Kayak trailer review

When I purchased my two Adventures I did a ton of research on how to easily transport two 16 ft. kayaks. My wife is training our Search and Rescue dog to do water search off the back of her Adventure thus we needed a trailer that she could load and unload fast.

The trailer we bought was was from Sportsrig (http://www.sportsrig.com/). We purchased the SportsRig Classic with an "A" extension bar. This trailer is awesome! It does everything it advertises.

It shipped in 5 boxs and I had to assemble. Took a couple of hours, but was worth getting to know this product. It is made from powder-coated steel and is VERY well constructed.

We drove it fully loaded from Golden, CO (Denver suburb) to Moab, UT (around 333 miles) in high heat (95-105 degrees). It is so much more reassuring to see your kayaks behind you as you drive than just the tips above your head.

I am sure there are specific questions about this trailer that you all may have so let me know.

Mike,
A hearty welcome to the Hobie Forum! And especially to a CO guy. We spent a lot of time in and around Boulder after our son went to the Univ. of Colorado on a football scholarship. He played there for five years and loved it, made consensus All-American, and now has his name permanently inscribed inside the stadium deck with the other Buff All-Americans. Great place!

Where was I--oh yeah--back to trailers. Here is the one that I went with--don't think the Sportsrig was available at the time, otherwise I might have gone that route. A nice thing abut the Trailex is that is is so light weight (all aluminum construction) that it tows like a dream, yet can carry four yaks, should you choose to do so.

http://kfs.infopop.cc/groupee/forums/a/ ... 030751/p/1

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Mike - Thanks for the info. We just ordered two Adventures and I have been actively researching trailers so I can bring them home when they arrive! This looks like a great option. Is the "A" extension long enough for two Adventures side by side? (of course I assume it is or you wouldn't have done it).

For those of you still looking for a trailer, I found a similar trailer at www.rackandroll.com (also very nice, but more expensive). One visible advantage is allow wheels vs. spokes. It also breaks down nicely for storage.

Mike

Any update on your Trailex trailer? I have two Adventures that won't fit easily on top of my FJ Cruiser. I'm tired of struggling to load them after a long day on the water with my wife. I am really interested in this trailer, especially at 1/3rd the price of the alternatives.

Do they travel well at interstate speeds?

Do I need a toque wrench? Not on my list of simple tools

Were the buddy things worth the price?

Still happy with your truck box?

Thanks

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OZ
VA Beach

Hello KBarley -

An option you may want to consider. I recently bought two Adventures and for a number of reasons, a trailer was our preferred means of transporting them. Although I serously considered the options listed above, I ended up buying a Versasport utility trailer made by Snowbear, adding a Thule system with the Hull-a-ports. Although the relative cost of this approach is favorable, one of the big advantages over the others trailer is the simplicity of hauling all of the supporting Mirage gear (drive system, sails, etc.), with plenty of room for some camping gear. I have had it for about a month and so far, I am very happy with it.

Please note, there are two similar trailers, both made by Snowbear.

1) The Versasport by Snowbear, $649 at Costco (in Northern California). Unfortunately, I cannot find it on the web. The primary advantage it has over the regular Snowbear are tubular rails on the side that work perfectly with the Thule system. The model below does not have these rails. Also, this model has two tongue settings, one being long enough for the Adventures. I'm not sure about the regular Snowbear. To find a dealer or get info about this model, you may need to contact Snowbear.

2) The second model that is very similar is the regular Snowbear 8000 http://www.snowbear.com/html/8000.html. Locally, they are available at Home Depot for $699. Though it may not work as well with the Thule system, you may be able to come up with another system. Worst case, add padding to the "tailgates" and lash them down.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me or post a reply. If you decide to pursue the Versasport option with a Thule sysem, there are a couple of important adjustments I needed to make to my installation.

Best Regards,
Randy

Thanks for showing me some alternatives. I looked at all that Snowbear offered at their web site.

I also tried my local boat trailer guy who would customize one for me.

There are many choices out there.

I settled on the Trailex from CastleCraft. http://www.castlecraft.com/kayak_dual.htm

I have very limited space and wanted something light that I could downsize off season.

I think I made a good choice for me, other will choose differently and we'll both be happy

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OZ
VA Beach