fold-up wheels

[J.A. Veil]

Moving a heavy kayak from your vehicle to the water's edge is an issue for most of us. There are many types of wheel sets and dollies on the market. All work to some extent, but most have some liabilities too (size, weight, cost, etc). The Landing Gear technology came out a few years ago and has been adopted by many owners of heavier kayaks like the Native Titans and the Hobie Pro Anglers. But Landing Gear has presented some mounting challenges and takes up a lot of space in the rear area. My Native Manta Ray 11 has a permanent wheel mounted at the rear of the keel, allowing me to roll it across the ground. But the wheel does drag in the water, and because it sits lower than the keel, it can catch on submerged logs.

I want to toss out another idea for this group's consideration. I am unlikely to use it myself, since I own only light kayaks that can be moved by other means. But it might be a light-weight and functional option for some. In the mid 90s, I owned an 11' Avon inflatable boat with a wooden transom. When I bought the boat, the shop suggested that I buy fold-up dinghy wheels. These bolted onto the transom. In the down position, I could roll my inflatable, an 8-hp outboard, a 6-gal fuel tank, and my gear across a parking lot and down a ramp. Once in the water, it took a few seconds to fold the wheels to the up position, where they stayed while I was on the water.

This type of product is in common use for dinghies, but I have never seen it employed on kayaks. West Marine offers this type of wheels https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...hoCxQMQAvD_BwE.

Railblaza (makers of the C-Tug carts) have their own version of this type of wheels https://www.railblaza.com/products/c-tug-dinghy-wheels/, although they envision that the wheels can be removed for each use.

The challenge is to find a spot on the rear of the kayak where fold-up wheels can be mounted. There is a great deal of creativity and innovation among our Snaggedline members. I throw this out as a potential option. I look forward to your ideas.

[Mark]

Interesting ideas but frankly, I want as little as possible permanently mounted on my kayaks -- my hole drilling aversion. Fortunately, my boats are relatively lightweight and I can use traditional removable kayak carts.

I'm sure the creative folks here will have some ideas. I've seen what they do with PVC. Wheels should be no challenge.

[Jaspratt]

You could always get some square tube stock and make your own fold up wheels that are light and low profile. I run the boonedox landing gear. My biggest complaint is it makes the kayak wider which causes clearance issues in tight places. So I have been looking at different ways to make them thinner without adding weight. A big plus would be to reduce weight, maintain strength and rigidity, and make the overall width thinner.