Updated April 16, 2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n A Car-Topper boat is a portable boat that’s so lightweight that it can be transported by car without using a trailer, and carried by hand or with a wheel cart over short distances, such as when launching it or taking it out.<\/p>\n Transporting a microskiff can be done on top of a vehicle (cartop), inside it, on a special platform (for pickup trucks), or on top of a trailer. Kayaks are lightweight, and considered cartop boats. This is generally true, except for a small number of humongous kayaks (typically pedal driven fishing kayaks<\/a>) that weigh over 120 lbs. The Wavewalk S4 microskiff weighs 100 lbs without a motor attached to it, and one person can cartop it, and store the motor inside the vehicle.<\/p>\n Except for a few ultralight portable boats, boats are too heavy to be car topped. Size and weight, namely the same factors that prevent boat owners from transporting them on top of their vehicles, also prevent them from carrying them. This video shows one person cart topping an S4 microskiff in 30 seconds:<\/p>\n
\nCarrying a microskiff can be done by hand (Portaging) or with a lightweight wheel cart (Dolly).<\/p>\n
\nThe S4, Wavewalk’s seaworthy microskiff, weighs just 100 lbs.
\nA portable 6 HP 4-Cycle outboard motor weighs up to 60 lbs, and mounting it on the S4 is quick and easy.
\nThe Wavewalk S4 is a cartop microskiff, and you can transport it on top of your vehicle, even if it’s an SUV, a minivan, or a van, while transporting the motor inside the vehicle.
\nIf you transport your S4 on the bed of your pickup truck, you can leave the motor attached to it if you use a T-extension that hooks into a trailer hitch.<\/p>\n