There is no one perfect way to store or transport the Opti. What follows is a variety of proven solutions and the pitfalls you might encounter. Should you have a cool idea please send it on to us at john@optijohn.org  so it can be added to our website.

 Note: The ideas in this article are suggestions. OptiJohn nor anyone associated with cannot and will not be held responsible for your use and interpretation of these concepts.

 Transportation:

 The Optimist will easily fit inside a Suburban’s, Expedition’s, and most standard size Vans and even most Mini Vans.  In fact two will sit comfortably one on top of the other by putting the bottom boat in stern first and the top boat in bow first. Just make sure the boats are in their bottom covers Obviously you will have to put the back seat down but they fit with room to spare. I know on the Town and Country’s you can get the boat in completely and close the back hatch. Honda, Kia, and Toyotas should fit as well but I haven’t had the chance to actually put an Opti in one yet.   

Car Topping:

 Outside the vehicle the Opti should ride upside down for obvious reasons of weather and water. A roof rack is the easiest to work with as it is secure and has tie down points. It takes 4 feet of roof or rack to comfortably hold the Optimist. Many vehicles are wide enough to accept the boat with no rack and just a little carpet, padding and rope. For those that are not wide enough, such as a smaller SUV like the old Ford Explorer, you will need to secure 2 bolsters of 48 inch wooden 2 X 4s to the existing roof rack cross members or flat roof. This extends the range of your roof rack or car width. The bolsters are easy to put on and take off. If these boards are to be used many times carpet them and make them easier to use by drilling tie down holes, cutting notches, or adding eyebolts on the ends. Make sure your roof rack load capacity is high enough. Most are. The hull only weighs 77 pounds and the wind age creates more force than the weight of the boat. There are many roof rack cross bar systems available in the aftermarket. The “Thule and Yakima” are the most popular. These companies’ manufacturer bar systems for most vehicles. They are well built but a little expensive. See an Optimist dealer as they all stock these racks. If you have a vehicle like a Van or Suburban you can transport 2 Optimist side by side using the 8-foot bars assemblies. Depending on the width of your vehicle the bars will extend about 12 inches beyond the body on each side. This has never been a problem as the bar feet are strong enough to hold the weight and wind age. Once again if you are innovative 2 eight-foot 2 X 4’s will do the trick. Sometimes you have to be imaginative to find secure tie down points on your vehicle. The window doorpost is one seldom thought of place. Open the door and tie around the doorpost in a 4-door car or roll the back window down for a two-door car. The door gasket is so large that with 1 / 4 or 5/16 lines the door will close with no problem. There are supports in the wheel wells that are more than strong enough to hold an Opti on your car and sometimes there are good connection points under the car near jack fittings. Your local car dealer may have some suggestions.

Rack Over Coach boats:

This is by far the best way to carry the Opti. I myself have a small coach boat (an old 12ft RIB) that I have a 2 Opti rack over for. And the really nice thing is you don’t need a big heavy SUV or truck to do this with! The trailer with 1 Opti and the RIB are only 500 LB and I tow it with a small KIA SOUL. Yes, you read that right! They simple cheap cars that has a 2000LB tow rating (not that I really would want to actually push the 2000lb limit) but it tows it just fine. If you were to go any bigger you would have to have a larger vehicle for obvious reasons but just saying.