I'm wondering how easy it is to dismantle a Hobie Wave for roof top transportation. Promotion material aside, is the Wave realistically dismantled for this purpose?
If so, any tips or advice welcomed.
Let me start with, while my wife has a Wave, I have never actually tried to put one on a car-top. I have car-topped similar boats.
Physically, you could put a Wave on a car-top. Assembled, you will need at least 2 people to lift it. Disassembled, you can put it on your car by yourself but those hulls are very awkward. Anouther problem is all that other stuff (mast, sails, rudders, rudder connector, etc). The Wave platform and mast alone is equal to the max safe car-top weight (170 lb) so the rest of that stuff has to go inside. In a small car that will leave you with almost enough room for the driver.
Car-topping a Wave will be like cartopping 1 and 1/2 Lasers. If someone said "I have a pickup truck and I am going to cartop a Wave on bed racks to avoid owning a trailer", I would say "cool". If someone told me they were going to car-top a Wave on a Civic, I would say "lets see if we can find you an old trailer".
In summary, you can do it but it will be a lot of hard work.
FWIW:
I had been talking to the local Hobie dealer about buying a Wave. He told me that, although Hobie markets it as "car topable", every person he has sold one to has purchased the trailer. A couple of folks who purchased from him and didn't get the trailer, came back within a week stating that it was just way too much work.
They bought the trailer.
After hearing these stories, I decided to forego the Wave and buy a used H16.
Just FYI.
Fair Winds,
Nick
My father in law has a Wave up in wisconsin on a great chain of lakes. I've had to assemble it for the last 4 years and the hulls are a challenge to lift by yourself. While the boat would be easy to transport on a yakima or thule rack, getting them up there yourself is a challenge. Everything does break dowm into a managable load, but it's really a job for two.
That being said, I do drag the boat up and over two vertical feet of shore rocks and up a hill fully rigged with the saail down myself. It really has to do with hoisting heavy and awkward hulls over my head to put on my suburban's racks--not a fun solo job.