Kayak Trailer

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.

I went with the trailer and bought a Yakima trailer. In retrospect I should have bought a used jetski trailer and modified it for carrying kayaks.

The problem with the Malone and other kayak trailers is that you can use them to launch the kayaks directly into the water or retrieve them later. Not a big deal with a simple paddle kayak but for a fishing kayak and especially one of the Hobie pedal type kayaks it is a big deal.

The Yakima does not have waterproof lights or wheel bearings so it cannot go into the water. The Malone and some others have the waterproof wheel bearings but the kayaks are mounted too high to be able to have them slide off and into the water.

There are considerable advantages if you use a kayak to fish in being able to put everything in and on the boats in the parking lot and then in 5 minutes or less be able to launch them by backing the trailer down into the water, and similarly to put them back on the trailer from the launch ramp when you are done and drive it all back to the parking lot or your campsite.

There is another alternative with a special kayak rack made for use with RV's. The company makes two types that would work on a truck with a slide in camper. One type would be good for campers with a side door and the other one has a slide away mechanism. Their website is at rvkayakrack.com. Not inexpensive but extremely well built in the USA.

This company makes their racks that will hold two kayaks mounted vertically along with two bicycles. For all practical purposes this limits you to kayaks that are 11 feet long or shorter to avoid overall height problems on the highways.

Here is an alternative to the kayak/TC problem that is looking more and more appealing to me . As others have said a trailer can be cumbersome and on the roof gets to be too high ( not as bad with a pop up ) .

http://www.orukayak.com/

I've done it both ways and you covered the pros and cons. Since I'm getting older not younger I would now lean toward the trailer. Plus, when I put them on the roof I had the lower pop-up too. My hard side roof has too many obstructions plus I really don't want to stand up there pulling up the kayak and lashing it down. Actually thinking of getting a Pakboat folding kayak and not have to get on the roof or tow a trailer.

I tried it using Whazoo's method and it didn't work for me, although his canoe is much lighter than my kayak. Plus, the lower pop-up roof makes swinging the boat up much easier.

I carried one large tandem Hobie Oasis on the roof and didn't remove it to raise the roof.

YMMV

One kayak shouldn't be a problem for a popup lift system. Two could be pushing it. I'm not familiar with the Outfitter's lift system but I think the one in mine is only rated to lift with about 150 lbs on the roof. Even with just 45 lbs of canoe on the roof, I can tell it's there. It's not bad though.

So, how much do the kayaks weigh? If I didn't have to offload to pop up, I'd do the roof. (And if I had to offload to pop up, I'd probably get inflatables because I'm done with trailers!)

On the other hand, if one never had to popup between home and boat-in-the-water destination, maybe it wouldn't matter.

My preference for hauling Kayaks, is what Buzzcut1 has shown and it works really well.

The mantra I share and use often; "Is the easier you have something stored or carried, the more you will use it." Like I changed my Mountain Bike set up from a fork mounted carrier, to a process, where my Mnt Bike is held on by one single shock cord, with all rims/tires mounted. Makes it easy to grab and use, whenever the urge hits. It takes longer to put on my cleat shoes than it does for grabbing the bike.

I carry my 14' Wilderness Tsunami Backcountry Kayak and my Liquid Logic 150 white water kayak inside my Motorcycle trailer, along with 2 motorcycles and a large battery bank and Solar Array. So the suggestion of using a trailer is perfect for me, as I can use it for other purposes, as well. My Kayaks are simple to pull out, to use, too. They are both held to the wall, of the trailer, with two Tie Down Ratchet straps. Easy and quick to pull either one of them out, plus I don't have to climb up on the roof of my TC.

Some carry Fold a Boat to the side of their Truck Campers, too. I really like those suitcase Kayaks too. There is a new movement to use these and inflatables to access more wilderness areas by carrying these on your back, folded up.

Whazoo has a Rack system for his pop up camper, where the end of the cross bar can be pulled out and the tip of the Kayak set on it, allowing one to Teeter Totter the other end up. Saving one from supporting the entire weight to get the kayak up onto the roof.

Since I carry my Mnt Bike on my Adventure Motorcycle, I want to get a set up to trailer my Kayak behind it too. That will open up even more possibilities for me with my Kayak/s.

Any way you go about it, having your Kayak right there within arm's reach is a great way to compliment using your Truck Camper. I never go anywhere without my kayaks, recently getting them wet in the Cowlitz and Rogue River, as well as the bay off Whidbey Island.

Have fun, as there are many ways to accomplish what you would like to do.

b

MKish wrote:
I'd try out the roof mounts since you already have them. Actually, I'd check the weight capacity of the roof and try to figure out how hard it would be to raise the roof with them onboard.

We carry a 19' canoe on our popup--if we had a trailer that long we might as well haul a travel trailer and get some elbow room. It's light enough to pop up without removing the boat. I think kayaks are in trailer territory.

My 12' tarpon sit on top kayak only weighs 63 pounds

I'd try out the roof mounts since you already have them. Actually, I'd check the weight capacity of the roof and try to figure out how hard it would be to raise the roof with them onboard.

We carry a 19' canoe on our popup--if we had a trailer that long we might as well haul a travel trailer and get some elbow room. It's light enough to pop up without removing the boat. I think kayaks are in trailer territory.

We also went with an enclosed trailer, which holds lots of stuff in addition to 2 kayaks. Theres fishing poles & gear, 2 bycycles , a motorcycle with space for assorted stuff.[img][/img]

We opted for a trailer as our rig is already about 12' and we didn't want to make it even worse. We have been very happy with the trailer we purchased from Blue Mountain Outfitters.