Great Loop: Shake, Rattle and Oops
I have come to the conclusion that trailering a boat is an quick and easy method to expose less than robust design decisions. It has also reinforced that regular stops should be made each day to fully inspect the boat and trailer. Today's excitement was finding that the rack which supports our solar panel and "rocket box" tried it's darndest to fly from the top of the boat. The day was quite windy. This combined with highway speeds created forces that the rack design could not withstand. The verticals were restrained by a single set screw. Vibration could easily cause the set screw to loosen and wind forces to have their way. This combined with bouncing on rough sections of road resulted in the verticals popping out of their mounts. Our corrective action needed to be fashioned with items at our disposal. But first, the stainless steel tubes needed to be bent into shape. They had been "sprung" open. I used a ratchet strap to bend the tube b...