Been a while since I’ve been here. Hope everyone is doing well. I’ve never had a problem with someone taking gear, but my paddleboy cart was too much for someone to pass up, and they nabbed it. Damn! So I want to replace it, but I’ve been doing a fair amount of beach kayaking and want something that can be used in all kinds of terrain, is packable, and is let’s say under 200 at the most expensive. Any suggestions?
there are lots of
links to build one your self for cheap.
I recently got a new one
www.paddlecart.com
Here was my thing. I had one of the larger, heavier carts with the bicycle style spoked tires. It wasn’t packable in a kayak, but was an excellent cart for carting itself, as it supported all the weight of the kayak, and I just toted the kayak along kind of like rolling a bicycle along - not lifting anything. This was great for me, as I was toting it a mile from the water each way to and from work. It was steel, so it eventually rusted through and came apart.
So I too wanted something packable. I bought a house downtown, so unfortunately no more kayaking to work. But there is a new park a couple miles from the house on a small creek, connecting to a larger creek, connecting to the Cape Fear River, bringing me back downtown. I wanted something packable, easy rolling, designed to carry the entire weight of the kayak - no lifting, carry the kayak high enough that I don’t have to bend over to hold onto the toggle - or lift the bow so that the stern would hit the ground, and more rust resistant. This fits the bill. It easily packs into my P&H Sirius (21.5" wide - my narrowest kayak), it rolls effortlessly, so I run with it to the river, and it’s aluminum, so it won’t rust through. Not particulary light, but not particularly heavy either - probably half the weight of my last cart. And it’s sturdy.
There’s a review talking about the loose fitting of the two top brackets onto the wheelbase. That’s actually not a bad thing at all. They say it’s to provide some give for the cart to conform better with the boat it’s carrying. I see no downside to it. I guess I would say the cart looks more utility based vs. going for a “finished” look. Not that it looks bad - it looks as solid as it operates - just maybe not as pretty as some others. Everything on mine seems functionally very solid.
I often see people talking about their cart not staying in place going over bumps and the like. I imagine that is rarely the fault of the cart. I use a single strap going around the support on one side of the cart, around the front of the coaming, around the support on the other side, around the back of the coaming, and snug up. There is little reason that it would be difficult to secure any cart underneath any kayak without difficulty. But as always, the user has to be able to think through what is going to happen when something butts up against one of the tires. Not sure why I bring that up here, other than I see it repeated so often in reviews of all kinds of kayak carts, and I can rarely imagine the validity of the complaint. No reason it would apply with this one.
So my criteria was center mounted so that I’m not carrying the bow, and easy rolling, as I want to run miles with my cart with me. I throw my kayak on my shoulder to walk from the car a short distance to the water, or to walk it across the beach, so your criteria may differ.
A friend of mine has a bit lighter stern mounted cart with the same wheels as mine. No strapping it on, just assemble, pull in around the stern, and attach a hook to the coaming. http://www.paddlelogic.com/trailtreker-kayak-cart.html
Maybe that would suit your needs if you don’t need a center mount? Just a couple options.
sand hauling?
I looked at the website and the video and deeep sand hauling is noticeably missing. I wonder if I need separate wheels to slip on and it they make that?
sand/beach
I finally broke down and bought a Wheelez and have been fairly happy with it. Like anything else, it depends on your particular needs. Do you have a hatch to store it in while you paddle? I liked the Wheelez because 1) it had the big balloon tires (good on sand), and 2) it breaks down small so you can stow it in your boat. Good for day trips.
http://www.wheeleez.com/kayak-cart-beach.php
second Wheeleez
I second Wheeleez. I use the one with the solid wheels, which was a big improvement for me over the ones with tubes inside the tires - tubes which always leaked and I never had a pump nearby.
They have one with large balloon tires for sand use.
I make mine…
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canoe-Kayak-Cart-Dolly-Wheels-Carrier-Blue-Tote-Boat-/310284717603?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483e690e23
It is all PVC with 8 inch wheels. If you place 2 wheels on each side (side by side) it may handle the deeep sand better. I have had mine on soft sand, but it really wasn’t really deep.
They are easy enough to make too!
not sure what mine is
has no name tag on it but its not to good of a cart very hard to load and slides on easly when wet
sand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaEWr5RAIr4
I admit I was skeptical, but if you’re going over sand or rocks, the balloon wheels are the only way to go.
my kayak cart looks like this
– Last Updated: May-02-11 4:57 PM EST –
http://www.wheeleez.com/kayakcanoecart-tuff-tire.php but my wheels are metal and the tires have tubes
HOME MADE
Check out this cart. I imagine you could add any type of wheels.
http://projects.cadrefloorplans.com/
Awesome!
I made a pvc cart,…
From the plans at westcoastpaddler.com. It’s simple to build, packs up easily when we go camping, and it’s cheap so if it walks away while I’m paddling no big loss.I only had to buy the pvc fittings and the 4 connecting pins, and the wheels I use came off an old lawn mower, but if I had to drag it a long way through the sand I would opt for wider tires like those in the pics. Also, it works just fine without the kickstand.
Made mine…
– Last Updated: May-04-11 11:02 PM EST –
no cost, from a discarded lawnspreader - but it doesn't fold
Paddleboy IS under $200
– Last Updated: May-05-11 12:39 AM EST –
so why not getting it again? PB Nemo costs $135 and you don't need anything bigger for an average kayak. Love my PB. You're not going to find many carts that fold so compact AND have bearings (oil-impregnated bronze). I've added cam buckle straps to those bolts holding the support (had to remove some washers for that and to replace bolts itself I think, don't remember now).
Wheelez are nice on sand but huge
– Last Updated: May-05-11 11:44 PM EST –
wheels, same 12" diameter as PB Nemo but 7" wide - this is twice wider than Nemo. Frame is less compact too. People from EC marathon said Wheleez tires are less durable than some other kinds. Being sooo wide they are good on soft sand, though I found 3" width to be sufficient.
PS: I meant Wheeleeze "Balloon tires" 12"x7". TuffTires by Wheleeze, offered with same Wheeleze cart, are solid (no inner tube), more durable and much smaller @10"x3" - roughly same size as PB Nemo wheels, even smaller than Nemo.