ChrisWMan wrote:
Hello everybody.
I'm thinking about buying a Tandem Island and I've pretty much figured out how to store it and use my car to transport it but the following:
- I've been looking into the Hobie plug in kayak carts (I have a c-tug but it's not rated for the weight of aTI) but how do you get it on and off a TI at the waters edge? I mean, you can't turn it on the side like a kayak.
- With the weight of a TI, is it possible for one person to push/pull it onto the incline of for instance a boat ramp (not taking into account the slipperiness)?
At the moment I'm kinda scratching my head
.
Hopefully, you've read my latest post on your other recent thread. If not, please take a quick look.
I'm really not trying to hound you about this, but please be
absolutely certain that you actually do have a full working solution for car topping a TI by yourself before you buy it. It's not easy by any means and a proper, proven solution is required. On your other thread, you were planning to use a Rhino-Rack Side Loader which is rated for only about half the weight of a TI. That's not going to work, especially if you're trying to lift it alone. I hope you've come up with something considerably better.
The problem with kayak carts, and again I speak from experience, is that they're a hassle. They're tricky to get on, tricky to get off, and then you need to find a place to store it while you're on the water. And, unless you're young, big, and quite strong, it's going to be very tough to haul a ~300 lb fully rigged and loaded TI all the way up a wet, slippery, steep boat ramp all by yourself. I used to do that with just a regular kayak on a cart. It was no fun in the hot sun, I can tell you that. There's no way I would want to have to do that with a heavy TI, especially after a long, hot day on the water, and then need to additionally try to haul it on top of a car rack. That would be miserable. Also, keep in mind that many boat ramps can be very busy, you always want to get in and out quickly and efficiently. Other boaters have little patience for someone taking more than their allotted time and holding them up.
The best, truly hassle and strain-free way to load/unload a long, heavy TI is with a boat trailer. Everything else is a considerable compromise. So again, please review your plans. If you can't use a trailer, you're better off with the lighter AI for both car topping and using a cart, and even that is not going to be easy.
I won't bug you about this further, this is the last I'll mention it unless you ask for anything else, but please remember that I did try to tell you. I wish someone had told me when I was just starting out and in a similar situation.