i am planning to buy a sailing boat and put my dirtbike (app. 170kg) onboard. any clues?

Question

to be more specific:
i am planning to have a sailboat (with a limited budget- so it will be around 9meters max) and sail long distances, ie. mediterranean coast. on the other hand i want to have the benefits of a dirtbike to travel on terrain too...
my problem is to safely attach my bike on the boat. (is there any ready-made solutions to that? has anybody tried it before? how to protect bike from salt and humidity?) of course without disturbing the boat's stability...

Answer 1

just down the dock from me is a couple halfway thru their circumnavigation.....they had a BMW 250 cc on their 35 footer from Australia to the Med and ended up leaving it there before they came across the pond......they said you could roll it aboard when docked stern to, or swing it aboard with the boom as a cargo crane but it ended up being such a terrible pain that they dropped the idea. They said it was impossible to keep it from rusting and corroding in the salt atmosphere, let alone with waves washing over it........even wrapped in plastic.

Now, you're talking about putting a 350 pound bike on a 27 foot boat?

Don't do it. That is WAY too heavy to have on deck, even if you can find the room......if back aft.really the only place to go...you will cause the boat to squat and ruin its sailing performance.............the first bad weather you get in you'll probably see the bike and what ever its tied to go overboard.

Get a bigger boat or a smaller bike, preferably something without an gas engine which isn't made for the marine environment.

Answer 2

170 kg is not so different to a dinghy with outboard motor so the weight is not such a problem for a 9 m boat. The problems will be two fold (a) how to get the bike into storage position and out again and (b) how to protect the bike from a salt water atmosphere. How easy would it be to split the bike into its two wheels and frame? Many boaters succeed to have small monkey bikes on board but these fold down or come to bits so you can store them in a locker. Even if you take the wheels off the bike I guess the engine and frame would be rather heavy to lift easily so you would need to rig a crane to lift the load up and on or off the boat. Not impossible but on a 9 m boat you are pushing your luck quite a bit and if you intend to sail single handed then all the problems are compounded in that you cant rely on having anyone else to help you load or unload. Of course the obvious point is that you would have to berth always in marinas to load/unload a bike of that size - impossible to do from an anchorage - so I suggest you scrap the idea of a dirt bike and settle for a mountain bike which is easier to lift, easier to dismantle and store aboard and wont have quite the intolerance to salty atmosphere. There are plenty of solutions for hoisting dinghies, people in wheelchairs, outboard motors etc.

Answer 3

If you have not done this before I suggest try a month or so charter. You really don't know what is comfortable what you will like/dislike until you do it. You may find that a 40 footer is way too much boat or way too little, who knows. Though living on a sailboat cruising the Med sounds quite the dream, it is not for everybody. A friend of mine retired in his fifties, bought a 42ft sloop and took off to the Bahamas with his wife. They returned a year later, sold the boat and never sailed since. Anyways, I envy you, good luck and happy sailing.

Answer 4

It would be too nightmarish getting an off road bike from a boat on Anchorage too a suitable location where you will be able to use it. with only the resources you can take with you in a yacht of that size [or probably even a bigger one for that matter].
Why not choose a couple of locations over your travels where you can hire a bike for a day or three then hand it back and move on . Save yourself a lot of trouble.

Answer 5

Any clues as to what? Be more specific man. Are you trying to decide what kind of boat to buy? If so, what will you be using the boat for? Do you want a day-sailer, or something with a cabin? Do you plan on sailing in a lake, a bay, a gulf or ocean? Why are you going to put a dirt bike on it?

Answer 6

Put an aft deck i cared a moped only problem it rusted up fast even with a cover with the salt spray>The biggest pain was you have to get a reg or permit to bring it ashore, Or they might not let you ride it> And they will steal it the first time you look away>? Enjoy>Another if it won't fit in your dingy than don't take it as very few anchorages allow your boat to tie up & where are you going to keep it onshore>???

Answer 7

no problems with this,you can mount the byke on davits or on the bow, just forward of the cabin,be careful not to upset the trim of the boat.encase the byke with a waterproof cover,and put some moisture absorbant inside,such as dessicant silica gell.you can get this in sachets.look at the boat in the water to check the attitude and trim,alter accordingly.you may also lightly grease any exposed metal or chrome.

Answer 8

Complete Boat Building Guide - http://BoatPlans.NaturallyGo.com/?voK

Answer 9

what? dont understand the question just get one that is big enough to put ur bike in and then dont capsize it