Hi guys. Noobie here. Upon retirement, I have intentions of traveling and I am trying to decide between a triple slide T/C pulling a relatively small boat or going with a bigger boat with the truck bed being used for storage. I definitely want to go offroad but I have no idea as to what size power boat I can bring offroad? Yes, it probably will depend on how offroad I would like to go but right know I do know I would like to go as many offroad places as possible. Now you can see why I have not been able to figure this out. Maybe we can just come up with some ideas because I do not expect any of you to come up with a perfect solution. As far as the truck goes, It will be an F550 or the International Terrastar of which the latter will not have the 4x4 setup until this summer. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. If this is not the right forum to post in, just let me know and I will gladly go to the right forum. Thank-You. Louie
Dilemma, Truck camper and or Boat??
- Thread starter realdeal1
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NothingClever
Explorer
First and foremost, welcome to Expedition Portal. Glad you took the time to sign up and post. Your thread will get moved by a Mod at some point as the trailers this sub-forum refers to are an animal of different spots.
As for your inquiry....there's a lot to chew on there.
1) The truck camper you're talking about sounds like it will be pretty heavy because of the slideouts. It might be suitable for maintained gravel roads only however the brand you're after might be a lot sturdier than what I'm familiar with. Also, although your truck when outfitted with 4WD CAN be taken off road, you might find operating off road a truck of those dimensions and cost will get uncomfortable pretty quickly (in terms of handling, clearance and potential costs if damaged). Perhaps a smaller truck with a lighter camper seems like a disadvantage at first glance but your living space can be extended with a side door truck camper and an awning with an enclosure such as a Fiamma Florida Room. The maneuverability on more technical roads would be a relief over the F550, IMO.
2) What kind of boating do you intend to do? If your mental picture is towards the more remote, perhaps an inflatable boat (Zodiac, Avon, etc) is a good option as it will tow behind a truck a lot better if you truly intend to drag it behind you on unimproved roads. Not sure what level of comfort you desire / require but that might help to help you with some feedback.
Not sure what your budget is but if you're kitting up an F550 or an International Terrastar with 4WD, you might want to consider an EarthCruiser (www.earthcruiser.com.au). No doubt you would have EVERYTHING you desire in terms of all-terrain mobility and year-round comforts. The manufacturer would also probably have buckets of ideas on what kind of boat will answer your needs.
Me? I'd go for the EarthCruiser in a New York minute and tow one of the higher-end Zodiacs (like a Bayrunner) on a high-clearance trailer.
At any rate, welcome to the forum and congratulations on the retirement chapter of life you're starting. Fun, fun !!
As for your inquiry....there's a lot to chew on there.
1) The truck camper you're talking about sounds like it will be pretty heavy because of the slideouts. It might be suitable for maintained gravel roads only however the brand you're after might be a lot sturdier than what I'm familiar with. Also, although your truck when outfitted with 4WD CAN be taken off road, you might find operating off road a truck of those dimensions and cost will get uncomfortable pretty quickly (in terms of handling, clearance and potential costs if damaged). Perhaps a smaller truck with a lighter camper seems like a disadvantage at first glance but your living space can be extended with a side door truck camper and an awning with an enclosure such as a Fiamma Florida Room. The maneuverability on more technical roads would be a relief over the F550, IMO.
2) What kind of boating do you intend to do? If your mental picture is towards the more remote, perhaps an inflatable boat (Zodiac, Avon, etc) is a good option as it will tow behind a truck a lot better if you truly intend to drag it behind you on unimproved roads. Not sure what level of comfort you desire / require but that might help to help you with some feedback.
Not sure what your budget is but if you're kitting up an F550 or an International Terrastar with 4WD, you might want to consider an EarthCruiser (www.earthcruiser.com.au). No doubt you would have EVERYTHING you desire in terms of all-terrain mobility and year-round comforts. The manufacturer would also probably have buckets of ideas on what kind of boat will answer your needs.
Me? I'd go for the EarthCruiser in a New York minute and tow one of the higher-end Zodiacs (like a Bayrunner) on a high-clearance trailer.
At any rate, welcome to the forum and congratulations on the retirement chapter of life you're starting. Fun, fun !!
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Welcome...sounds like a TC and porta-bote would be the way to go.
We have the 14' with an 8hp Merc behind it...you would not believe where you can go with one of these boats.
We can put the pbote on top of the TC and use Thule racks to hold everything in place. OB motor goes on a hitch rack.
We also tow a Classic Whaler behind the TC...but I would not think of towing it off-road at all.
You have some reserearch to do...but what you are proposing is very do-able.
Good luck,
Bill
We have the 14' with an 8hp Merc behind it...you would not believe where you can go with one of these boats.
We can put the pbote on top of the TC and use Thule racks to hold everything in place. OB motor goes on a hitch rack.
We also tow a Classic Whaler behind the TC...but I would not think of towing it off-road at all.
You have some reserearch to do...but what you are proposing is very do-able.
Good luck,
Bill
NothingClever
Explorer
Wow, that Porta-Bote is pretty slick! Whoodathunk it?
The zodiac would probably be a good choice but I don't know anything about the waters in RI (they don't do well here due to all the cypress knees). A sea kayak and sail rig came to mind also but you said power boat.
WIth an F550 and the right trailer you could pull just about any boat you want! I wonder if Donzi can find you an off road trailer!
WIth an F550 and the right trailer you could pull just about any boat you want! I wonder if Donzi can find you an off road trailer!
They are cool, and a robust design.
I run all kinds of boats here in RI (off-shore tuna boats, our Whaler), pretty much grew up on the water. The porta-bote is the kind of thing you have to try to believe it.
We were looking for something to take a long when we head up North (NH, ME, VT) to explore backwater lakes/ponds. A co-worker bought a 10' porta bote...I was skeptical...he let us take a rip around the bay one morning. We were so impressed we bought the 14'.
I have run this thing all around; lakes, ponds, even here in the Bay 2 or 3 miles off shore. They are very stable, take a chop much better than a tin boat. And yes!...they fold up to the size of a surf board!
I don't mean to sound like a sales man...but the darn thing just works so well.
We have kayaks also...if we are heading to a larger body of water...say something too big to paddle in a full day or weekend...we take the porta-bote.On extended trips...we take them all!
If your interested, go to the porta-bote forum and see if you can beg/borrow/steal a test ride from some one.
Info;
10' a little small
12' a better size and not really any heavier than than 10'.
14' bigger, more stable, has a beefier transom for bigger motor...downside is it is now getting to the "heavy side" ...100# . We went with the 14' as there are 3 of us + dog.
Good luck, Bill