Kayak Cart

I need to get a new cart for My kayak with sand wheels
i have the heavy duty plug in cart and i find it very difficult to remove and install specially after getting out of the water with a kayak full of fishing gear seats ETC.
I have a tandem oasys
what is the best and easiest option?
should I get a Hobie kayak dollie?
Thanks

Me too the wide plug-in Hobie cart with large 28cm tyres works well but I have to attach/detach it while the boat is floating, that's OK but attaching it alone when the boat is half hanging off the trailer is really a strain.

Then when I pull it out most of the AI's 64Kg feels like its on the bow handle as I try to walk-tow it anywhere.

I am trying to find a cart that sits the boat on the centre of gravity so I don't have to hold all that weight while pulling it about.

Or even build a "Third Wheel" that mounts in the Mirage well and castors to take the off-balance load.

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Fair Skies, Max.

I, too, have an Oasis and never liked having to unload the kayak at the water's edge so I could tip it on its side to install the wheels. I recently saw this idea in the forums and decided to give it a try.

http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=53731&hilit=sweet

I built one for the Oasis. Made a couple small modifications to better suit my personal use, but it works exceptionally well. No more emptying the kayak at the waters edge to put the wheels on. A couple things I discovered:
1) Don't have the kayak in too deep of water when you try to install the wheels. The wheels float and won't drop down to a vertical position and easily slide into the scuppers.
2) I do shift some of the weight forward before installing the wheels as the Oasis is on the heavy side, having the weight forward lessens how much I have to lift to get the kayak high enough for the wheels to slide in.

The guy that thought of this is a lot smarter than I am.

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All is well, life is good.

There is a good 3-page Thread from 2012 mainly from TI users, some like STRINGY who made their own carts but I cant find it now. Stringy help?

The message is the same, heavy boats and old men and sometimes sand too, its all been discussed but for the non-handyman still no wonder fix available off the shelf.

My personal path to the water with an AI is sealed tarmac, (not good for soft balloon wheels), then bumpy grass then the beach sand. This cart would get me to the sand at least and you can order one with 30cm Wheelez balloon tires instead of the flat-proof tires.

Kayak/Canoe Cart with Tuff-Tire Wheels by Wheeleez™
http://beachwheelsaustralia.com/categor ... yak-carts/

Why don't I just use a TI beach dolly? Because I don't know if a 2015 AI will fit on any of the Hobie TI Dollies?
(Plus $600 )

I can usually get some help moving it I just need to find a cart that balances the load so I only have to push not Lift as well and has big enough wheels to roll easily on grass.

An important point is a cart that will not Tip forwards when being pulled due to a small cradle not firmly attaching to the hull via the Straps.

More Links:

Wheel Eez
http://www.wheeleez.com/kayak-cart-beach.php

Malone Nomad Standard Kayak Cart
http://www.bestfishingkayakhub.com/revi ... ayak-cart/

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Fair Skies, Max.

I just get wet. At launch, I pull my kayak on its cart in until I am deep enough to drop the wheels out. At takeout, while the kayak is in deep enough water, a bit more than knee deep, I reach underneath and plug the cart in. I live in Portland and do this when the temp is in the 30's or the 90's.

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Fish tremble when they hear my name

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928

That's what I currently do once it's in the water as getting wet here is not a cold experience and I have a Trailer if I am using a Ramp.
With my long arm I can even reach down under the boat with the stock basic cart and plug/unplug it from the seated position!

It's getting the AI from my holiday cabin, down the sealed path, across the grassy Park and over the sand beach to the water with a hand tow, only 150 yards.

When my health was good a few years ago this was easy with a stock cart but now I cant hold the weight and walk far so need something that takes the weight and rolls easily.

This caught my eye, might not be difficult to make from Poly?
http://www.storeyourboard.com/super-dut ... cart/?r=tp

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Fair Skies, Max.

The dollies with the large sand tires are BY FAR the easiest to use. Easy to load / unload and easier to pull over sand.

The new AI fits the AI / TI dolly.

$? Lets see... hernia operation cost how much? Kidding aside. It is a matter of ease-of-use. If you don't mind struggling... you don't need a dolly.

We just got used to it with catamarans. Even a Hobie Wave or 14 needs a dolly (or what we call Cat Trax).

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

The dolly is a good choice now I know that my boat will fit it, thanks.

But a question or Two..

The AI rides low to the ground on the dolly, will the stern tilt down and rub the ground when I grab the bow handle to pull it because I am tall?

Can the AI be left on the dolly parked next to my cabin for a week when not actually being used without pressure problems.

Lastly, the dolly must be pushed a fair way under the boat to the C of G, I cant imagine lifting the AI with one hand that high while using the other to push it into place?

Sorry but I have never seen one, not even a video so no idea what the method is.

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Fair Skies, Max.

Found this, I get solo operation now.

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Fair Skies, Max.

I have used a C-Tug for years - I now have two, one for my Oasis & one for my AI.

They are plastic (no rust), stowable (break down in seconds), and have a tripod attachment which allows you to stand the trolly up on the beach and then lift the kayak onto it. The only issues that I have had with them are the buckle on the strap pulling through when I have really had to haul a loaded yak through deep soft sand - but this is easily fixed by replacing the buckle at the cost of a couple of dollars and doesn't apply to every journey to the water; and the standard strap being a bit short to go round the Oasis - again a couple of dollars for a longer strap and the problem is gone.

As to sand wheels - not sure what exactly constitutes a sand wheel. I have pneumatic tyres on one C-Tug and hard plastic wheels on the other; the latter are wider and there are clip-on extensions available for them to make them wider still but I don't know if these would cut the mustard for anyone else because I have never used them & it would depend on conditions. All I know is that I the standard wheels work for me on my short trip to the beach (which does include some soft sand) - on balance I think I prefer the hard plastic wheels cos there's nothing to go wrong - and I am very happy with my carts.

Made in NZ but I have nothing whatsoever to do with them commercially other than being a satisfied customer.

Stobbo I get you on this I am a C-Tug fan and of course they are Kiwi made I have one for my Revo 15/16 worx great.
But my AI is too heavy for the small wheels at 64Kg plus gear and it plows, even with the extensions, on soft sand.

Everyone's requirement is a bit different, from my Cara Park cabin to the beach is 150 yards of first sealed tarmac, then grass then soft sand.

The Hobie TI beach dolly is good but over-spec for my AI since its really made for the TI and it wont stow in the hatch meaning another walk back to the cabin, plus its $500+.

I finally settled on this very good $295 Cart that is recommended by all the AI guys on the Kayak fishing forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOIvWCHZNWE
It balances the weight so I don't have to hold up any of the 64Kg that the 2015 AI weighs, there is a smaller version and Tough wheel choices too.
http://beachwheelsaustralia.com/the-kay ... z-wz1-kcb/

Same brand tires as the Hobie Carts and Dolly.
Don't worry about the soft-looking tyres getting punctured by stones, these are much tougher than they look and can be repaired seamlessly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9eZDl9KTRQ

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Fair Skies, Max.