Canoe cart recommendations.

Advice
#1

I recently purchased a Seattle Sports canoe cart from REI. It failed miserably on the Bowron Canoe circuit up in BC. They used a plastic bushing on the inside of the axle to hold the wheel from moving. Well, on the circuit it didn’t take too long for the plastic bushing to get pushed over the raised metal retainer letting the wheel move around the axle, which in turn allowed the bearings to fall out of the wheel. A cart doesn’t roll very easily without wheel bearings. Tie wraps and duct tape used to keep the wheel from moving on the axle barely got me through the circuit. On the way home from Canada I stopped and returned the badly used cart to REI which I must add, happily took it back with no questions asked and returned my money.



I’ve been looking a various carts on the Web and the reviews on this site. However, I thought it would be wise to get some more input before I bought another cart and have a similar experience. I need something that can take some abuse since I’m considering doing the NFCR and definately the Bowron again. Do those fat tires like on the Rolleez hold up? They seem to be the answer for mud and sand but how about over tree roots and do they get punctured easily? I understand a tall skinny tire rolls easier over roots and gravel than a smaller fat tire, but it doesn’t do as well in mud and sand? I don’t think I’ll use it in sand very much but mostly on gravel, in mud and over tree roots. Just about any cart would work from the parking lot to the put-in, but on a portage trail, that’s a horse of a different color.

#2

Canadian Boat Walker

– Last Updated: Nov-17-06 4:46 PM EST –

Heavy duty portage cart. High ground clearance, but the thin tires are not great in sand, but for rocky, rooty, rough terrain it is excellent. Have one for many years. Not cheap (ah' paid $180 long time ago) though the Chinese knockoffs are about $100 me'thinks.

Fat Elmo

#3

Second That
I’ve used my Canadian Boat Walker on many occasions and found it to be worth every penny I spent on it. I got my at LLBeans years ago and it’s still going strong. It’s all metal, no plastic like the one you used and it rugged as hell. Like Elmo said the thin wheels make for sand use just about useless! Just my .02 worth.



dougd

#4

Expedition canoe cart
You may have noticed many of these canoe carts on the Bowron Lake Circuit

http://westerncanoekayak.com/product_spec.php?item_description_id=5118



Many of the outfitters there use them because they are very durable.



Mary

#5

what do the Swedes know?

– Last Updated: Nov-20-06 8:24 PM EST –

I always see an advertisement in Paddler Magazine for a "Swedish Folding Style" Trail Cart, by Orchard Oak Canoe. Anyone see or hear how these are? Advertised as lightweight steel, 16" bicycle style wheels. Or is this one o' dem Chinee knockoffs? -Chuck

updated; Never mind, I found it on an earlier thread. FYI, got a good review. Probably similar to that Canadian Boat Walker. -Chuck

#6

Know any one with a old baby jogger ?
[[img=http://thumb10.webshots.net/t/32/33/0/94/31/2145094310088080270bLMcoD_th.jpg]](http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2145094310088080270bLMcoD)



This is the second one I made.

I got the first one at a thrift store for $11, and the second one was given to me.

Just cut the front wheel off, add a few pool noodles, and a couple of cam-lock buckle straps, (I cut the straps and used a screw to attach them permanently to the frame)

They work equally well with a canoe or a kayak, and will just about drive themselves if you have the boat balanced on them correctly.

I made my first one for the Adarondake 90 miler(caoe race) which has some pretty bad portages.

They fold down flat nicely so it can store in the center of the canoe, or on the back deck of a kayak.



Cheers,

JackL

#7

Very durable
I’ve made a few of my own carts and have tried a few different manufactured carts and if you want something that’s rock solid tough, go with the Western Canoeing & Kayaking Expedition Canoe and Kayak carts. You can find them on the web here:



http://www.westerncanoekayak.com/product_listing.php?cat_id=104



I paddled the Bowron Lakes last August with my son and daughter, and although we didn’t use canoes we did use a WC&K Expedition Kayak Cart which is a scaled down version of the Expedition Canoe Cart. This cart is bombproof – it’s extremely durable and strong and the large wheels (which are smaller than the canoe cart wheels) allow easy pulling of a loaded double kayak over rough terrain.



I noticed a lot of Expedition Canoe carts while on the circuit and didn’t hear one negative comment about them (and I made a point of asking everyone we came across who had one because I work for Western Canoeing and wanted to hear unbiased opinions of what people thought of the cart – after asking their opinions, I then told them where I work). I did notice that most people didn’t break the cart down between portages – instead they set them in their canoes upside-down. We did break our kayak carts down and stored them in dry bags on our decks (the dry bags were a bit unnecessary since the cart is made of aluminum, stainless steel, and plastic – a mesh bag would have worked fine).



I’ve used my Expedition Kayak cart a fair bit and on more than one instance had need to carry more than one fully loaded boat on it (on one occasion I carried a fully loaded double kayak with a fully loaded single kayak strapped on top). No problem at all.



Dan



http://www.westcoastpaddler.com