Foremost, thank you to everyone on this forum. I found the information to be priceless in making my decision on a 17t and how to transport it. That being said, I wanted to share my modified 17t trailer. I think this is the best way to go for the money. About 2 weeks ago, I left at 6am and made the 8 hour round trip drive from Las Vegas to Irvine, CA to purchase the 17t from Mike at Southwind kayak. My buddy Jeff went with me and we went down and back the same day.
I knew that I wanted to store my 17t in the garage and tow it on a trailer. I just needed to keep it less than 20ft long in total, so I could fit it in my garage. When I was considering trailers, dealers were offering the galvanized Hobie trailer for just under $2k. I didn't like this option for a few reasons: I didn't like the smaller wheels, I think galvanized is just ugly and it didn't seem like there was much to the trailer for $2k.
So I sought out to find a PWC trailer to modify. Now I have had some experience with Zieman trailers, as my family had 2 Sea Doos on a Zieman for years. I narrowed in on the J-1b model, which was basically a 195" long single-PWC trailer with a box. I really wanted to keep the box for secure storage, but in the end it had to come off. It would have made the total length over 20ft which was a deal breaker.
So I found a 2011 Zieman J-1b for about $1k. Then I found a trailer company who would make the modifications for me. They had a welder on staff and were very reasonable and accommodating. I made a number of adjustments:
1. Remove the front box and gas can brackets. The box removed easily a it was secured by bolts. But the gas can holders had to be welded off.
2. Remove the carpeted running boards. This included welding off the brackets which secured the running boards to the trailer.
3. Extend the center bar in the front of the trailer, from the hitch area to the first cross-support. This was important, because I wanted to keep the bow holder and in order to maximize the room, I had to extent the center bar through the area where the box and gas can brackets where. This allowed me to move the bow holder all the way up.
4. Add 2 cross bars to add the Hobie cradles. As per OEM instructions, the front cradle/support was 60" on center from the bow holder and the second cradle/support was 70" on center from the first.
5. We also removed the front crank and replaced it with a side crank/wheel. That way, I could bring the bow holder up even further and reduce the amount of the kayak that is hanging off the back cradle.
In the end, the welding cost me several hundred bucks but it was well worth it. They did a very clean job, especially int he areas they had to remove the running board and gas can brackets. All in, I spent about $1,600 out of pocket including the Hobie cradles.
I think this was a great investment because not only does it look better than the galvanized trailers, but it will hold its resale value too. I especially like the fact that it is a solid trailer. It is definitely more trailer than I need for a 250lb kayak, but there are some great positives to that. It tows great and I really like that it has the larger wheels (14" I believe) so I can go faster than 65 mph on those long trips.
Just looking forward to taking it out for the maiden voyage! Here are some pics:
Here is the trailer before modifications. Note the box in the front.
Close-up of the box and gas can brackets.
Here, you will see the middle bar stops at a support not far from the gas can bracket. You will see in the finished pictures we added a piece to keep this continuous.
Here is a picture of the trailer before cradles are put on. You will see the two crossbars which were welded to the top of the trailer. Also notice how the middle support now runs to the front.
Cradles installed easily on the cross bars.
Finished product.
On the trailer, w/ Mike @ Southwind Kayak
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