towing inflatable kayak by bicycle

I ordered a hobie i9s, the smallest inflatable kayak, thinking it would fit in a pet trailer. When it got here, I was a bit upset finding out I can barely carry it (deflated) on my own or fold it small enough to fit in the pet trailer. First world problems

So now I'm looking for a proper bicycle trailer that will tow this little beast to the lake. Is it best to tow it fully inflated with a kayak cart like this one:
http://www.wicycle.com/index.php/products/boat-trailers/wike-kayak-surf-sail-board-trailer

Or tow it deflated in this cart:
http://www.wicycle.com/index.php/products/cargo-trailers/cargo-buddy-trailer/

Besides the kayak, there is the seat, air pump and mirage drive to bring along.

Or I could order this:
http://www.wicycle.com/index.php/products/boat-trailers/the-smart-stick-bicycle-towing-assembly

And use it with the Hobie i-kayak cart that I would also have to order, but is pricier than the wike kayak cart.

Any other trailer or cart suggestion would be appreciated.

I have no experience towing a kayak. Only pet trailer and grocery bags. Thanks for reading

I had not noticed this until I read your post and checked the Hobie website:

i11s is 5.5# lighter than the i9s (35.5# to 41#) and rated to carry 75# more (400# capacity compared to 325#).

I am not sure if the i11s can be folded up smaller, but the hull having 5.5# less material seems to hint at that. i11s bag size appears to be larger but that could be just to make it easier to pack up....interesting....

_________________
2019 Outback360 'Fish Retriever'
2016 i11s 'Go Cougs!'
2012 Oasis and 2012 PA12 (moved on but not forgotten...)

If it was me of I was planning only to go a few blocks, why go thru all the hassle of inflating/deflating, etc, you want to just park the bike, lock it up, jump in the boat and go.

This means a scupper cart or cart, that you can stow on the boat, and maybe that second bar that you showed, that attaches to the bike frame, If it was me I would just leave that arm on the bike all the time.

When we are camping we tow our TI to the water with either our bike, or with our scooter (if we have the scooter along). We wind thru the campground, down to the nearest launch or beach and away we go. We just lock the bike to the nearest tree. The scooter we of course just park in a regular parking space.

Our boat is a little bigger, and we designed our regular trailer to be able to be broke down, to be used as a launching hand cart, or as a trailer (double duty).

Once thing to note, is my trailer has wheel bearings and regular tires, so it is very easy to roll.

We also have scupper carts for the boat, but the boat is kinda heavy, and the scupper carts don't have wheel bearings. If you can find a strap on cart with as large hardish wheels as possible (like bicycle tires) with wheel bearings it will be much easier to pull with a bike.
On our boat with the Hobie traxII cart, (with the grey inflatable tires), it's kind of bear to roll the boat across a large parking lot, even if it's paved. Also I doubt you could go more than a couple mph (walking speed) pulling on a standard scupper cart, might be hard to go that slow with a bike.

Keep in mind you will have a really wide turning radius, I ran mine off the road a few times biking thru the winding campground roads via the brail method.



Of course it's way easier with the scooter when we have that along:



Many campers at the places we stay at also have golf carts, we don't own one so we use this to roam around the campgrounds with.


Hope this helps
FE

IMO, pulling the inflated boat by the bow handle may overstress the bow handle and cause it to separate. I don't recommend it.
Using the utility cart is also risky due the sharp corners that may pierce or tear the fabric.
The best solution is as you originally thought. A pet carrier that folds flat should accommodate your i-9 fine.

Now here's how to fold and bag the boat without ever lifting it:

1. Fold your boat as per instructions (This applies to all inflatables; i-9 and i-12 shown here)


2. Place your empty bag over the folded boat


3. Tuck the bag over the corners like a fitted bed sheet over a matress


4. Flip the assembly, finish tucking as necessary and install any options (this early model i-9 has seat, pump and wheels added)



5. Cinch it up


6. Grab the handle, flip it up and you're off and rolling


Now roll it to your flat trailer, flip it on and you never had to lift it. You should be able to inflate the i-9 in 3 minutes or less (bonus exercise).

Here are a couple of tips:
1. Bring a light tarp to open and fold your boat on (Cheap plastic tarps at Harbor Freight. Take your 20% off coupon for more savings).
2. Pack all our gear behind the seat and secure it and take it with you on the water -- no theft problems, plenty of room.

With a little practice, this will be a piece of cake for you. No deadweight lifting, easy transport, no theft issues. You can probably find some great deals on Craigs list for pet carriers. Just make sure you get one that folds flat!

The i9s has scupper holes?

I have decided for the wike kayak cart and stick, because, knowing myself, if I have to pack everything up nice and tidy and then unpack and inflate it, I might not feel as motivated to go kayaking. Although the cargo trailer would have been more versatile for towing more than just a kayak.

Maybe the Towing Tee is better than the stick to avoid stressing the bow handle?
http://www.wicycle.com/index.php/produc ... -and-hitch

I received the sail kit, so that will add to the load. But with an e-bike, I'm guessing it'll be easy peasy and the lake is only 3 km away from home.

Thanks for all replies

Actually reading thru this and seeing how compact the hobie inflatables can become, I'm now rethinking how we do things. We used to have several hard hobies (revo's) and we would tow them to our destination island or sand bar for the day with out TI mothership. Got to be too many kayaks to haul around so we sold them all and replaced with cheapo inflatable kayaks that we stow in the hull of the TI. Problem is everyone is spoiled by the hobies and hate the little inflatables, we don't even blow them up much anymore. So much for that plan...
I might look into picking up a couple hobie infatables instead. One of our favorite things to do was always kayak sailing around the back waters in the Revos, never far from the mother ship TI, where we kept all the beer and food (lol). I think the Hobie inflatables with sail kits might just do the trick, we can then get back to our roots and do what everyone enjoys.
Turns out getting those cheapo inflatable paddle yaks was a disaster, oh well.
FE