72 CJ5 - roof rack?

Hello all. I've got a 72 CJ5, has a rear roll bar, no roof or doors ....etc. Whats the best way to transport asmall (9ft) rowboat on it (back roads only, not public roads / highway)? I was thinking of strapping a 50" long 2X4 to the roll bar and resting the boat on the 2X4 and the front windshield ...... will that work or is there more clever ideas?

Thanks in advance for for any advice / suggestions.

 

Get a tow bar for your front bumper. Then remove the tow bar part that folds up, replace with some sort of frame tall enough to be level with top of roll bar. Rest the boat across the roll bar and the frame attached to front bumper. That's how I'd do it. I'd also do something to make sure that boat doesn't slide off the side of either.

This will be top-heavy and extremely vulnerable to cross-wind and buffetting from trucks. If your Jeep is lifted you might get more than you bargained for due to high center of mass. Even stock height this could be a handful. Go slow and be careful.

 

Yeah, I would not prop it up from the windshield. Go forward to the frame in front of the grille.

I also pretty much agree that this is a low-speed hack, and not something you want to travel with. You don't need more weight up high.

 

What I have seen for towing a small, lightweight boat is a simple triangular trailer that mounts the boat upsidedown to it. The hitch is just 6 to 8 inches from the bow (?) (pointy end) of the boat and the rear wheels are at or past the very end of the boat, allowing for a sort and low platform. Should be on the easier side of fabrication projects. Trailer suspensions, axles, etc are available from JC Whittney, and 2X2 tubing pretty cheap.

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5002

Kinda like this? I have one, not a bad setup, the axle is a little puny as are the tires but hey it gets our small boat all over the place.