Hi,
I have a Ocean Kayak Malibu Two XL. Our trailer is ment for a twelve foot Aluminum boat. What do we need to adapt it to safely transport my kayak? I would appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.
Trailer
You probably need to look around at various manufacturers’ kayak trailers and then build a rack to hold your kayaks somewhat similar to what you see. When I built my trailer I fabricated all the parts, tacked them together and then took the assembly to a professional welder (I can weld, but not nearly as good as the pro could). If you can weld well yourself, so much the better. If you can’t fabricate (cut and fit) the steel you’d better give up on the idea and buy a ready-made trailer. Having to hire it all done (custom) would probably be more expensive than simply buying a kayak trailer for your purposes. -RK
For just one kayak
– Last Updated: May-08-09 11:22 AM EST –
You probably have to do almost nothing.
You don't mention how long your boat is, but you may want to lengthen the tongue on the trailer. But as long as you can secure the kayak to the trailer safely it can hang off the back as long as you flag it if needed (local DOT rules apply, but generally if it overhangs 4 feet off the back it needs a flag).
Then you have to decide how to secure the kayak to the trailer.
It could be as simple as simply strapping it down or you could use some foam blocks secured to the trailer however you like (duct tape?) and straps or you could use saddles bolted or clamped on (probably a preferred method).
For multiple boats you would need to get more elaborate with crossbars and such, but for just one it should be quite simple.
I would advise using a bow and Stearn tie down to the trailer for the sake of overkill safety should anything wild happen out there on the road (and it DOES!).
More than that it required
One key modification you need to make is to soften the suspension. A trailer that’s designed to carry much heavier weights will beat a composite kayak to death on rough roads.
Good point
If the trailer has leaf springs you can take out a leaf or two to soften the ride. If it’s a torsion bar axle… not so easy. -RK