Buzzcut1 wrote:
Wintersun
Whats the big deal with the Hobie? you throw two latches and pop the mirage drive up and out of the way, it should be no different than any other Kayak going on or off the trailer. My wife pops hers out for every launch and haul out. Drive is secured to the hull with a leash.
With the Hobie kayaks there is a difference of weight. My Hobie Revo has a hull weight that is 15 lbs. more than my OK Trident and the Revo is one of the lightest Mirage drive kayaks. The PA models which are popular for fishing weigh in at over 120 lbs. and that is before you add any fishing gear.
The problem with the trailer part is how far you have to back the trailer into the water to float the boats off. With my inflatable boats I had to back a great deal further to get them off the trailer than I did with my two hard hull power boats.
With salt water I doing a lot of damage to the rear brakes on my trucks to offload the inflatable and it would be the same with a kayak trailer where the cradles hold the boats further above the axle than with a jet ski trailer. There is a reason why so many Hobie owners have modified jet ski trailers for use with their kayaks that are used predominately in salt water.
There are also the logistical aspects of having two kayaks set up for fishing with sonar & battery, crates, rods, tackle, safety gear, and then getting them both down to the dock and into the water when the launch area is 50 to 100 yards from the truck and camper. With a trailer I can rig everything in the parking lot, drive with the trailer to the ramp, and then haul each boat from the trailer to the dock and have my wife watch over it and then return the truck and trailer to the parking area and walk back to the dock.
The alternative is to have two kayak trolleys and find a place to store the trolleys when not in use either while traveling or on the kayak while out on the water.
The kayak rack that holds 2 kayaks vertically at the rear of the RV has obvious advantages for all the time that is spent motoring down the highway or backing into a campsite and not having to contend with a trailer in tow. The cost for the rack is not any more than that of a good kayak trailer (and a lot less than the cost of my Yakima kayak trailer).
I have learned over the years that the more prep and take down time relative to the time spent actually doing anything had a big impact on how likely I was to engage in that activity. The easier I could make it the more often I would do that activity. As I age I also need to be more considerate of my body and its limitations or pay the price.