On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 01:11:03 +0000, Gould 0738 wrote:

Go with the mirrors.

And not just for backing.

How would you plan to make a safe lane change if you can't see what may be
alongside your rig?

Yes, I WILL need larger mirrors for driving. But there's a big difference
between seeing what 50 ft behind you and seeing a boat that's narrower
than you are, 10 ft back.

Someone suggested removable clamp-on mirrors for launching/retrieving, of
course in addition to the wider mirrors I'd have for travelling. Trouble
is, the "travel" mirrors would have to be on all the time, even when I
DON'T have the camper on. Ever driven over the Putallo Bridge? I do it to
get to work each morning, and mirrors sticking out a ft on each side would
be torn off by opposing traffic.

Lloyd

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 01:30:15 +0000, Tony Thomas wrote:

Mirrors will definetly help but everyone I know that has ever done tandem
towing disconnects before backing (back only one unit at a time).

He he...

I've noticed that what we do for camping almost seems unique in North
America: we have "slide-in" campers that fit on the back of pickup trucks.
You see them EVERYWHERE in BC and the American "pacific northwest", but
rarely anywhere else.

The "camper" I'm referring to sits in the truckbed - it's not a separate
trailer. The problem with it is that it's wider than the truck (or the
boat!).

Here's what a "big one" looks like:
http://www.virtualproperties.ca/j1058/

and this is more what I have in mind:
http://cargobody.com/camper.htm

Lloyd

That works fine if you have a big enough ramp and no one else on it.
The front bumper hitch is the best idea. Used it on a MH - offset it
to the right side so I could look down the side of the boat/trailer.
Really slick - also kept the driving wheels out of the water and on
dry land....

George


On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 22:50:16 -0500, "Jon Porter"
wrote:


"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
. ..
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

A friend of mine had that problem backing an empty boat trailer down the
ramp. I was out in boat and could see that the trailer dropped below the
line of vision when starting down the ramp. A guy finally offered to do it
for her, and he simply drove way down the wide ramp, turned, and pulled back
up the ramp until everything was straight. He then backed it straight down
into the water.

Yes, I WILL need larger mirrors for driving. But there's a big difference
between seeing what 50 ft behind you and seeing a boat that's narrower
than you are, 10 ft back.

One of the useless skills I happened to learn in life is how to back a semi
trailer through a slalom course without knocking over any cones. :-)

If you're backing caddy whumpus, the trailer will show up in one mirror or the
other before the angle becomes too extreme. You can then correct accordingly,
(turn the wheel into the mirror with "too much" trailer showing).

If you feel as though you must keep track of both rear corners of the trailer
when backing up in a straight line (recommended), there is a little trick you
can use that won't involve bizarro mirrors.

Saw off a couple of lengths of old wooden broomstick. Hang a red plastic
pennant on each one. When you get to the ramp or some other backing situation,
insert these
broomsticks into the left and right sides of your trailer. They should stick
out far enough that you can see the flags in your mirror. As soon as you start
to turn, of course, one of the flags will disappear but they will provide a
useful reference to let you know when you are backing in a staright line. You
many have to rig up a couple of fittings on the trailer to accommodate the
broomsticks.

Lloyd Sumpter wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 01:30:15 +0000, Tony Thomas wrote:


Mirrors will definetly help but everyone I know that has ever done tandem
towing disconnects before backing (back only one unit at a time).


He he...

I've noticed that what we do for camping almost seems unique in North
America: we have "slide-in" campers that fit on the back of pickup trucks.
You see them EVERYWHERE in BC and the American "pacific northwest", but
rarely anywhere else.

The "camper" I'm referring to sits in the truckbed - it's not a separate
trailer. The problem with it is that it's wider than the truck (or the
boat!).

Here's what a "big one" looks like:
http://www.virtualproperties.ca/j1058/

and this is more what I have in mind:
http://cargobody.com/camper.htm

Lloyd

Then you shouldn't have a problem. Even if the camper sticks out over
the bed rails, you should be able to see the boat trailer underneath
the camper overhang - with the stock mirrors.

--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

Lloyd
I think you need to have a backup camera. Wireless ones are available rather
inexpensively. I don't think any kind of mirror setup would work for you
unless you made the rear of the trailer at least as wide as the camper.
JIMinFL
"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

If your pix is accurate, you can see the boat out of either side mirror. I
NEVER use the center, interior mirror to back down a boat.

Go to an empty parking lot...(early in the morning, so no one else will
screw you up); put tape or a towel over your interior back up mirror. Put
a few garbage cans out and back through them a dozen times, using only the
outside mirrors. You should be just fine with the pictured camper. RichG TX
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..

"JIMinFL" wrote in message
...
Lloyd
I think you need to have a backup camera. Wireless ones are available
rather
inexpensively. I don't think any kind of mirror setup would work for you
unless you made the rear of the trailer at least as wide as the camper.
JIMinFL
"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just
heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck,
and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

Put a ball hitch on the front bumper of your truck. When it comes time to
launch the boat. hook the trailer up to the front ball and you will find
that boat launching is easier than it's ever been.

Of course, you can only use this configuration when launching or retrieving
your boat. The hitch on the back is the one that you need to use for towing
on the highway.

--
Charley


"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I want to go fishing/camping in my 1990 Nissan with a SMALL camper
(I think they're called "camperettes") on the back, towing my small boat
(12ft aluminum skiff, with some addons like a floor so I can't just heave
it on top).

The problem: even the smallest of campers are wider than the truck, and
I don't think I could see the boat at all behind me. How do you back it
down the ramp? REALLY wide mirrors (there goes the ol' fuel economy!)?
Closed-cct tv? Surely there are others that do this...

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
It's not fun, but it is do-able. How much trouble can a 12' cartop be to
launch?

Might be easier to disconnect a trailer that small and launch like a small
sailing dinghy dolly. That is...by hand.
A block or two and 100 ft of line would make retrival real easy. Just pull
the small trailer up to the truck attach & drive away. No salt touches the
truck.

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 20:18:58 -0800, Lloyd Sumpter
wrote:

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 01:30:15 +0000, Tony Thomas wrote:

Mirrors will definetly help but everyone I know that has ever done tandem
towing disconnects before backing (back only one unit at a time).

He he...

I've noticed that what we do for camping almost seems unique in North
America: we have "slide-in" campers that fit on the back of pickup trucks.
You see them EVERYWHERE in BC and the American "pacific northwest", but
rarely anywhere else.

The "camper" I'm referring to sits in the truckbed - it's not a separate
trailer. The problem with it is that it's wider than the truck (or the
boat!).

Here's what a "big one" looks like:
http://www.virtualproperties.ca/j1058/

and this is more what I have in mind:
http://cargobody.com/camper.htm

Lloyd


Lloyd, if the problem is only one of backing the boat, why not just
open the camper doors and use your rear view, or look through the back
window of the pickup?

John H

On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD,
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes