# Trailers



## stonemason (Aug 4, 2006)

so i've been thinking about getting a trailer for the kayak. whats are the pros and cons to them?

i have a truck and can either stick the kayak on the roof or in the bed right now.

the pros i see are that it would be easy as hell to get the kayak on and i could have a tool box attached for all my gear, then when i get home, back it inot he garage and be done with it instead of loading and unloading every time. 

the cons i see are that not i have a trailer back there and some lauching location do not allow them, but then again, i'll still have my roof rack for those locations...

HF has a pretty cheap on, but it's not galvanized and all bolted together.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5002

seems like PWC galavanized trailers can had for $500 or so new, but having a hard time finding them locally...at least online. havent gone to any dealers or anything. cant find a used one either.

so what are your thoughs on a trailer? go or no go?


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

To me, one of the biggest advantages of a kayak over a boat is that there's no need for a trailer. That means less maitenance, and more importantly, less hassle and time getting on and off the water. I mean, it's a 60-70 lb piece of plastic. Throw that sucker on the roof or truck bed, spend less than 60 sec strapping it down, and you're good to go. You dont have to change the way you drive and where you can drive either, not to mention parking. Oh yeah, forgot about the cost of the trailer itself.

I can see a trailer being nice for hauling multiple kayaks, or maybe for people who have back/shoulder or other health problems. You'd also eliminate dripping saltwater on your vehicle after each trip, but rinsing it off with the hose or carwash is easy enough. You'd have to do the same thing with a trailer if you wanted it to last anyways.

In a nutshell, it doesnt seem worth the trouble to trailer a single kayak if you already have a roof rack or truck bed, but that's just me.


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## YakAttack (Aug 8, 2006)

I agree. With a single kayak throw it on the roof. A buddy and I built a trailer that holds 4 yaks. We each have 14 yr old sons and the 4 of us fish together a lot. I used the trailer for an outing I went on by myself and it was really a waste of gas and more cumbersome than it was worth.

Oh yeah, one other time a trailer might be good for a single yak is if you want to haul the yak fully loaded upright. My bud and his son put their yaks on the bottom rack of our trailer. They keep the coolers, crates, fish finder, rod holders, etc. intact when hauling and get in the water a little faster than Tyler and I who have to throw our stuff on the yaks once we remove them from the top rack.

Personally, I prefer dumping the gear from mine and hauling it upside down. Our Hobie plastic hulls are kind of flimsy if you don't support them just right and can dimple with weight on them for an extended period of time.

- Luther


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## permit (May 10, 2003)

*I am Pro*

i guess it depends on your age, kayak, and vehicle. i am about 52 and i have an old suburban, and i can tell you my back down not miss lifting that sucker on the roof at all. i have a trailer and i love it. as a matter of fact Shooter has just made my single kayak a double. if you look at new toy hauler in this section you can see it. just my 2 pennies worth........:beer:


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## sehguhll (Sep 12, 2008)

I got one of these, 
http://www.autoanything.com/bike-racks/61A1762A0A0.aspx?kc=ffproduct

because I have so much stuff to carry in my truck bed. 
Getting it up there, well..... that is going to be harder as the years roll by.

I have a box trailer that I will use when I'm to old to heave them suckers up there.

I would experiment and see what works best for you. Truck bed is great.
But I roll with to much stuff for that to work for me.


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## NCSrfsh (Nov 29, 2005)

*Went with trailer*

After hoisting my 60lb plus X-Factor onto the roof of my 4Runner a few times with the vision of it slipping out of my hands and going through one of my windows, I went the trailer route. I found a cheap, used 4X5 utility trailer and mounted stock Toyota roof rack rails on it. I can take the rack off and use it as a regular trailer.


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## jhmorgan (May 16, 2007)

http://jaxkayakfishing.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=17579

Just got finished by a guy down here. You can get a frame like that easier than you would think. Like others, I always put it in my truckbed. Even 2 yaks in one F150 bed was fine for me. I like that guys trailer for camping trips and whatnot though.


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## NCSrfsh (Nov 29, 2005)

*photos*

Here's a couple pic's of my setup. The plan is to haul two yaks. Looking for one for the wife now. Could easily carry 3. I'm looking for a storage box to mount on it.


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