat, Colin's company car did not have a tow bar. From Putney to Salcombe and back. So it has been done and given a suitable car I would do it again. I do not recall any stability issues but then we were rather more circumspect with a 30mph towing speed limit in force, I do not remember Robin driving especially slowly with his boats (Merlin Rockets and Hornets.) on the roof.

I once took a small dinghy (about 70Kg's) on the roof of my company car (at the time a Ford Escort). After removing the roof-racks there were four small dents in the roof, only just noticable but they were there! Might be worth bribing a pal who has a toe bar!

Worth saying also that the roof rack I had and the one Robin Judah had (Which was a Holt Carraboat one. - saw one for sale in Holland recently.) took the weight on the gutters of the body, which are no longer part of car construction. Robin carried his boats right way up, we inverted Colin's and carried it upside down.

I once to Hywel junirs Merlin on the roof with its trolley, the right way up, on a Land Rover because we had a Firefly triple stacker on the back. No problems, but suspect a tiny car wouldn't be very helpful.

These days, most cars have a weight limit for the roof.
A big estate with roof bars might do 100kg.
I think I'd want to be within the letter of the law, as well as safe, as anything unusual invites the wrong sort of attention.
Also, with an old hull, I might worry about the loads put on it
It's also quite hard to tie things down effectively fore and aft on many modern cars.
Can nobody loan a car with a towhook?

Completely agree with chris,  safety  comes top  priority, the Windage on the hull will put stresses and strains on everything that just aren't worth the risk, if the boat comes flying off , not too cut too fine a point on it , goodness knows what could happen

I sold 3033 to a guy who came from Paris. He put the launching trolley on the roof rack then the Merlin right way up and off he went. My only comment was I hope you have opened the bailers. Picture appeared in a newsletter at the time. Oh he had a Volvo estate.

Agree with Megan (who's a bit of a road dog!); the windage alone could be very bad news. 

There are a few specialist companies who will hire you a vehicle with a towbar; these are invariably 4x4s, pickups or vans. Or try Ian Jubb's Sailboat Deliveries who will move the thing for you.

Or is there any MROA member with a towbar who happens to be travelling in that direction at the right time? 
We've done this often amongst the cvrda and got several things from one part of the country to another - on a family visit to Falkirk we once picked up a Firefly in the midlands for a friend in Aberdeen!

Windage- I don't think that I would do it this weekend!
Some roof racks are part of the car and not just mickey moused onto the welded gutters.  I do put my yachts' tender on the roof sometimes but the Estate has proper rails.

Thanks to all for all the advice. I have a Peugeot 306 estate with solid rails so they should be able to take it. The tricky bit is going to be making up pads on out riggers to follow the shape of the hull. As I drive like a grand-dad, windage shouldn't be such an issue. It will, I fear, look as if my car is being mounted by an alien...

Although lighter than a merlin and narrower I have travelled a few times with a fireball on top or a nissan Bluebird estate - we used to put the trolley up first, lash it to the roof rack, then lift boat onto trolley, tie it to trolley and front and rear of car - no quicker than 60 MPH and we were fine!!!!

Thanks again for all the advice. I am going up on Sunday week so I will let you all know how I get on!