12Ft Aluminum boat on roof

[wolfmate]

Hey Guys.

We have a 2019 Trd Off Road. We also have a 20ft trailer that we tow with it.
I'm trying to find a way to bring my 12ft aluminum fishing boat with us. It can't go on the roof of the trailer since there is an AC unit, fans, solar panels etc. on the roof of the trailer. I'm thinking roof racks are the best way to go.

The only issue I'm having is that It's over the weight rating of the factory rails. So my local roof rack dealer suggested adding a door jamb rack in the front for added support. So it would be Yakima racks that mount to the factory rails, then one door jamb one in the front. The combined rack weight rating would be about 170lbs. I don't actually know the weight of the boat but most 12ft are around 150-170lbs dry hull weight.

The other issue is in my own head i think. Am I crazy for wanting to do something like this? I can't find any pictures of a 5th gen with a tin boat on the roof.

Let me know your thoughts!

 

[Jetboy]

I think it'd be fine to toss it up there. I'd fine some wide roof cross bars that are wider than the boat and put them as far apart as you can front to back and just strap it to the cross bars. I don't know that you also need the front door jam mounts if you're able to stabilize the boat with a strap forward and maybe one down to the rear hitch.

Lots of us carry canoes and other similar length boats that way.

It'll probably improve your mpg towing. I find with my small travel trailer that a rocket box is worth about 2.5-3mpg improvement at higher speeds. I consistently get around 12mpg without and 14.5-15mpg with it. Huge difference. So I always put the box on even though it's usually empty just for the mpg benefits.

Depending on how far forward you want it - front receiver hitches are pretty inexpensive and you can add a front receiver hitch carrier as an alternative to jamb mounts. I don't like door jamb mounts because they always seem to damage the paint. At a minimum I'd buy a sheet of clear paint protection film and apply under where you're going to install the jamb mounts.

One other consideration is that the rear hatch may not open depending on how it interferes with the boat on the roof. Make sure you can live with it not opening while the boat is up there, or adjust the boat setup to clear the rear hatch wind deflector when it opens.

 

[Friggin Idiot]

There's lots of folks who change over to a basket or longer rack. You could also change out the crossbars to sturdier ones too.
Both RagoFabrication and LFD offer improved crossbars while keeping the factory side bars. I'm not going to delve into the amount of replacement racks and baskets available because there are months worth of reading available for those.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

^Agreed, really depends on what you want to spend, the LFD rails would be a good cheaper solution. If you plan to haul the boat a lot, I'd look into a full roof rack. My BajaRack is great quality, has a hole for the sun roof and I wouldn't hesitate to throw a boat up there

 

[wolfmate]

These are all good options, the only thing is that on the factory rails I believe the max load capacity is 120lbs.
I don't really understand how this works. How do people get away with having rooftop tents that you could sleep a couple people in which would weigh way more than 120lbs?

Do they install different rails altogether?

 

[wolfmate]

So I just got off the phone with my local roof rack supplier. I guess the 4Runner roof rails are actually super burly and can support alot of weight, enough for 3 people to sleep in a roof top tent and jump up and down. HOWEVER, this is for static weight only, when driving they recommend that with after market cross rails that the weight does not exceed 165lbs.

I think I'm going to do Yakima Aerostream bars with end caps to stop lateral movement. This will be at the max for the roof. If it's sketchy looking then I will get an additional roof rack that goes into the door jamb at the front.

Then tie it down at the bow to hold back against vibrations from the wind.

Critique me please!

 

[wolfmate]

^Agreed, really depends on what you want to spend, the LFD rails would be a good cheaper solution. If you plan to haul the boat a lot, I'd look into a full roof rack. My BajaRack is great quality, has a hole for the sun roof and I wouldn't hesitate to throw a boat up there

Which baja rack do you have? What did you pay for it?

 

[Deuxdiesel]

How about adding a front receiver hitch and then use one of those cargo extenders that are meant for carrying extra long loads in a pick-up? You can configure them to be upright. This would take half the weight off of your roof rack.

 

[curmudge1]

A long time ago.... I had a light 12 foot aluminum boat that my Dad got me, Sears brand. He also got me a "one man boat loader" and I think we had a roof cross bar that hooked onto the gutters of our station wagon. The boat loader was a tallish pipe kind of thing that bolted onto the hitch in place of the hitch ball, and had a clamp on top that clamped onto the boat transom, then you picked up the boat from the front and walked it around the station wagon and set it on the cross bar, strapped over the bar & tied the front of the boat to the front bumper. I did a google search, found one at boatloader.com.

Now, you say you want to tow a camper, too, right? Well, some clever person (not me) thought of that, and basically you would use a heavy steel bar/plate maybe a foot long, with a hole for the hitch ball bolt (which held it on place) and another hole for the boat loader, just slightly offset. Worked fine when we did a family camping trip & towed a pop up trailer (rented) and took the boat along on the top. We didn't travel too far, and probably kept the speed down (no 80 mph, or maybe I'm just scaredy in my old age . Looks like that website has the accessory to use with a trailer.

My boat was a pretty light semi-V, I don't know if a heavier boat, like an old Mirro-craft, would be too much.

Make sure you tie it down well in front! HTH, YMMV.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

Which baja rack do you have? What did you pay for it?

This is the rack that I have

Products | United States | Bajarack

 

[flyrv9]

The question for me would be on the weight rating; and what it really means. Is it just for the rails, or does it include the mounts - or both? Also, does it include air loads and at certain speeds. I'm sure Toyota has the numbers - somewhere.