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Transporting Your PDRacer

As individual as who you are and the PD you just built, how you transport her to the water can be done many different ways. Many sailors agree, the most dangerous part of sailing is driving to and from your launch point. Regardless of whether you have a boat or not, other drivers are crazy and can cause you to run off the road, or they can crash into you. Transporting a boat has extra dangers, it is of the utmost importance to transport your boat in a safe way to keep it from coming loose on the road and possibly killing you or someone else.

Trailer & Gate For Side Yard

The EASIEST way to transport & store your PD, is with a trailer. You don't have to load or unload it, all you do is wheel it over to your car and tow it to the launch ramp. The key to making it easy, is to have a big gate in your fence so you can wheel your boat anywhere in your back or side yard. If you can build a PDRacer, you can certainly build a big gate in your fence.

Bolt Together Kit Trailers

There are many inexpensive trailers that are available as bolt together kits. They come with a bunch of bolts and locking nuts, so you do NOT have to weld it, just need some wrenches. I have used them for years and they are great.

These trailers are very light, you can easily wheel it around by hand with the tongue, and pull it behind the smallest of cars.

Here are some other versions:
PWC boat trailer
40" x 48" utility trailer
4ft. x 8ft. Steel Folding Utility Trailer
Galvanized Boat Trailer

Here is a small bolt together trailer kit that only costs about $200. This is a picture of Tim Cleary's boat on one of those. Its a bit of a squeeze, but it fits.

I also have used one of these trailers and I bought a long piece of square steel as a replacement tongue and it works a lot better that way.

Piggy Back Carry

One of the great things about a puddle duck's small size, is you can easily carry them piggy back on other sailboats, including other puddle ducks.

Multiple PD's on a trailer

With some creativity, you can carry multiple ducks on a trailer.

Inverted T-Bunk

Here is a sketch of a type trailer bunk arrangement I saw. A guy had a pair of sunfish sailboats, one for him and one for his kid. He carried both of them on their sides when trailering down the road, but when he got to the launch ramp, he would rotate both hulls down so he could fully rig each boat and then launch them at the same time.

Slide Off Dolly

If you have a standard utility trailer, you can make a slide off dolly to make it easier to launch your boat.

Here are some wheels that work good with the dolly:
14-Inch Plastic Spoke Wheel
Another 14" spoked wheel
20" Tire for Big Wheel Carts
Lawnmower type wheel

Abrahams PD Dolly

Ken Abrahams had a old popup camper that he converted into a utility trailer. It did not have a tail gate, so he made this dolly to slide on and off of his trailer.

I am pretty sure that pickup trucks were designed for a primary purpose of carrying PDRacers. :)

Look at that, a PD can fit in the back of a minivan.

Cartopping can be VERY dangerous

Please be very careful if you decide to cartop your boat. If you don't strap it down properly, or if a strap comes loose while driving, the boat can fly off the roof and smash into oncomming traffic, killing everyone in that car. In the picture to the right is Mark Ellis #551 and is doing the same way I was taught to cartop a boat. There are 2 straps across the hull that go through the car. Plus there is a tie from the bow to the front bumper, and another from the stern to the back bumper.

Roof Rack Bunk Board

Just like a bunk board for your trailer, this is a helper for your roof rack. It makes a wider area for your boat to sit on and also the boat rubs against the carpet, and not your rack so it will cut down on the abraision.

Also you could have the deck of the boat interlock with the roof rack bunk somehow, so if you slammed on the brakes, the interlock will prevent the boat from sliding off the rack.

Sid's Detachable Wheels

Sid Forbes made this detachable set of wheels to make the 600 foot trip from his house down to the nearby pond. Simple as can be, the axle is made from all thread rod which fits through the lawnmower wheels. Placed in the center so the boat balances on the axle.

Towing with a Bicycle

So far I am not aware of anyone that has used a bicycle to tow a PDRacer, but there is a video on youtube of a guy towing a heavier fiberglass boat with his bike.