Building a kayak trailer - Advice?
06-14-10, 10:44 AM
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Building a kayak trailer - Advice?
Slightly OT, since my wife and I do have a car, a smart fortwo. We just got a pair of small kayaks to use the Puget Sound. At the moment, the scenerio is that I drive her down to the water (about 3 miles away), go home and slide a kayak in, drive back down the water, repeat. Not much fun or practical. I'd like to be able to haul my kayak by bike, while she drives her's down in the smart.
I've got an extra plastic-tub Burley trailer to work with. My thought is to just attach the kayak to the back of the bike via a Dumb-Stick style tow bar and then attach the wheels under the kayak. Could anyone give me some advice on personal experiences of whether this is the best way or another idea?
I've got an extra plastic-tub Burley trailer to work with. My thought is to just attach the kayak to the back of the bike via a Dumb-Stick style tow bar and then attach the wheels under the kayak. Could anyone give me some advice on personal experiences of whether this is the best way or another idea?
06-14-10, 11:46 AM
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06-14-10, 12:45 PM
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Do you have river or sea kayaks? How long are they, and what do they weigh? Might you be able to moor them instead?
06-14-10, 12:56 PM
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I'm more of a DIY kinda guy. Plus, if I was going to swing $600 into this venture, I'd go with an xtracycle.
I pulled the axle off the extra Burley today and have started looking at how to go about safely mounting the kayak. It looks like the most popular way is cutting foam to match the curve of the hull, then strapping the assembly underneath the kayak. My route will (unfortunately) be a slightly curvy 450ft descent to the water, so I need to make sure that everything fits together snuggly enough to not sway too much going downhill.
I pulled the axle off the extra Burley today and have started looking at how to go about safely mounting the kayak. It looks like the most popular way is cutting foam to match the curve of the hull, then strapping the assembly underneath the kayak. My route will (unfortunately) be a slightly curvy 450ft descent to the water, so I need to make sure that everything fits together snuggly enough to not sway too much going downhill.
06-14-10, 12:57 PM
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The kayaks are short (8.5 ft, Emotion Comet). I'm too cheap to pay someone else to store them, besides that's why we just bought our first house. 
06-14-10, 01:16 PM
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I've towed my kayaks with a pretty simple trailer arrangement. I already had a two-wheel 'canoe cart' for rolling them along by hand and I found that strapping the bow of the kayak to the underside of my bike seat let me tow it along quite nicely. I just tie the bow to the seat rails with some rope - that holds it securely but still allows for some movement when going around turns. Works best with my folding bike that has small wheels and therefore lots of room below the seat.
06-14-10, 03:27 PM
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Now you need to figure out a way to carry the bike on the kayak. Then you could really do some trekking!
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06-14-10, 05:21 PM
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Would this trailer work?
https://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trai...e-trailer.html
Can carry cargo up to 108 inches long.
Very durable.But you would still need to create a cradle.
https://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trai...e-trailer.html
Can carry cargo up to 108 inches long.
Very durable.But you would still need to create a cradle.
06-15-10, 12:58 PM
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06-16-10, 06:23 AM
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I pulled a really cheap baby jogger out of the trash. It was the kind with three wheels; a 12.5" one in front, two 16" ones in back. All the nylon was in terrible shape, and the wheels rusty, so no one would use it as a baby jogger any more. I removed the front wheel and all the nylon bits.
It turns out I can insert the handle part of the stroller into the back of the cockpit of my kayak and push it far enough back that I can get the front wheel part of the stroller into the front of the cockpit, turn the whole thing over, and strap a second kayak on top. Then I attach the end of the kayak to the rack on my bike with a carabiner, and off we go. I wouldn't want to ride Manhattan traffic this way, but for the 3/4 mile to the bay, it works just fine.
I hope my description is of some use... I have no photos to prove it!
It turns out I can insert the handle part of the stroller into the back of the cockpit of my kayak and push it far enough back that I can get the front wheel part of the stroller into the front of the cockpit, turn the whole thing over, and strap a second kayak on top. Then I attach the end of the kayak to the rack on my bike with a carabiner, and off we go. I wouldn't want to ride Manhattan traffic this way, but for the 3/4 mile to the bay, it works just fine.
I hope my description is of some use... I have no photos to prove it!
