out of the way?
You don’t have any skyhooks?
For me, floor space is at a premium as my boats share the space with my woodworking tools.
I have 5 canoes hanging from the rafters of my shop/garage with room for 2 more.
Of course, I have a sliding barn-style door and not one of those modern overhead things that use up the whole ceiling …
Something to consider.
Just an addition to what’s been said, but maybe not completely covered:
Regarding theft: A thief will usually go after the easiest target. It is much quicker to steal even a locked trailer than boats locked on top of a vehicle because of the loading, and unloading involved. I know this because I’ve had it attempted on one of my boats from work a couple of years ago while I was at a Hotel in Florida.
Inconvenience: If you are traveling with your boats on a trailer there is more risk in getting your trip ruined, or postponed with the additional burden of another vehicle that could have mechanical failure. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the side of the road with blown trailer tires even on brand new equipment.
More inconvenience: Not all put-ins are at boat ramps, and not even those always have ample parking. If you go to a park, or the like to put in trailers may not be allowed. If they do allow your trailer in, they may charge you extra to bring it in. Then you have the parking space issue that I believe someone mentioned above. What if there’s only one space available, and you cannot leave it attached? That does happen more than most might believe.
Trailer gets in the way of vehicle (big one): And I don’t think this one was brought up at all that I’ve seen. Personally I could never use a trailer because it gets in the way of getting in and out of the back of my vehicle. If you have a car, this might not be so bad, but with a truck it can definitely be a hinderance to put things in, and get things out of the back. Not to mention the shine smacking, and risk of injury that not having a trailer would produce.
Possible fines: Note I say definitely POSSIBLE. I was pulling a boat down to the Florida Keys one night, and unbeknownst to me my trailer light connection worked itself loose. Keep in mind that this is a brand new boat, and trailer straight out of the factory. A Florida State Trooper pulls me over and writes me a ticket for it. No explainations asked, none given. That’s just the way it is there. My point with this is that there is less likely a chance for things like this if it’s one vehicle. Also less likely for blowouts, and other mechanical issues. More lights mean more problems. More tires, mean more problems. More vehicles…well you get the idea.
More inconvenience: Some businesses like restaurants won’t allow trailers because of limited parking.
-Paying the extra tolls on the toll roads which charge for each axle that travels their highways.
These little things don’t seem like much one at a time, but it’s one big hassle when you put them all together. If you live in a place where there’s ample parking all the time, no problems with theft, no restrictions or fees, law official looking for a reason to get a couple hundred bucks from you, no tolls, you can park and unhook anywher you like then I guess these things might not be a big deal. But traversing places like Florida, Hilton Head, Cape Cod, Charleston S.C., and literally thousands of places in between these places along the coast where there are restrictions galore it’s just one big problem. NO TRAILERS ALLOWED/ LIMITED PARKING/ NO VEHICLES WITH TRAILERS ALLOWED “Honey we can’t eat there” and these are prime paddling spots I’m talking about.
How about turning down a dead end street, and not having a place to turn around at the end? That’s happened to me at least a hundred times I’ll bet because I was always pulling a trailer/boat to a customer in anytown, America along the coast. I end up having to back all the way out and alot of times into heavy traffic. In Florida that’s huge risk. Floridians own everything. Get out of the way now or I’m collecting on your insurance buddy.
I have many friends that I can’t even stop to see unless I drop my trailer and boat somewhere first because there restrictions in their neighborhood won’t even allow a pick-up truck, much less a trailer. They’ll act like they’d hang you if you rolled in there with a trailer. And not because it’s old and ratty. These are high end boats, and SUVs that are both new.
I’m not joking. If you plan on doing much paddling out of even medium sized sea-side towns along not just the Eastern Seaboard, but any seaside towns get ready for some friction. These places will not cut you any slack. My company dished out over $100K one year just in tickets, and fines and that was with no speeding or criminal offenses whatsoever.
Personally: I don’t own a trailer due to all the harassment, and complications where I go paddling. I have found that simplicity can be bliss.
Splash
In my experience
most people are reluctant to use a trailer because they don’t know how to back them up and beacuse depending on your vehicle you normally get better mileage with your boat on the roof. I loose almost 9 mpg dragging my trailer around behind my minivan, but I love the ability to carry a bunch of boats. It makes shuttles easier because we can normally all ride back to the put in in one vehicle . The convenience is it my book, especially since you can carry more boats consquently more people to share the gas $ with.
great posts!
Thanks tssplash and waterrat for presenting lengthy, well-supported and I must say very clear account of each side of the trails vs. roof rack advantages.
Now, would waterrat care to comment on how you deal with the negative listed by tssplash? Obviously, some of the list doesn’t apply to you. But for example, parking issue must have apply to everyone, right? Or do you just ‘rack it’ when you know parking will be an issue?
And would tssplash care to comment on how you achieve waterrat’s list with roof racks? Unless, of course, you don’t need to do ANY single one of the things he listed.
One thing that entirely escapes me is the boat thief issue. I don’t know about you guys. I usually go straight home after paddling. So, I’m never seperated from my boat. So yes, I could loss my trailer when I’m out paddling, but never trailer + boat. And if a thief is going to cut the lock to take my trailer, would they just as easily take your rack?
Responding
– Last Updated: Dec-16-05 7:29 PM EST –
Here is my response abc
“Regarding theft: A thief will usually go after the easiest target. It is much quicker to steal even a locked trailer than boats locked on top of a vehicle because of the loading, and unloading involved. I know this because I've had it attempted on one of my boats from work a couple of years ago while I was at a Hotel in Florida.”
>>>A punk with a sharp knife/cable cutters will “unload your boat from the top of a car/truck in a New York second”. Throw it in the back of a van or pickup and their gone. Easier and less conspicuous to make a getaway without a trailer.
“Inconvenience: If you are traveling with your boats on a trailer there is more risk in getting your trip ruined, or postponed with the additional burden of another vehicle that could have mechanical failure. I can't tell you how many times I've been on the side of the road with blown trailer tires even on brand new equipment.”
>>>Since a kayak trailer is never backed into the water (as a power boat trailer is) there is little issue with springs rusting out, bearing seizing up, lights going bad, etc. With any reasonable care the trailer should not be an issue. If you are worried about two new trailer tires blowing up, how do you deal with the stress of driving a car with four tires?
“More inconvenience: Not all put-ins are at boat ramps, and not even those always have ample parking.”
>>>This point I will give you, where I live and boat this is not a problem…if you lived in downtown Miami, or Ft. Lauderdale this would be a concern.
“Trailer gets in the way of vehicle (big one): And I don't think this one was brought up at all that I've seen. Personally I could never use a trailer because it gets in the way of getting in and out of the back of my vehicle. If you have a car, this might not be so bad, but with a truck it can definitely be a hinderance to put things in, and get things out of the back. Not to mention the shine smacking, and risk of injury that not having a trailer would produce.”
>>>I have a ¾ ton Dodge 4X4 and pull my 18’ powerboat around with me all over the place. I have never had a problem getting in the back of my truck (with shell) In fact, stepping up on the trailer tongue makes it more accessible. Get a trailer with an adequate tongue length and this problem will disappear.
“Possible fines: Note I say definitely POSSIBLE. I was pulling a boat down to the Florida Keys one night, and unbeknownst to me my trailer light connection worked itself loose. Keep in mind that this is a brand new boat, and trailer straight out of the factory. A Florida State Trooper pulls me over and writes me a ticket for it. No explanations asked, none given. That's just the way it is there. My point with this is that there is less likely a chance for things like this if it's one vehicle. Also less likely for blowouts, and other mechanical issues. More lights mean more problems. More tires, mean more problems. More vehicles.....well you get the idea.”
>>>You can’t blame the trailer because you forgot to plug in the lights…I have yet to see one work loose if you puch the connector in all the way, but I guess it could happen. You could have just as easily forgot to put on your seat belt and been fined. The light on your license tag could have burned out and you would have been fined…do you stop driving because that might happen?
“More inconvenience: Some businesses like restaurants won't allow trailers because of limited parking.”
>>>Avoid those restaurants that have Valet parking and you should not have as many problems with that. LOL
“Paying the extra tolls on the toll roads which charge for each axle that travels their highways.”
>>>With gas bouncing up to $3.00 a gallon, a 50 cent toll is going to keep you home?
“But traversing places like Florida, Hilton Head, Cape Cod, Charleston S.C., and literally thousands of places in between these places along the coast where there are restrictions galore it's just one big problem. NO TRAILERS ALLOWED/ LIMITED PARKING/ NO VEHICLES WITH TRAILERS ALLOWED”
>>>I live in Florida and I just do not see all these problems unless you go into a congested city. You left a key word out of your sign No “Overnight” parking allowed for trailers or anything else at public parks that close from dusk to dawn.
“I have many friends that I can't even stop to see unless I drop my trailer and boat somewhere first because there restrictions in their neighborhood won't even allow a pick-up truck, much less a trailer. They'll act like they'd hang you if you rolled in there with a trailer. And not because it's old and ratty. These are high end boats, and SUVs that are both new”.
>>>Quit hanging around with the upper crust condo commandos and you won’t have that problem…LOL and most places only have those restrictions for overnight parking.
“I'm not joking. If you plan on doing much paddling out of even medium sized sea-side towns along not just the Eastern Seaboard, but any seaside towns get ready for some friction. These places will not cut you any slack. My company dished out over $100K one year just in tickets, and fines and that was with no speeding or criminal offenses whatsoever.”
>>>Do you realize that $100K = $100,000.00? If you spent that much in trailer fines you should be in the Guinness book of world records. No wonder you have so much “friction” with the law…when they run your license tag they must get back a traffic violation history that runs their fax machine out of paper…LOL Have you done any appearances on “Cops” or “Americas most wanted” ? LOL
>>>Man this cracks me up…
Splash this is all in good fun…please don’t get offended…
Waterrat
No offense. It’s just simple math.
I really wish you wouldn’t make so many assumptions.
No, the company I worked for then had a few dozen people like me running all over the U.S., & Canada and mostly in coastal areas. That’s why all the tickets, and fines.
Like I said above, this was all brand new equipment straight of the factory so the trailers had never been in water so therefore backing into water, rust, etc…has no bearing.
The rest of my responses were talking common sense, and mere odds. It’s just simple math that the more equipment you have the more will go wrong. That’s something that can’t be disputed by anyone.
The thieves as I said will go after the easiest target, and it’s much faster to disconnect a kayak trailer and reattach it and take off than to unload, reload, and resecure from one vehicle to another.
Getting in and out of the back of a vehicle is much easier without a trailer, and boat than with a trailer.
If you’d read you’d see that this, and I’ll say yet again that this is all NEW equipment. I didn’t forget to plug the trailer lights in. Sometimes trailer lights lose connection on their own and the plugs will have to be wiggled to get them to come back on from time to time. Connections to go bad, and they do get dirty from road grime. That only takes one time for one ticket. How much would that be where you live?
So by using simple math it’s easy to establish that with an additional vehicle increases the risk for more tickets, breakdowns, accidents, as it does for more expense for tolls, gas, licensing, and registration. (I’ve never had a vehicle that didn’t get worse mpg pulling a trailer. Even an empty trailer) It’s all just simple math, but I happen to have experience with all of it due to the nature of the job I was doing.
As for all the parking restrictions I mentioned. I guess you’ll find out if you go to these areas. They even have these type restrictions in remote places like the Everglades. I’m not here to debate what I’ve seen. It’s just hard to prove everything. I would suggest asking other Floridians. They should know. And it is not limited to large towns. It’s seaside communities that pass so many restrictions.
I wish you the best in making your decision.
Splash
Wow!
You and your company must have some bad karma!
I’ve got tens of thousands of trailer miles under my belt, much of which took place in the oil field. It doesn’t get much more hostile than that.
I have never had issues such as you have laid out. Of course, I am a stickler for maintenance - gotta be - Wyoming is the least populated state in the nation, help may be a long time coming, and cell phones cannot be relied upon.
As to theft, my trailer is locked to my vehicle and the boats are cabled to the trailer. How does this make the trailer an easier target for thieves as compared to boats on my roof? When I leave the trailer/boats somewhere the entire assembly is cabled to a tree, light pole, etc. Never been bothered even in the Ntl Parks where vandalism has risen dramatically over the last decade or so.
Whether or not you use a trailer is certainly your choice and I’ll not say which is better for you but some of your negative aspects regarding their use are pretty far out there!
Holmes
Floridian
– Last Updated: Dec-16-05 11:15 PM EST –
"I would suggest asking other Floridians. They should know."
I have lived in Florida for 50 years...My family had a apartment/motel complex on the water for 32 years with most of our guests trailering boats to take advantage of our prime fishing... and we are not talking about some p*&$ ant kayak trailers either.
There is really no need for me to ask other Floridians about the topic...been here...done that...got the T-shirt...LOL...Do you have any idea how many people tow their boat here in Florida without incident every day? The way you discribe it, every other time one leave the drive way they break down.LOL
Funny the SKA (Southern Kingfish Association) just came to town for the nationals and we had nearly 400 boats here...the majority of them 30-38 feet in length, on triple axle trailers, and they didn't have any problems. I wonder how that is?
If the business you work for is incurring $273.97 in fines every day of the year ($100,000\360)It begs the question, is anyone looking into doing some serious reassessing of the business plan?
Regards,
Waterrat
Thanks Annie
My father in law has an old boat trailer that he no longer has a boat for & I’ve been thinking of hijacking it to make a canoe trailer. Yours has some very “stealable” ideas.
Thanks again
kayak vs canoe
Sorry to have re-kindled the fire again. As I posted earlier, I’ve already decided I’ll get a set of roof racks first AND a trailer a bit later. I probably should stop posting at this thread. But before I do…
I guess the trouble I have with this thread dragging this long is some people seem to focus on the negative of the trailer without addressing if the trailer’s benefit can be achieved with a roof rack! That’s why I invite tssplash to comment on how to achieve the 1) easy boat loading/unloading, 2) storage of gear AND boat on the trailer, 3) quick setup to hit the water after work…etc., with a roof rack setup.
Everyone is talking as though a trailer vs roof rack is a either/or issue. Seems like the roof rackers regard trailer as nothing but negatives. Yes, trailers HAVE negatives. However petty those negatives are, they would indeed be too much if there’s nothing to be gained. However, there’re some significant advantages of trailers over roof racks according to the ‘trailer zealots’! ;o) And I’m NOT even talking about hauling multiple boats yet.
So many of us have multiple boats for different use. Why not BOTH roof racks and trailers? No one in their right mind would have taken a 19’ boat down a class V rapid, or a whitewater boat for a 20 mile crossing. Does that means one should NEVER get a 19’ boat? Or one should ONLY get a 19’ sea kayak and NEVER a RPM??? Thank god we don’t add WW vs. sea kayak to the list of ‘religeous fights’!!!
Yes, I’m begining to see why the trailer ‘zealots’ are so zealous after all! Most of them have BOTH. For now, count me as a ‘trailer envious’! ;o)
I confess…
I have both 
The trailer sees more use than the roof, however. Biggest reason is I can outfit numerous vehicles to easily pull the trailer whereas I’d go broke putting roof racks on everything. It runs me about $120 to put a lightweight receiver on a car that is sufficient for the kayak trailer.
If I need a shag for a river run, its pretty easy to arrange a friend who has a trailer hitch as they’re quite common in my area. Not so with kayak-worthy roof racks.
If I’m making a short drive local run I’ll sometimes just throw my boat atop the Wagoneer and go. If I am going to access my paddling spot via nasty off road two tracks, the Wagoneer also gets the nod with the boat on the roof.
If I’m going to hit the highway the trailer goes every time. Just no comparison between the roof and the trailer on the freeways - the trailer is better for me.
Now you’re one of those wood workin’ dudes, right? Kayak trailers are GREAT for haulin’ the lumber! How’s that for paddler rationalisation?!
My trailer holds only two boats so if I go with a friend I will sometimes take the Wagoneer so I can put my canoe on the roof rack and the kayaks on the trailer. I like to fish and putz around in my canoe and play in the rough in my kayak. If you’re ever in Yellowstone or the Tetons and you see a kayaker towing an empty canoe around the lakes, it just might be me headed for a favourite spot to stash the canoe!
A trailer can also make a nice workstand for doing a variety of chores such as cleaning the boats. Give ‘em a quick wash and easily rotate them as you do so. Hose out the interior and flop ‘em upside down to drain. Nice stand to apply wax or 303. (more good ‘ol American male rationalisation!)
Here’s a link to the unit I’ve upgraded to:
http://www.sportsrig.com/
They are incredible trailers and really handle the off road stuff very well - an important feature for me.
Havin’ a rack and a trailer is like havin’ your cake and eatin’ it, too
Pleasant waters to ya.
Holmes
Re: No offence its just simple math
“I really wish you wouldn’t make so many assumptions.”
LOL…that’s a good one…LOL you mean assumptions like if, you get a trailer for you boats:
- You will be a prime target for thieves?
- Your trip will be ruined by equipment failure directly related to the trailer.
- You will never find a place to park that can accommodate a trailer.
- If you do find a place to park you will be charged extra for it.
- You will never be able to access the back of your vehicle.
- The trailer tongue is just waiting to jump out and smack you on the shin.
- You will be the target of harassment by every law enforcement agency on the Atlantic seaboard, Going to Florida…forget about it…FHP will write you up for breathing.
- You will have to bring all your food with you or starve as restaurants won’t allow trailer parking.
- The extra tolls when pulling a single axle trailer will break the bank.
- Every where worth paddling is posted with “NO TRAILERS ALLOWED/LIMITED PARKING/NO VEHICLES WITH TRAILERS ALLOWED”.
- Don’t even think about driving down a street you are unfamiliar with…it’s a guaranteed Dead End.
- If you try and visit friends who live anywhere but a trailer park you will be denied access.
- You will need an additional $1,917.80 for fines assuming a 7 day trip.
- We Floridians own everything. Get out of our way now or I’m collecting on your insurance buddy. You’re kind of ignoring the fact that most of the people who live here now are transplants from up north… they perfected the aggressive attitude long before they settled here.
I think I can sum up this perspective in one sentence…”The sky is falling, the sky is falling…LOL…try looking at the glass half full once and a while my friend.
Best Regards,
Waterrat
lol
If you wanted to bicker why didn’t you go to the bicker, and banter board?
you say …
you say poe-ta-toe and I say pah-tah-toe
you say toe-ma-toe and I say tah-mah-toe
and some people get their jollies beating a subject to death …
—
i’ve done it both ways and I see advantages to either way
i’ve already voted but let me add a thought that hasn’t been touched upon: trailers are essentially a necessary evil.
If you can’t rack it for whatever reason, then tow it. It’s really that simple.
–
So how about getting back to something that’s more fun like the Wal*Mart is good/evil discussion?
Re: lol
tssplash…Are we bickering?…I thought it was a light hearted discussion. You had to have smiled at least a couple of times…LOL…I know I did…LOL
redneck_paddler…any good redneck knows it’s pronounced “Ta-may-ter” …LOL
Hope you both are having a great weekend!
Regards,
Waterrat
steal away…and contact me if you
have questions or need a picture of something.
I know better trailers exist, but mine is working fine for me and put a trailer back in use that had been idle for, hmmmm… maybe 35 years or more. When I went to get new tires the shop owner looked at what I had and said he had not seen a tire like that in 30 years…
I’ve towed powerboats, sailboats, Uhauls
never needed a rider on my insurance. In general if you are not doing it commercially and are staying under a certain weight, never hauling oversize, you shouldn’t need additional insurance.