Utility Cycling - pulling a kayak?

Does anyone have a trailer that you carry a kayak on? I don't have a kayak but I'd really like to get on and thought pulling it behind my bike would be the way to go. I don't live very far from a river I'd put it in.

I'd like to see some pics and know more about what type of trailer it would take to carry a kayak on.

http://www.tonystrailers.com/kayak/

I use a Bikes at Work 96A with some PVC mounts.

105365

Check out post #14 in this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=456614&highlight=bike+canoe

Check out post #14 in this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=456614&highlight=bike+canoe

Another thing about the trailer I have is that it is so modular I haven't found any good way to lock it up. Which means having to pack it up and take it with me in the boat, even if I'm coming back to the same place I put in to take out. The bike I can just lock to a tree. Taking the trailer with me is not a problem in the canoe, but it takes up a wholly undesirable amount of room in the kayak. The only place I go and tow the kayak with the bike is to the Wakulla River. A friend of mine has a place by the Hwy 98 bridge where I can leave it without locking up.

I also think the next trailer I get, I'm going to look for one that connects to the bike at the rear axle instead of the seatpost.

Another thing about the trailer I have is that it is so modular I haven't found any good way to lock it up.+1. I have Trayak (see Tony's Trailers link above) and it's easy to disassemble with just one allen key and a spanner. Which is not only a bad thing. But the way I lock it it's entirely possible I'd find just the trailer tyres when I return. A lot of my bike components could be removed with the exact same tools, while they're at it.

Fortunately, theft isn't a big issue around where I tow the kayak. I'm fairly confident my bike and/or trailer won't be messed with during overnight paddle trips, for example. Longer tours, I like to start from a commercial camping site or such anyways. That way I can start the tour well rested and with fresh supplies. I then also have a place to dry kayaking gear afterwards. They often have some semi-secure storage where I can leave bike, related gear and trailer.

If I want to start a long paddle tour from my doorstep, I'd seriously consider putting the kayak on one of those collapsible kayak/canoe carts, then walking it to the shore (maybe 4 kms from my home).

Oh, and since OP doesn't have a kayak yet, you might want to look into various inflatable or folding kayak designs too. Depending on where you paddle and tow those might be more practical. See Feathercraft (http://www.feathercraft.com/index.php), Klepper (http://www.klepper.com/en/index.php) or Advanced Elements (http://www.advancedelements.com/) for example. Klepper and Feathercraft especially are considered very seaworthy. You can even sail with them.

--J

I am moving to a cabin a mile from a lake this next week and I have a kayak and I am trying to design my own trailer. I've seen a few PVC ones but they seem too flimsy. I think I am going to buiild a square wooden platform and attach two 16" wheels to it and then put two arms on the sides to support the rear end of the kayak. I will bungee it down to the platform as well. I am having a hard time deciding the best way to mount it to the bike itself. I'm thinking of building something like this http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=536516, but the kayak would be angled too high. I was thinking of a DIY rear wheel mount. ANY ADVICE?

I use my xtracycle to haul my kayak,as well as anything else that needs to be somewhere else. I realize that my solution isn't for everyone,but it works for me.

Have a look at Innova inflatables and Trak folding kayaks. Either can compare performance-wise to rigid boats. I own an Innova Sunny, Safari, and Helios and have carried them to water on a bakfiets with kids. I can fit a kayak, lifejackets, paddles and at least one kid in my Chariot trailer. I have seen the Trak kayaks in action and they are very versatile - except that they don't come in a tandem version.

I already have just a basic 2 man sit on top kayak and live a mile from a lake, I'm not looking for performance. Just a way to get some exercise and a boat to fish from. This is my kayak http://www.rei.com/product/785522 I plan on building a wheeled platform to hold the back end that I would bungee to it. Then I need to think of a way to attach an arm to the front to mount it to the seatpost. I already have my seatpost mount designed, but how would I attach a solid arm from the kayak to the mount?

I drew this out. I think I will need a metal tube of some sort instead of the PVC coming from the stem in order to be sturdy. I also don't know how the PVC elbow would work as a hinge. Any ideas?

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o156/patrickgoral/trailerplan1.jpg

The stem with the cut off bar clamp is essentially designed to work like this, only it doesnt swivel there, as the tube will fit inside the stem.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Original/25870.jpg

I have seen the Trak kayaks in action and they are very versatile - except that they don't come in a tandem version.Huh? If you're referring to tandem kayaks, Tony asked my kayak measurements for the Trayak I bought. I doubt it would have made any difference whether it was a single or double seater. And if you want to tow two single kayaks instead of one tandem, there's the double decker Trayak version for that.

It's a fairly dedicated solution, I'm sure a Bikes at Work trailer is more versatile. Same with a big Roland Carrie with an extension beam. Both also weigh more than Trayak, but for short tows discussed here trailer weight doesn't matter much. For longer tours I know I'd want the lightest possible trailer.

--J

I drew this out. I think I will need a metal tube of some sort instead of the PVC coming from the stem in order to be sturdy. I also don't know how the PVC elbow would work as a hinge. Any ideas?

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o156/patrickgoral/trailerplan1.jpg


I replaced the PVC with 1 inch electrical conduit for the tongue. I am building a wooden frame for the rear of the kayak with two 12" wheels and bungees to secure it. I made a seatpost mount hitch using an old stem and a seatpost quick release lever.

My kayak trailer attachment is a bit simpler: just a cord that ties the bow directly to the rails under the bike seat. The trailer itself is a kayak/canoe carrier that I bought from LL Bean quite a few years ago.

With the single kayak this arrangement only works with my Bike Friday due to the need for lots of room between the bike seat and the rear bike tire. But I can tow my double this way with my regular road bike as well since it has a shallower bow profile.

It tracks well and is very stable even on fast downhills. Of course the weight of the boat and trailer do make climbing the hills considerably slower than normal. One of my closest reservoirs for kayaking involves a climb and descent of about 1000' so I get to experience both characteristics regularly (but I don't take the double over that hill by bike).

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/18565/2450451940047976201S500x500Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2450451940047976201bQQMbL)