Project: Rooftop Tent Meets Rigid Inflatable Boat
A little over a year ago my son Endre and I came across a picture of a cabin boat with a rooftop tent in Canada.
The concept looked cool. However, such a setup has a high center of gravity. It would never work at sea. In fact, it would be downright dangerous.
Still, the idea stuck with us.
The best kind of vacation our family has ever had has been with a RIB on expedition in exciting waters (check out my YouTube channel)
A RIB with an outboard motor needs barely any water. Even in the middle of peak holiday season, you can find spots and anchorages entirely to yourself.
Most modern boaters avoid shallow and complex waters, preferring the safety (and crowding) of busy marinas.
We, on the other hand, prefer having an island, rock, or bay all to ourselves.
However, there’s always a bit of hassle involved in setting up a tent and hauling gear ashore.
A rooftop tent on a RIB would make life much easier and significantly more comfortable.
It would be the perfect vessel for “overlanding” expeditions on fjords and along the coast.
As many know, one of the concepts we’ve been testing is the mounting of seats on tracks in a RIB.
This opens up opportunities for creative onboard layouts and equipment—like a rooftop tent, for example.
Endre and I have been sketching throughout the winter. We’ve been thinking, and we came up with a solution we believe can work.
Our most important criteria were to keep the center of gravity low. We also needed to ensure the setup remains stable at speed.
Additionally, we wanted room in the boat for other gear. Finally, it had to be comfortable to live in while at anchor.
We now finally have a working prototype, and with a few adjustments and refinements, we’re almost ready for testing.
Overlanding with a 4 x 4 vehicle has been popular for years.
However, we haven’t seen anyone do this with the ocean’s equivalent of a 4 x 4—a RIB.
We think we may have sparked a new kind of boating lifestyle.
But what should we call it? Overfjording? Oceanlanding? Any other suggestions?
Slideshow
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Mjelde Sveis og Montasje AS for turning Jr/Endre’s drawings and designs into reality.
We also appreciate Norse Camp for believing in the idea. They contributed the rooftop tent for testing.
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