Hello
I just bought a Paddle Boy Nemo cart and need some straps to hold the kayak in place. I’ve been told to get 2 of them with cam buckles- but what length do I need? LL Bean sells them in 9,13 and as long as 15 and 20’ lengths.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
long
I use two 15 footers for my canoe on foam pads around the canoe and through the car doors. If that helps. If in doubt, get the long ones. You can always wrap up the excess.
SHORT
kayaks only take a 9 foot strap. anymore length and you’re just pulling it through the cam buckle.
9 footers
– Last Updated: Aug-05-07 6:46 AM EST –
and then you still might want to cut some of the extra length off after you try it.
After you cut the end, apply some flame to it to melt it and keep it from unfraying after constant use.
Cheers,
JackL
trying it this morning
It is a center cart. I’m going to try it out at the lake this morning. I did have a litle difficulty moving it around on my lawn last night in that it didn’t want to pivot or turn very easily in grass. It was doing what Eric described, shifting around etc… But I didn’t have any straps on it either. As long as I went in a straight line, it stayed on the cart fine. Course that’s a lawn versus a rocky, lumpy kind of terrain. As far as getting straps, I found I had a pair that I was keeping as a spare for car topping purposes. I imagine they are a little long for the cart (haven’t measure them yet)but I’ll use them for today and then order the 9’ ones which makes more sense to me.
Thanks much for all the replies. Have a good day!
Like Jack said
Just cut them to the right length, then burn the ends to keep them from unravelling. My OK Sprinter is a very narrow boat and I did this to the straps I use for it so I didn’t have to keep dealing with the excess. Of course, now those are the Sprinter straps only!
hate the car
UGH! Tried the cart earler this morning at a local lake. To get to the water’s edge I had some nice mowed grassy area to go across, then about 10 feet of gravel and rocks on a slope right at water’s edge. It was fine on the grass once I got the cart on straight which was a major undertaking in itself because it kept trying to kick out from underneath the boat. Going down the slope was not fun either what with the kayak trying to mow me down into the water in the process. I hope you all can picture this because now that I’m back home it all seems kind of humorous. But not at the time. When it came time to leave, I had just as many problems only in reverse. Thank God for someone who came along to offer me a hand.
I might add that this was my first day with my new boat as well- a Hurricane sot.
Long story short- I’m returning the cart and hope I can try something else. The boat is only 46 pounds but is very awkward and cumbersome out of the water.
So anyway, that’s my story. Thanks for the input.
ooppsss
Lost the T in cart in the subject heading.
Actually, I like my car.
Like the car and the boat, hate the carT.
lol
Maybe this?
http://www.paddleboy.com/pages/sit_on_top.html
I’m not a SOT paddler, so I can’t vouch for it. The other question to ask is do you need to bring the cart with you, or could you leave it at the put in? If you don’t need to bring it along, a cart with larger wheels might make it easier.
I like the paddleboy endcarts for my sea kayaks, but they are narrower than your SOT. Not sure how well they would work on a wide SOT.
end carts vs center carts
I’ve built and used both. End carts suck and are only good for short,light and empty boats. they may be easier to put on and take off, but you’re doing way more work, vs almost no work at all with a mid-wheels cart. On the other hand, i’ve used my mid wheels carts for 3 seasons now, mostly with a fully loaded boat and it’s been EASY !
From the info you provided
I’m guessing it is the Phoenix 130? It doesn’t appear to have the scupper holes in places you’d need them to use the paddleboy designed for scuppers. I’d try one of the paddlboy end carts like this one:
http://www.paddleboy.com/pages/product_pages/Air_Small.html
Yes, it is true that with an end cart you are lifting more weight. But the paddleboy cart goes on pretty securely on most kayaks. If you are planning multi-mile portages with a boat full of gear, the center cart makes sense. But for a few hundred yards to the water, the end cart works best on my narrower boats. It may or may not work as well on your wider SOT. But it is worth a try.
phoenix 130 sot, yes
Ok…
I exchanged (plus some more money)the Paddle Boy Nemo for the Fat Boy end cart. I wonder who comes up with these names anyway.
This seems much more doable for me. I tried it out in my yard when I got home, and although it felt like I was carrying more weight, the cart slid right onto the boat and remained there. I could pivot and turn the cart without the boat twisting and falling off. It seems much easier for my needs which are (like someone suggested)usually just a short portage from car to water’s edge without putting a whole lot of stuff in the boat.
In addition to that, there is more ground clearance too so it goes over bumps and things better.
Thanks for the feedback and helping me to sort this out. And hey, I won’t need those cinch straps after all because this cart comes with a bungee type arrangement on it. Glad I didn’t order them. 