I expect, from experience, that 2 straps would be better. When the wheels hit something, the cart will stop, but yak will not and you'll reattach it a few times. I use one strap to attach the cart (axle) and one around the cockpit coaming to keep the wheels following you and not take an unauthorized break. Also consider a short bed (8 -10 inches) for the yak adding more stability than that 2 inch Unistrut offers and if you choose that, the coaming strap could attach to holes in the front edge. I do like that design and think I'll do one for my canoe, my yaks have commercial ones. But I expect by now you have discovered those concerns.
One of the most thorough videos so far. I really appreciate the step by step and not just explaining how you did it. Thanks for showing the finished product with the kayak actually on it. A nice finishing touch.
I think I just had a DUH moment... Bike wheels would certainly handle some terrain better than the smaller wheels you see on some DIY kayak carts. Good job!!
Excellent! I’m going to steal your idea. Looks like it would be perfect for me. I have a bit bigger boat. 14’ rogue river. Instead of the cotter pins I’ll use those kind that you can just snap in. Then I can break it down and stow it in the boat.👍
So freaking simple. That's great.. Im trying to make 1 out of an old bike trailer for towing the kids.. Just need to build some risers so the yak doesn't rub the tires. Thanks for sharing...
You just gave me an idea, thank you sir. I have a 14' canoe that weights 70 lbs. Going to buy a used kid's bike for the wheels, inserting wood dow to pvc pipes for stiffness, using elbows to shape V and T, nylon or brass sleeves as wheel bearings and foam spaghetti for lining.
I’m so glad I came across your video. I hiked two 65 lb. kayaks (not including gear) a 1/4 mile without a cart to the water today… after watching your video I’m headed to the hardware store tomorrow and building me usable cart. Thank you for the great presentation 👍 Note: I do have a cart, but it was not useful on the terrain today.
Just what I was looking for! WAY better than a $150 or $200 retail cart. I'm going to add 2 short flat wooden bunks 90 degrees to the axle, bolted to the Unistrut.
A pool noodle or pipe insulation would work great. Great build, sturdy and good design. I too like the lower center of gravity idea. Commercially available carts do not have this consideration
Very good video. I will definitely be building this for my 16 ft. Mad River canoe. I like that the wheels can easily be taken off and the whole thing stored inside my canoe. U.S. Army, Ret. TX
Nice simple design! It seems a bit on the heavy side but if you're not trying to stow it in the kayak, this who cares. I do have one suggestion: Rather than a bent-over cotter pin, use a "hair pin" that can be pulled out. Then the cart can be disassembled and makes it easier to stow.
Replace the cotter pin with ones that have the spring-loaded clip for easy disassembley. Nice design though. Easy enough to weld on some supports to run lengthwise
I'm an expert at assembling bicycles, especially mountain bikes. I'm also a welder/fabricator so I might could do some extra things to make it work without an axel. I'm thinking Mounting male inserts on the sides and then putting the wheels on.
With no idea what the shape of your kayak botom is, I can safely say not many have a flat bottom. Some sort of bunks for the hull to ride/center upon would probably help prevent the Kayak from trying to roll on your straight, flat platform.
You are correct that most kayaks, including mine in the video, do not have absolute flat bottoms and a flat bar axle may or may not work. Your suggestion of some sort of bunks is excellent. Thanks for not just stating a problem, but a possible solution along with it. The concept I shared in the video was never meant to be a one size fits all. It was just something that worked for me that I thought I would share in case it helps someone else. Kind of a pay it forward from the benefit I’ve received from other posters. The cart I made could be a base to build from depending on the viewers boat type. Some foam wrapped wood blocks, or some short pieces of pvc pipe could be bolted to the axel to cradle a strong curved bottom. Also, as I stated in the video the flat axel can be wrapped with some foam, and lashed with cable ties, to absorb the bottom curvature of some boats. Depending on the boat type it may or may not be enough. I have since done this to mine and it works very good. Lastly, the thought process behind this cart concept was to utilize the axel nearest the center of gravity favoring the rear by about a 60/40 off center. It was never meant to be a far back set carrier where there would be the most bottom curvature. The 60/40 concept puts most of the kayak weight over the axel and makes it very light to lift the nose and haul - like a typical large boat trailer. It also puts it near the flattest (using the term loosely) portion of the kayak. This should require the least help to absorb the curvature. Thanks again for posting the very real concept issue. As you can see from my long book reply it got my juices flowing thinking about it.
Hey dude. I have this thing completely built. My hurdle. I had to use 3/8. Which failed miserably. Where did you find the tire with a 1/2 inch diameter
Thanks for this...did you just drill through the tube multiple places down the strut or did the two bolts hold it well enough for you. I have a fly craft fly fishing raft and while only 100 lbs I can't pull it off the river by myself at the river take outs...I am guessing I could just cut the strut wider to accept my raft...Thanks again.
Best idea I've seen so far-I was going to suggest a lynch pin so you could break the cart down, I see someone already did. I notice your kayak looked a little crooked on the cart, is that an issue when you pull it? I wonder because that's an issue I have with my standard cart unless I loop the strap over twice and really cinch it down. I need to find those wheels.
Good eye! It was a little crooked in the shot. I did not have the strap cinched down like it would be for taking it on the trail so it wiggled a bit in the video when I moved it. If the strap is not tight it could move just a little. It did not present a problem when I ran it on a couple trails after I first made it. Since then I have wrapped the strut with 1” pipe insulation and some cable ties. The quality soft stuff not the cheap rigid kind. The kayak sits nice on it. Worked without it, but better with it.
One way is that as I mention in the video I wrapped the rod with some foil tape as a buffer. if the bearings were not spinning it would wear through the foil tape pretty quick. Even without the foil tape if the bearings were not spinning there would be wear marks on the top of the rod and the wheels would have some drag to them the heavier the load. That said would it really make much difference it the bearing spun or it just dragged on the rod, probably not. The bearings do make it super smooth and easy to pull though.
As is no. With mods yes. At some point I hope to post a video showing how to make a kayak trailer for a bicycle. Got to get the plan off paper and into the shop.
@@mic4725 thanks for the response! I ended up building a wooden dolly. Only issue I'm having is that the my tire have too much rolling resistance. I use harbor freight tires for the test run. So I went with a pair like yours.
I expect, from experience, that 2 straps would be better. When the wheels hit something, the cart will stop, but yak will not and you'll reattach it a few times. I use one strap to attach the cart (axle) and one around the cockpit coaming to keep the wheels following you and not take an unauthorized break. Also consider a short bed (8 -10 inches) for the yak adding more stability than that 2 inch Unistrut offers and if you choose that, the coaming strap could attach to holes in the front edge. I do like that design and think I'll do one for my canoe, my yaks have commercial ones. But I expect by now you have discovered those concerns.
Outstanding concept and design. It’s simple and efficient. Too many pvc carts break when used on rough terrain. Your design is perfect. Thanks!
One of the most thorough videos so far. I really appreciate the step by step and not just explaining how you did it. Thanks for showing the finished product with the kayak actually on it. A nice finishing touch.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think I just had a DUH moment... Bike wheels would certainly handle some terrain better than the smaller wheels you see on some DIY kayak carts. Good job!!
"Less is more". Well done, great concept well executed.
Excellent! I’m going to steal your idea. Looks like it would be perfect for me. I have a bit bigger boat. 14’ rogue river. Instead of the cotter pins I’ll use those kind that you can just snap in. Then I can break it down and stow it in the boat.👍
Thanks for the awesome idea
Yes that is a good idea. Didn't even think about it. Thanks for sharing.
So freaking simple. That's great.. Im trying to make 1 out of an old bike trailer for towing the kids.. Just need to build some risers so the yak doesn't rub the tires. Thanks for sharing...
You just gave me an idea, thank you sir. I have a 14' canoe that weights 70 lbs. Going to buy a used kid's bike for the wheels, inserting wood dow to pvc pipes for stiffness, using elbows to shape V and T, nylon or brass sleeves as wheel bearings and foam spaghetti for lining.
Excellent video and design. So much better than the many PVC carts out there. Can’t wait to try it out on my inflatable raft. Thanks
I’m so glad I came across your video. I hiked two 65 lb. kayaks (not including gear) a 1/4 mile without a cart to the water today… after watching your video I’m headed to the hardware store tomorrow and building me usable cart. Thank you for the great presentation 👍
Note: I do have a cart, but it was not useful on the terrain today.
That's tiring before you even got started! Glad you liked the video. Hope it helps lessen the burden next time.
Just what I was looking for! WAY better than a $150 or $200 retail cart. I'm going to add 2 short flat wooden bunks 90 degrees to the axle, bolted to the Unistrut.
You had me at "quarter-twenty". This guy speaks my language.
A pool noodle or pipe insulation would work great. Great build, sturdy and good design. I too like the lower center of gravity idea. Commercially available carts do not have this consideration
Very good video. I will definitely be building this for my 16 ft. Mad River canoe. I like that the wheels can easily be taken off and the whole thing stored inside my canoe. U.S. Army, Ret. TX
BUCKING FRILLIANT !!! Thank you... This will be my "weekend-build" this weekend.
Great job on the video and the presentation. Looks like a good design that follows the KISS principle.
Really like the simplicity of it, going to look at this for my canoe.
Perfect design for my 16 foot canoe! Thanks!
I also used trailer hitch type of pins instead of cotter pins, easier to take the wheels off when putting cart in car.
Nice simple design! It seems a bit on the heavy side but if you're not trying to stow it in the kayak, this who cares. I do have one suggestion: Rather than a bent-over cotter pin, use a "hair pin" that can be pulled out. Then the cart can be disassembled and makes it easier to stow.
The “hair pin” is an excellent idea others have mentioned. Thanks for sharing it.
I had the same thought
I also used trailer hitch type of pins, just smaller, instead of cotter pins, easier to take the wheels off when putting cart in the car.
hands down best video on the net, so many variations.
Excellent alternative, great idea. We'll use this basic design for our inflatable boat too. Thanks.
This is super easy, very different design and I like it
Simple, cheap, and effective. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great idea and design for my inflatable boat.
An excellent idea!
Thanks for this tutorial
Thanks for sharing this video.
Nice walkthrough, thanks!
you made it so simple. thankyou!!!
You're welcome!
Great video mate will be copying this next week. Thank you so much for this easy instructions even me can make it.😁👍
Simple, strong, easy. Thank You!
You are a fucking genius!! Saved my summer with this!! Thanks!!
nice man. i made a axel with bmx pegs and a old snow shovel handle for my kayak kart,. works great on my aruba 10 sundolphin'
Going to make this for my dad this week I’ll see how it goes
Nice simple build
Thank you so much. I just built one just like yours!!
Replace the cotter pin with ones that have the spring-loaded clip for easy disassembley. Nice design though. Easy enough to weld on some supports to run lengthwise
I'm an expert at assembling bicycles, especially mountain bikes.
I'm also a welder/fabricator so I might could do some extra things to make it work without an axel. I'm thinking Mounting male inserts on the sides and then putting the wheels on.
With no idea what the shape of your kayak botom is, I can safely say not many have a flat bottom. Some sort of bunks for the hull to ride/center upon would probably help prevent the Kayak from trying to roll on your straight, flat platform.
You are correct that most kayaks, including mine in the video, do not have absolute flat bottoms and a flat bar axle may or may not work. Your suggestion of some sort of bunks is excellent. Thanks for not just stating a problem, but a possible solution along with it. The concept I shared in the video was never meant to be a one size fits all. It was just something that worked for me that I thought I would share in case it helps someone else. Kind of a pay it forward from the benefit I’ve received from other posters. The cart I made could be a base to build from depending on the viewers boat type. Some foam wrapped wood blocks, or some short pieces of pvc pipe could be bolted to the axel to cradle a strong curved bottom.
Also, as I stated in the video the flat axel can be wrapped with some foam, and lashed with cable ties, to absorb the bottom curvature of some boats. Depending on the boat type it may or may not be enough. I have since done this to mine and it works very good.
Lastly, the thought process behind this cart concept was to utilize the axel nearest the center of gravity favoring the rear by about a 60/40 off center. It was never meant to be a far back set carrier where there would be the most bottom curvature. The 60/40 concept puts most of the kayak weight over the axel and makes it very light to lift the nose and haul - like a typical large boat trailer. It also puts it near the flattest (using the term loosely) portion of the kayak. This should require the least help to absorb the curvature.
Thanks again for posting the very real concept issue. As you can see from my long book reply it got my juices flowing thinking about it.
Great boat! I will have a boat that I make myself
SMART , YET SIMPLE! GOOD JOB!
Awesome idea and great implementation! Thanks for the video!
Very nice project brother, thank you.
You should do a pull pin so you can tack it apart
Great job!!
Great video friend.
Great idea.thanks 🙏
Nice one, great tips.
Thanks 😊
Hey dude. I have this thing completely built. My hurdle. I had to use 3/8. Which failed miserably. Where did you find the tire with a 1/2 inch diameter
Wow-looks like something even I could build. Curious what the weight of that dolly is.
Complete cart/dolly weighs 15lbs.
Does the metal channel come in aluminum? I'll bet that would be a lot lighter.
Yes it does, but it’s harder to come by. The complete cart only weighs 15 lbs, so it not too heavy with the steel channel.
I made the mistake of buying one. Now I'm making my own.
Yep, that's usually how it goes. Quality is gone.
Thanks for this...did you just drill through the tube multiple places down the strut or did the two bolts hold it well enough for you. I have a fly craft fly fishing raft and while only 100 lbs I can't pull it off the river by myself at the river take outs...I am guessing I could just cut the strut wider to accept my raft...Thanks again.
I just did the two 1/4x20 bolts and it is quite secure. Glad the video gave you something to work with.
Best idea I've seen so far-I was going to suggest a lynch pin so you could break the cart down, I see someone already did. I notice your kayak looked a little crooked on the cart, is that an issue when you pull it? I wonder because that's an issue I have with my standard cart unless I loop the strap over twice and really cinch it down. I need to find those wheels.
Good eye! It was a little crooked in the shot. I did not have the strap cinched down like it would be for taking it on the trail so it wiggled a bit in the video when I moved it. If the strap is not tight it could move just a little. It did not present a problem when I ran it on a couple trails after I first made it. Since then I have wrapped the strut with 1” pipe insulation and some cable ties. The quality soft stuff not the cheap rigid kind. The kayak sits nice on it. Worked without it, but better with it.
One question; how do you know the wheels are spinning on the bearings rather than the rod?
One way is that as I mention in the video I wrapped the rod with some foil tape as a buffer. if the bearings were not spinning it would wear through the foil tape pretty quick. Even without the foil tape if the bearings were not spinning there would be wear marks on the top of the rod and the wheels would have some drag to them the heavier the load. That said would it really make much difference it the bearing spun or it just dragged on the rod, probably not. The bearings do make it super smooth and easy to pull though.
Great Video.... What is the diameter of the Wheels?
Thanks. They are 20” wheels.
Why do you need the strut... Is the round tube alone enough
The EMT conduit tube is just light duty thin wall conduit. It will not hold the weight without the strut.
Did you buy your wheels or get them off of an old bike?
Purchased them. Bike wheels don’t have the bearing loaded hubs or the right opening for this setup.
Neat idea!
Very nice and well built cart. But looking at the kayak, it feels like putting a V8 engine into a Pinto.
Are you using 20" or 16" wheels? This is the exact build I've been looking for!
They are 20”.
Do you leave the cart at the end of the trail where you launch the kayak or strap it to your kayak while you are out on it?
I cable lock it to a tree
Thank u
Welcome
great work. Thank you
Clever these Americans!
Genius
Could you give a part # for the wheels you got at grizzly and $$
They are part # H3042. Price fluctuates so best to see site for current price.
Think this would work as bicycle trailer?
As is no. With mods yes. At some point I hope to post a video showing how to make a kayak trailer for a bicycle. Got to get the plan off paper and into the shop.
@@mic4725 thanks for the response! I ended up building a wooden dolly. Only issue I'm having is that the my tire have too much rolling resistance. I use harbor freight tires for the test run. So I went with a pair like yours.
Where do you pit it after a portage?
I bring a cable bike lock with me a lock it to a tree or similar.
What do you do with it when ready to launch?
I bring a bicycle cable lock with me and lock it to a tree.
Can you build me one?
What diameter wheel is that?
They are 20” wheels
We're did u get the wheels
The ones in the video are from grizzly.com
nice looking one i need one for my kayak how long did it take for them to deliver? i didnt see that time frame for delivery
@@TheProgramjoyny back when I ordered the wheels it took about a week to get them.
What brand of kayak is that? Thanks
It’s a Walden Voyager