i asked if anyone had done this, and didn't hear a lot back, but the need to be able to take both my camping trailer and the H16 on the same trip to the sierra lakes got me thinking... yes, thinking can be dangerous and painful sometimes.

before i got too far, i wanted to do a prototype - proof of concept. as i got the boat loaded, my neighbor came by asking if i was familiar with the "beverly hill billies"... "what are you saying?"

well, if i could figure out how to put a pic in here i would...

it worked - more or less - which allowed me to search craigslist for a steel truck rack, which i found for $100. I later found that there are 2 different bed lengths for the Chevy Silverado "short bed". yes, mine was the shorter. I also wanted to keep my tonnneau cover, which meant i needed to go wider. This afforded me the opportunity to learn welding!

welding opened up a whole new horizon of power tools, after having practiced a bit with a friend's loaner equipment, i'm now a proud owner of a mig welder, and an assortment of grinders, chop saw, etc. i figured i had the wife's endorsement when i got the photovoltaic welders helmet for xmas. one can never have too many power tools.

anyway, the welded rack is now on the truck, with an extra hitch overhanging the cab which will receive the 12v electric winch for loading, unloading. i'm about to start building a set of beach wheels for launch / loading. the last of my mcguyver plans is to rig a hoist for storing the H16 against the ceiling of my garage. i've got 11' ceilings, and the garage door when opened, is at 7', so with 4' vertical clearance, it's looking like all will fit just dandy. i was thinking of putting in a screw drive garage door opener for raising / lowering the boat, but am not sure if it would have enough power.

as luck would have it, we've had very little rain, so the lake levels in the sierra are low, and expected to see some droughts, so may not get out as soon as i'd hoped. along with that, it's been so warm, that i've had to dedicate much of the weekend time to prepping the garden for spring veggie planting.

i do intend on taking more pics, and as i learn how to post, i'll share.
in the meantime, i'm researching the steps for replacing the mast step, as mine had a busted hinge hole on one side. i know i saw some instructions on this somewhere...

have fun all!
andy b - not enough time on my hands to get into serious trouble...

Admire your energy and ingenuity. I won't succumb to the temptation to say you have a lot of time on your hands! Oops. Ignore that.... I'm jealous.

Please post pictures in a new album inside the "Beachcats Technical" album here
http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures&g2_itemId=10570

• Just login to the site, go to that link
  
• Click on the "Add Album" link in the left menu
  
• Give your album a name and description, submit the form
  
• Now click on the "Add Items" link and upload your pictures
  
• If you need to edit the text of your images after uploading, view your album and click on "Edit Captions" to edit title, summary, and description of each picture.
  

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Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
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thanks Damon! I managed to get 1 uploaded, but don't have the proper editing tools on this laptop. my files are a bit large, so i'll reformat and upload the other 2 later.