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PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2018 11:37 am 
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Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 10:46 am
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Hi all, brand new TI owner and first time poster!

I plan on taking my TI on long camping trips and have been doing a lot of research on shelter. I really like the idea of being able to choose to camp offshore or onshore depending on conditions and lay of the land. I've looked at quite a lot of the ideas presented on the forums here, but none of them feel right for me. I want something that doesn't get in the way, is easy to setup, rugged, and doesn't require a ton of modifications to the hull or akas. I'm also not a huge fan of cots and don't want to be setting up tents in a rainstorm.

I've always liked the idea of a hardshell car top camper (very sturdy, easy to setup, waterproof, etc) like the ones at http://www.jamesbaroudusa.com/, but I'm not sure they are right for the TI. First of all they expensive ($2K+) and quite large and heavy. So I thought, how could you make a one-person super-light version of one? And that's when I thought of Yakima...

I started looking at their car top cargo boxes and realized that they could comfortably fit a person. For example, the Skybox 16 https://www.yakima.com/skybox-16-carbonite is nearly 7 feet long and 3 feet wide. After sleeping on the idea overnight, this is what I came up with:

Image

Thoughts:

    - Price of the Yakima box is only $529. Sure it's more expensive than a tent, but it's not $2K+.
    - Seems like it could be fairly weatherproof. Worse comes to worst you could theoretically completely enclose yourself in it in a heavy downpour (assuming you didn't have claustrophobia and made sure there was no way you could lock yourself in). Maybe even good protection against bears?
    - Setup should only take a few seconds.
    - It's light enough at 47 lbs where I think you could easily detach it and bring on shore when you wanted to be on solid ground. There may even be a way to make it work with a beach dolly.
    - Doubles as a sturdy 16 cubic foot storage container!
    - I like the idea of being able to slide it on some sort of rail system between the front and rear cockpits for when you want to distribute the weight differently. You could also easily mount it on the akas as well— put one on each if you have two people.
    - Also seems like a great place to mount a solar panel...

Concerns/Questions:
    - Would you be able to right it in a capsizing situation?
    - Is 47 lbs too heavy?

Anyway, I'm very seriously considering building one of these things. What do you think? Stupid idea or not half-bad? Does a one person hard-shell tent already exist? Any thoughts on how we could make it better?

Thanks in advance!


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2018 10:01 am 
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Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2014 6:01 am
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Location: Orlando!
Looks like a great idea to me. 47# occupying the back seat or a tramp is a relief I’m sure from what the standard load would otherwise be. The only concern is if you are going to use it for storage and sleeping quarters, where will you put the displaced storage goods, and is it worth the shuffle?


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2018 11:38 am 
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Quote:
you could theoretically completely enclose yourself in it in a heavy downpour (assuming you didn't have claustrophobia and made sure there was no way you could lock yourself in)


And assuming you have a method for breathing figured out too. :D


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2018 2:12 pm 
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Love it. Think you nailed it with regards to capsizing concerns...I guess if you had a quick release this could be mitigated down to just losing gear.

I am in the process of working out what tent to get for beach camping as there will be 2 adults and a child (plus dog) for our short coastal camping trips, but deep down part of me really wants to anchor up and sleep on the boat for solo missions so can see where you are coming from.

Good luck and thanks for sharing your idea with us!


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:05 pm 
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Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:25 pm
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Location: Central Coast NSW Australia
Great concept and impressive photoshop skills Alphamacaroon! 8)
We have a Magiolina Columbus rooftop camper that we used when 4WD touring and loved the simple setup.
We didn’t like the access in wet weather or how it handled strong winds. A couple of times I had to turn the vehicle around in the middle of the night to face into the wind. I added an awning for dry access but this increased set up time.
I did consider trying the Columbus on the TI but it was too bulky and heavy.
When sleeping on the TI I’d say more times than not I’ve had to deal with strong winds. You are very exposed on the the water and any gear needs to be capable of handling those conditions. With your setup you would need to factor in anchoring from the stern so that the box always faced into the wind. You would also need an awning for all weather use.
Looking forward to seeing how your project develops!


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:35 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 5:06 am
Posts: 1701
Location: Lake Macquarie NSW AUSTRALIA
What a great project. Love the clean lines and how tidy the whole setup looks. I didn't realise that they made these in that length.
Getting in and out of any 'sleeping on board' setup whether it be tent, hammock or bivvy, can be a real challenge at times. Especially when nature calls, the middle of the night, 1/2 delirious, wind howling, torrential rain, sharks circling etc. But I do like with this that the sleeping compartment is at one end which leaves a huge area of deck space for access and general 'living'. I reckon it could even be patentable.
Top idea alphamacaroon.

But the most important thing is that it needs a name. How about the ...... Coffin Camper.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:43 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2014 9:11 pm
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Interesting concept (although a bit more expensive still than I’d like to shell out).

Missing my cabin cruiser lately and wanting to sleep on the water also, I have been thinking about getting either a Winterial or Kamp-Rite tent cot and rigging something up to attach it to the akas. Haven’t pulled the trigger on that idea yet, mainly because I figure if it was such a great idea someone smarter than me on these forums would have already done it :)

If I decide to try it and don’t drown myself I’ll write it up here.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 3:37 pm 
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Location: Lake Macquarie NSW AUSTRALIA
Don't forget this thread. 31 pages of sleep-overs.

https://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic. ... g+on+board

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