A folding travel trailer on top of a 28' pontoon boat.

[shootandfish1]

Hi Ron, I just checked in and quickly read the posts.

I'm the dumbest person here when it comes to boating, but have you considered what is going to happen the pontoon as the trailer is ramped on or off the deck. One has 'a rolling load' concentrated where ever the trailer wheels are located at any given time.

I hate being a wet blanklet, but I think the pontoon's front will be submerged during the loading/unloading process.

I apoligize if you have address this concern.

Good Luck-Fred

[RonKMiller]

Hi Fred:

Trust me, I am indeed the dumbest person in boating!

The whole loading/unloading scenario is yet to be decided, but I'm leaning toward doing it only on the boat ramp with the bottom front of the toons touching the ramp and the rest floating. Luckily the front of the toons is a VERY beefy area with additional bracing already built in - and the wheels of the trailer will track directly over top the outer pontoons - which of course are well braced to the frame as well.

Doing it on the boat ramp will undoubtedly draw spectators - whom I can charge a $5.00 per person "gawking" fee and recover the entire cost of the project.

It looks like I'll be using some sort of channeled ramp system and winches - probably one anchored at the rear of the boat on the deck (with guide pulley up front) and one to my 1 ton Chevy dually using a hitch mount. Wired in tandem, both will operate at the same time using one remote control. One will pull while one will brake - so the trailer will be under control of two tensioned steel cables at all times whether loading/unloading. I just bought two identical 2500 lb. winches yesterday to get the process in gear. (pun intended)

The loading/unloading process has got to be elegant AND safe. Losing control of a ton on wheels is not an option.

[GregF]

You better practice this on a Wednesday in the winter time. If you are in the summer on a crowded ramp they are not going to be very happy about waiting for this show. I think you would be better going off the bank if you can find the right combination of shallow water and a ledge you can get to. We have a perfect spot here, somewhat natural and modified by my boat (where the avatar picture was taken). My old dog could just step right off the boat onto the land, just about the same level. By the time I crunched in there 50 times or so I had punched indentations in the bank for the toons so the deck was tight against the shore and setting solid on the bottom.

[margaritaman]

I just had a thought. You would need two vehicles to pull the pontoon and the camper to the boat ramp so why not load the camper at your place when the boat is on land and does not move and then tow both with one vehicle. It would be easier if you had some type of hoist that can lift the camper and put it on and take it off the pontoon.

[tkrein]

margaritaman that is a good idea and with the camper down you wouldnt have much drag on the toon less than before infact you could make ramps to get her up there but couldnt have it hitched to anything

[jim454]

Check this out.

http://www.romppais.com/shopimages/pont ... camper.jpg

[jim454]

here's the website, http://www.romppais.com/pontoon%20boat%20kits.htm

[RonKMiller]

I just had a thought. You would need two vehicles to pull the pontoon and the camper to the boat ramp so why not load the camper at your place when the boat is on land and does not move and then tow both with one vehicle. It would be easier if you had some type of hoist that can lift the camper and put it on and take it off the pontoon.

Still very much in consideration and no doubt that would be the BEST way to do it, the only issues are that the ramps would need to get the trailer about 5 feet off the ground to the height of the deck while on the trailer versus flat while on the boat ramp. A hoist would be ideal but too complicated and way too expensive. Being able to load/unload away from a boat ramp would be awesome - considering it's a 2 hour drive to the closest ramp!

The other reason I want ramps it that one can easily be stored under the toon's deck in a rack for beach access without jumping in the water... When you're carrying chairs, an umbrella, cooler etc. this makes it pretty easy. One of the ramps will have an width 18" of tread plate on the bottom side. Simply flip the ramp end to end for a nice walkway - even though the curve will be reversed.

It looks as though I'm going to have no choice but to have some custom ramps made based on this 95" setup. They'll need to be narrower to "contain" the trailer tires at 7" wide. I also need one for the trailer jack wheel slightly offset from the center:

toon ramps.jpg (82.73 KiB) Viewed 6622 times

[RonKMiller]

here's the website, http://www.romppais.com/pontoon%20boat%20kits.htm

I've seen that picture, but thanks. Anyone can plop a camper on top of a flatbed... keeping the wheels on and able to load/unload at will is the trick. I want my process to be literally push button - and that's why I've got two winches now sitting in my garage.

Something interesting to note in that picture is how incredibly unbalanced that boat is - WAY too much weight aft to my eye. That camper needs to be centered more.

Pop-up-camper.jpg (23.28 KiB) Viewed 6618 times

[RonKMiller]

Probably the hardest part of the project. DONE!

Go here for more pix: http://picasaweb.google.com/MillerRonK/ ... OX_qpS1qwE#

About $100.00 worth of stuff to build new. 95% of what you see is salvaged, reconditioned, painted or cleaned. The BMW logo: Priceless.

IMG_20101023_162823.jpg (69.36 KiB) Viewed 6584 times

[RonKMiller]

1/2" Meranti 9 ply floor covered with seamless thick EPDM rubber to protect against any future acid spills. 1,000 lb. test nylon straps, Grade 8 brackets, bolts with nylon lock nuts. Kev-Lok brand locking cam is what you might expect to see in an airliner. Not shown is the salvaged battery box which is very thick plastic and much better quality than what you can buy today.

I think the new battery will be secure. The new 29 gallon fuel tank is going to get the same treatment.

While this is TOTAL overkill it's what I had on hand.

[RonKMiller]

The pictures tell the story.

Bat box installed and secured with the locking cam.

The stapled square is where the bat cables will exit through a hole in the plywood toward the engine. The small punched hole in the EPDM will provide a nice seal around the cables to prevent dust/insect intrusion into the compartment.

The engine hatch has been rebuilt with the Meranti and reinforced with 1" aluminum angle underneath to keep it from sagging under load. This will be an additional outside sleeping area/sun deck with a folding bimini top made from corrugated Lexan sheet instead of fabric - I hope.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MillerRonK/ ... 5OssvCH-QE#

[RonKMiller]

SERIOUS traction for pushing the trailer if needed. Nothing more frustrating than trying to push a heavy object and slipping.

The top coating is now 5 layers or 50 mil thick, a standard credit card is 30 mil.

If I was going to coat a standard deck I would use 1/4 the volume of shells.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MillerRonK/ ... ho6O44KPZQ#

toon deck closeup.jpg (97.83 KiB) Viewed 6428 times

[jim454]

here's the website, http://www.romppais.com/pontoon%20boat%20kits.htm

I've seen that picture, but thanks. Anyone can plop a camper on top of a flatbed... keeping the wheels on and able to load/unload at will is the trick. I want my process to be literally push button - and that's why I've got two winches now sitting in my garage.

Something interesting to note in that picture is how incredibly unbalanced that boat is - WAY too much weight aft to my eye. That camper needs to be centered more.

Pop-up-camper.jpg

Looks like it's to be towed by another boat too.

[RonKMiller]

The deck will get two finish coats of desert tan elastomeric tomorrow and temporarily screwed down.

Notice the rebuilt console has been moved 8 feet farther forward and hinged to allow it to swing out of the way when the trailer is loaded. The outer deck railing will cover these hinges, and through bolted along with a steel swaged aircraft cable attached to the railing to limit travel to 90 degrees.

I thought seriously about using a gas assisted spring - but they tend to fail pretty rapidly when left outside. The cable is primitive - but will NEVER fail. It would be a real bummer to see the console go over the side into Davey Jones locker.

Pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/MillerRonK/ ... maPX06T8fg#