....stuff deleted

I kept a Wilderness Systems Manteo (a Tupperware one-seater) on the top of
a pickup truck for over a year (southern Mississippi, lots of sun, little
in the way of freezing temperatures) and although the straps faded and
needed replacement, and I wore out cockpit covers, the boat survived quite
well. It lives in a van currently, out of the sun, but gets handled
rather
roughly, and didn't sink in some 13 miles on the water today, so I think
the sun degradation may be not be as much of a concern as you might think.
I used those yellow (high price, but they don't leave marks like the black
ones) "v" shaped rollers to keep it in and a winch (like on a boat
trailer)
to horse it up and down. I did notice a small change in stability (I know
it is a small amount of weight, but it is quite high) but virtually
nothing
in performance or fuel consumption (except on interstates, but I don't
think you'll be on those in a boat much).


Galen,

I kept two plastic boats on my kayak rack for 4 days. Both hulls deformed,
but not badly. They also showed signs of discoloration, as well. Your milage
may vary, but I won't make that mistake again. This was in California, in
conditions not unlike those you describe, so the difference in weather is a
marginal issue.

As for the cockpit covers, it turns out the animals in the neighborhood
found them useful as a scratching post. Torn to shreds within a day.

I'm glad you had better success than I did.

Rick