Trailer

Advice
#1

I have a Jeep wrangler unlimited and from what I can tell the ahrd top option involves drilling and the soft top options are limited. Was wondering if anyone has ideas for trailering 12-14’ yak.

#2

You can buy used boat trailers
pretty cheap. For a single boat some lumber if needed and foam blocks will get you started. I started with a jonboat trailer, the lighter springs are easier on kayaks.



For something nicer see Redmond’s trailer post on the discussion board. There are other bolt together options too, like Unistrut sold in the electrical section at Home Depot or Lowes, you buy 10’ sticks of rail and they have all kinds of bolt on fittings for different attachments.



Good Luck

Randy

#3

One of these
http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-inch-x-96-inch-heavy-duty-foldable-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-wheels-90154.html



Plus some plywood and 2x4s will get you going for about $300. I haul two canoes and 4 yaks on mine. If you know a welder that’s even better. Or build a big square box on it for hauling gear and put some bars and J cradles on top of the box.



I’ve also seen converted boat trailers, bolt on some cross pieces to lash your yak to.

#4

#protip
When ordering this item via the 800 number, the rep can and will offer you a 20% discount off of the sale price if you stall just a bit :wink:



sinc.

d

#5

Here are some ideas
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/75339788oTcAIx

I’ve converted utility trailers and boat trailers. The Harbor Freight ones work great, the only problem I had was that the hinges on the folding part got a little loose. The boat trailers were generally lighter, but the utility trailers can be used for other stuff.

#6

That Harbor Freight trailer looks
promising. I was browsing Malone’s website and they have a kit available that you could bolt to that frame that comes with crossbars. If you used some “stackers” you could probably get 4 or so yaks up on there on their sides

#7

Trailex

– Last Updated: Feb-20-12 10:47 PM EST –

I a 2005 soft top wrangler so a traditional car top carrier is right out. My top is down on the Jeep six months out of the year. Plus the Jeep is lifted and getting my kayaks on top of it just isn't going to happen.

I have a Trailex aluminum kayak trailer. They have a variety of models and can fit anything from one to 6 trailers.

http://www.trailex.com/SUT-200-S.cfm

I have the SUT 200. It fits two boats and I used it for my 5' white water boat to my 10' rec boat right up to 16' sea kayak. It's very light and the boats are stored on my trailer in the garage. I just unhook the trailer and wheel it into the garage. No fuss, no muss.

The trailer isn't cheap, around $1000 but it's worth it IMO. It's easy to unhook and move around. If parking is a problem I can unhook it from the Jeep and lock it into another space or even to a tree. Works well.

The downside is that it takes up more space for parking and storage and it costs more with regard to tolls on toll roads.

It's a great trailer though. Very tough and durable. I've had it for 6 months without any problems and have trailered my boats hundreds of miles with it. Trailex has great customer service too.

#8

There’s another option
Not to dissuade you from trailering (I have one and like it), but you can rooftop your kayak without a roof at all…with front and rear hitch-mounted goalposts. Spring Creek sells a nice-looking one made of aluminum.

#9

Hitch post
The one big complaint on the hitch post is not having access to the rear of my capped truck.

#10

Yeah
I considered using a rear goalpost myself but didn’t want to lose use of the topper. While the post can be easily removed, taking the boat off first every time you want that access would be a major PITA.



I’ve even thought about have a goalpost ONLY for use as a loading aid, in addition to standard front and rear crossbars with cradles. Once the boat is loaded, I would remove the goalpost. Still considering a system like that.