wheels

I bought my PA last week in South Fl. I love it. The challenge is that the dealer down there was out of stock on carts ( wheel trolly's? ). When I went to a shop in Central Fl, they told me that the PA is too heavy for the Hobie carts and the Hobie product would damage the scupper holes... mmmmmm?

On thier suggestion, I bought a C-TUG cart. It is a pain to use. The strapping is annoying and the cart falls off if you run over a pebble... The PA is somewhat of a beast (out of the water). As much of a pain to as it is to use this cart that I now have, I'ld rather put up with the aggravation than damage the PA. I just won't use the PA as much...

Those of you that have Hobie carts, please chime in here. If I was given bad info here about the cart/scupper hole problem, I'll take the loss and buy a Hobie cart. What does everyone use to portage a PA?

I use the plug-in cart all the time. I use to have a strap on cart like the tug... they are a PITA.

The plug-in scupper carts work fine if used properly.

You need to fully insert and use the locking pin to hold the cart in.

You should never let the boat down on a partly inserted cart.

Best to roll the boat on it's side to insert or remove the cart.

You should be very careful about rough terrain, steps and curbs. Rolling into, over or off a drop could cause damage to the scuppers.

So, with some care... the plug-in carts work great.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

2x on Matt, he is the professional.

Get the cart and be careful. If you are on loose sand get the wide tires it will help a bunch. Good Luck and see if you can get a refund from the guy that UP U.

Thanks for the info. I see a Hobie cart in my immediate future...

Remember to remove your cart before you take off

Last weekend, I was so excited to get out, that I forgot to take the wheels out from under the yak.
The tide was pulling me out and the yak didn't seem to be responding very well...

After I finally made it to shore, I "wheelized" what the problem was...

I have a home made cart that I made for a WS Ride. I tried using it on the PA and it was very difficult. The Hobie strong cart works well for me (except when I forget to remove it in the water).

God Bless,
Doc S

_________________
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

My local dealer was also out of the heavy duty cart. tried my old strap on cart and it was unbearable. Campmor had the cart for the MSRP, but no tax & free shipping. Best price I found by far.

Only issues I have had are that the scupper collars slip to the point where the wheels would rub on the hull. Zip tied a section of pool noodle on the cross bar and that helped. I also get oyster / concrete rash on the bow from having to turn the boat on its side to install cart. Not a big deal, just annoying on a new boat.

You won't regret getting one.

Thanks guys...
There is a boat show in Tampa on the 24 - 25 at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The ad had a Hobie logo and said something about a kayak stage. I am driving over. Hopefully there will be someone there who has some experience with outfitting PA's. I am very careful with my stuff. I just want to talk with someone who actually has set up a PA for fishing before...

I live in tampa too and just got a fully rigged 2012 pro angler an cart from action water sports in auburndale. It was worth the drive, i dont mind referring them business and will continue to buy from them. David, the owner was great and fair.

_________________
Mhamaker

2012 Hobie Pro Angler
Ivory Dune

Excellent advice here. I prefer tennis balls to the standard post collars to distribute the weight more evenly around the scupper holes, although the post collars seem to work fine as well. In any event, don't use both together, as they could prevent the cart legs from extending all the way through your scupper tubes. Although the scupper cart works well, don't leave the PA on the cart when not transporting.


The heavy duty cart would be better than the standard cart shown, especially on bumpy terrain.

When rolling the boat on its side for insertion and removal of the cart, a piece of scrap carpet keeps the scratches away. An alternative that I prefer is to mount/dismount the wheels as the boat unloads and in the water (may be more difficult with the heavy duty cart because of tire buoyancy)

I went back to the shop that recommended the CTUG cart and they were very gracious about letting me return it and getting the Hobie cart. All is well in Central Florida. I am going to a show in Tampa tomorrow to see what toys that I can add to this obsession.

RayRay, I can see why someone might suggest that a heavily laden PA could possibly damage the scuppers when on the cart, or if the cart was nor properly inserted. I believe I have solved that potential problem by lining my scuppers with a friction fit, SS insert. This adds very little weight(approx 1/2lb), and a great deal of strength/stability to the scupper (I suspect that some hull failure issues/leaks may stem from cart transport stresses - it is only a plastic tube which becomes a fulcrum.) while making just a more snug fit for the plug in cart. Regards....

Where did you get this?

RayRay, I made them myself out of scrap tubing. I can see no reason why Hobie could not make them available fora nominal fee as they, in my opinion, would only improve the durability of what I believe to be a potential,(the only one), weak point in the construction of their PA/kayaks. Regards.....

For the record, I own a 2010 Outback and bought the C-tug cart after first using the standard Hobie cart.
The three issues I had with the Hobie cart are you need to turn/ rotate the kayak 90 degrees on its side to install the cart and the tires are very fragile…cut/slice easily and to not over inflate them…..2 psi is hard to measure accurately.
I bought the C-tug cart and have used it for over one year now…..however, this cart has its limitations too.
The kayak does tend to “wander on the cradles” since the nylon strap clasp/cam lock buckle is too wimpy and can pop open if enough mechanical force is exerted…rough terrain is the biggest cause of this issue….I encounter rocks and just plain old rough terrain where I usually launch from.
My solutions to solve these issues were:
1. Replace the factory straps with a 1 ½” wide NRS brand strap….this strap has a bullet proof, spring loaded metal clamp that will not pop open……once the strap is tightened up, the kayak does not move….the NRS strap makes for a tighter grip on the cart too.
2. The “cart cradles/support pads” are designed to adjust and fit/take the shape of the kayak hull when the strap is tightened up…….. To prevent the pads from moving, I used 2 ea. #8 x 3/4” long size, SS sheet metal threaded screws to mechanically fix the cradle pads in position….First, I turned my Outback upside down and positioned the cart so the pads “fit the hull”……..then pilot drilled two holes in each main frame housing of the pads…..lastly, install the 4 screws to lock the pads in position that now fits my Outback.
The tires on the C-tug are very robust and IMO the kayak is easier to load on the cart since it does not require turning the hull 90 degrees……it is rated for a 300 pound load…..no issues with flat tires and you can inflate them up to 30 psi using a standard bicycle tire pump…..use less air pressure if in sandy or loose soil.
Lastly, a disclaimer……I do not own stock in C-tug or have any relationship with them……..Just a loyal and happy Hobie Outback Kayak owner….GO FISH!

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

Guys,
I didn't mean to start anything here with any CTUG fans. I wanted something that was easy to use right out of the box without modification... For me, that was the Hobie product.

I am VERY new to this. I am learning as I go here. If the other works better for you, more power to you brother... I appreciate all the comments that I have encountered in this forum. They only make us all better informed. I have gathered more info at this site than through talking to 3 different stores...

Dr.SteelheadCatcher - Had I read your post before returning the ctug, I might have kept it... maybe. I was just very annoyed that I had to adapt/fix a brand new product.
Shmanoman - I heard a rumor that Hobie IS looking into this as a upgrade/change in a future model year. Until then, I'm just going to baby mine (unless I find some of that tubing...).

Tight lines everybody!