thinking about getting a kayak dolly…what’s everyones favorite (or ones to avoid)? I have a tarpon 12 and native 12 and would like for it to work on both.
dolphin d can help you
I just got one made by seattle sports called the sidekick i think. I wouldn’t recommend it. Very awkward to use. It only works to strap right in the middle of the yak, so when you grab the front to pull it, the stern drags the ground. Also is difficult to remember which way you have to put it on to keep it from folding up under the yak since both front and back look so similar. One plus is it is very small and the wheels can come off for storage in the bow hatch if you want to.
Take no prisoners! … catch and release
I would make your own… PVC and some wheels from Northern tool will be easya nd cheap. My brother has a Tarpon 140 and got PVC to go int he scupper holes at his feet, ran them down to an “H” and dropped some wheels through the sides. It looks like a big “H” and the wheels come off and are held in place by coter pins. The whole things breaks down and fits in his bow hatch. The PVC through the scupper holes get rid of the need for a strap. It works really well and I think it only cost about $12… let me know and I can see if he will take some pix and send them to me… You should be abel to rig up one for your native but it’ll probably need a strap since they doen have scupper holes… PVC is a wonderful thing my friend… 
“I’ll be your huckleberry…” --Doc Holiday
so what is better? having the dolly on one end(bow mount)? or closer to the middle(thru scupper holes)
My brothers go through the scuppers near the front and he uses the rear handle to guide/steer the yak. very stable and easy to control. The weight of the yak keeps it seated on the cart and unless you are going down a 80 degree bank I doubt it would get away from you… I would imagine that a bow mount would work just as well as long as you had a stable base…
“I’ll be your huckleberry…” --Doc Holiday
i was wodering wheather the scupper hole were fwd enough(they are located in teh fwd footwell) to allow me to pick up the back with out the front scraping, I went by Northern, picked up a pair of 16’ wheels, stopped by lowes and grabed an assortment of PVC fittings, I’ll post pics of tyhe finished product when I get it done
Made this during lunch one day, to bad I sold it with my last boat(tarpon 140). Centered it up in the middle of the yak so it was balanced evenly. Went down the beach and through the dunes with out any problem, cheap too. Instead of using the scupper holes I would run the straps through the side handles. It didn’t take much effort to push or pull it, which made it a lot easier to drink a beer on the return. Easy on and easy off, just roll the cart in water, unstrap it and let the boat drift off and roll the cart to the dunes. Thought about making something that brakes down so I could put it in the boat. Didn’t like the idea about the extra weight in the yak, plus wherever I’m going to putin, well that’s where I’m taken out too.
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tarpon 160
Mud
Parton and the twins have always been my favorite
quote:
Originally posted by 5151Parton and the twins have always been my favorite
Took me a minute, but that is funny!!
Go Buckeyes!!! No, Seriously, GO!!!
finnaly finished my dolly, went with skinny tires to try and keep the width down( I drag it down walkways and docks, if I were crossing sand, I would have gone with the fat tires. I intintionally made it tall so I wouldn’t have to bend over or worry about the back dragging while rolling it around.After I finished it, I figured out if I had made the horizontal guides a little longer(still may go back and change it, I could just drag the yak over the dolly and it would lock it self right in.
Sorry it took so long… I just go the pix from my brother… He used bigger wheels since he goes on the sand sometimes… I have seen pretty good wheels at Northern for about $5 or so. I also saw prettty much the same rig using plastic wheels from a kids toy wagon…
he also added these instructions…
I went to Northern tools and got a 1/2" threaded steel dowel 2’ long. and 2 inflatable wheels. I went to Home Depot and got some PVC. I made sure it would fit the scupper holes of my T-140. I pieced it all together and made sure it worked and fit correctly then used PVC primer and glue to permanently connect it. I spent about $10 per wheel, $3 for the 8’ piece of PVC, and $9 for the Dowel and hardware. Well worth it and it works great! Hope this works for you.
Fresh fish tastes much better than fresh kissed butt…
i use my reels on wheels beach cart and take the handle off. tie the yak to cart and then pull whole thing by the yak handle or with a yoke. then i just tie the cart on the back of the yak with the front wheel jammed in behind the seat and the big wheels are like mini outriggers. i can use the rod holders and storage on the cart but i wouldt troll that way because it might get tippy. this combo allows for moving a bunch of gear by land or sea. this works well for my sit in perception(but scares the debidu crew cause they think i might stay and the gate dont work).
we dont need no reservations we dont need no cruise control