CAT TRAX OR dolly? experienced users please help

Where is a good place to get a cart of sorts... I've been at my home lake since getting into Hobies and I want to start going out to Lake Michigan and places where I'll need to roll it over sand... WOULD LOVE USED.

Ron

Which to get? I see in the catalog - DOLLY but is that heavy looks like a trailer? can I throw that in the back of the pickup?

I'm looking for EASIEST to pull - best rolling. Would probably be over sand MOST of the time, but hard packed at times too.

SOFT wheels or hard plastic?

Do the hulls stay in place on those thin axles? or would the hull cradles be worth the extra expense?

I like the DOLLY because it has TWO contact points on each hull, so not teetering... and includes handle. Else I can get CAT TRAX and add handle option
and cradles and have more invested than DOLLY.

So leaning toward dolly - but how heavy is it? can it be loaded and unloaded from a pickup by one person?

Cat trax with inflatible tires. These are by far the most popular dolly for Hobies and they work very well.

If you have two or more people, there's no need for cradles (on a H16) or a handle - just tie the ropes to the shroud anchors. If you're trying to put the wheels under single handed, cradles would probably help since otherwise the spinning axle will allow the wheels to roll out from under the boat before you can tie them in place.

We have a set of these that's 20 years old and still running strong. I'm sure other folks have sets that are even older. It's a good product.

sm

I prefer Cat Trax, not the plastic. SRM is right and I recommend the cradles. The center of gravity is about 1' 8" aft the shrouds and you'll need cradles to keep your wheels there. I placed markings on the inside of the hulls for quick accuracy. You can roll the boat anywhere you want single handed with ease. Otherwise, you'll have to use all your weight to hold the bow down while moving.

While trailering, I kept the wheels on the stern of the boat.


One foot, eight inches aft the shroud is center of gravity for easy balancing !!!

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Happy Sailing,

David

Real rubber tire Cat Trax by far the best even rolls my HC21 @ 650 lbs
Second choice is the hard plastic Cat Trax which work ok
I have seen many homemade systems and none come close
Former Hobie Admiral Gary

David: I assume you've had no problems carrying you Cat Trax that way? I have cradles and was considering it, but I'm hesitant since I often trailer long distance and our roads aren't the best. Thanks!

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

I thought Mississippi had a Road Tax??? Are the roads over there still just as rough as they were years ago?

It's all relative. I can tell, blindfolded, when I cross the border into Louisiana cause the potholes get bigger.

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Jonathan
'85 H16 __/) 87468 Tidal Wave

I wasn't even gonna mention Louisiana!!!

When I wrote "our" roads, I wasn't just referring to MS. I travel through AL quite a bit too!

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

Our roads are perfect.............................. about every 10 feet!

Have had no problems, whatsoever. I sat the cradles on the stern as a template since that was the most critical issue.



As a result, the bottom of the hulls sat just outside the center of the cradles which adds slightly to the resistance lessening the hulls propensity to slide. You may also want to consider the tongue weight of your loaded trailer. Mine was slightly heavy before so adding the wheels did it justice. The beach wheels are so close (laterally) to the trailer wheels that it didn't make a lot of difference. Hope this helps.

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Happy Sailing,

David

Thanks, David....I'm gonna try this. My trailer is really heavy duty, and I usually travel with my large sail box full of junk, so I think the tongue weight difference will be negligible.

And sxracer.....every ten feet would be great. For us I think it's ten years!

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

A couple of years ago I trailered a Hobie 16 from Shreveport to Destin and back with the wheels on top of the stern, like in David's picture, and they rode just fine.

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Mark Van Doren
H16 Seabreeze #112205 (Richard Petty Signature Edition)
H14T Fantasia #47787
San Juan 28

Hey David,
Maybe an old question but why is your boat named after nerve pain?