Canoe Carts

[Dave Bourque]

I'm looking for any advice on canoe carts. I ready to purchase one. I'm looking for something that is rugged so it can take a beating and handle heavy loads. I'm willing to spend more money to get a quality product. I've been searching on-line to find there are numerous choices - many of which seem very similar. Is there a cart out there that is clearly better than the rest? Thanks.

 

[nartreb]

VFTT has a members-only forum called Paddle Park, you can join from your Profile page on VFTT (Permission Groups, left column).

The forum isn't very active but it does archive old threads where this question has come up before, here's one:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?25793-Kayak-portage-wheels

Where will you be using the cart? Anyplace other than a paved road, a sandy beach, or a very well-maintained lawn, you're going to be disappointed.

 

[Stan]

Can't address a specific brand but I have a foldable cart for a 21' tandem kayak which makes it reasonable to carry on long paddles requiring portages. For rough portages, i.e. anything in the wilds, I'd go for a cart with the largest wheels but the tradeoff there is for compactness. I look on line for what I need but try to see the item in stores to assure quality and features. Of course, this is a good time of year to get canoe carts on sale.

 

[sardog1]

I've been very pleased with the Suspenz Smart AIRLESS DLX Cart
They have a number of other models that you might want to look at as well.

 

[TEO]

I've been very pleased with the Suspenz Smart AIRLESS DLX Cart

I have an L.L. Bean cart like this one, except that the wheels are like those on the cart that Sardog1 has. It is fine for short distances, with an empty canoe, but the wheels and tires are pretty cheap and I'm not impressed with the quality of the tires. The rim broke on my first or second use. (Of course L.L. Bean gave replaced the cart.) Also, the wheels are pretty small diameter, which makes them less than ideal for rough terrain. So, I would not recommend any of the carts with the wheels like what Sardog's & mine have. Unfortunately, most canoe & kayak carts have this type of cheap, small wheel.


Instead, I would recommend this type of cart: Seattle Sports All Terrain Center Cart.

While I cannot attest to the build quality, it would appear to be solid, the wheels are much larger diameter & appear to be much better quality, & as a center cart, it will carry the weight much better than one designed to attach to the bow or stern. In the past L.L. Bean carried either this cart or one similar. It's not showing on their webpage now, but you might want to check to see if they'll have it next spring, or if it is available from one of their stores.

 

[Nessmuk]

you want to look for a cart with large wheels and no low through axle. The wheels should be mounted individually and directly to the frame as they are shown in Teo's. A common axle will only get hung up on rocks, logs, and other high obstacles. i have used what was formerly called called the Canadian Walker style (essentially the same as Teo's Seattle Sports model) to haul heavy voyageur canoes on a dead run bouncing over rocks and roots on the 90 mile canoe race in the Adirondacks, and it has held up well. The only problem is the bearings tend to go bad after a few trips if they are run through wet sand. Fairly easy to repair/replace the bearings, but those kind of wheels are originally meant only for kids bicycles, so a very high quality version of the wheel is not really available as a replacement.

 

[Ignomer]

I got a used double jogging stroller a few years back. I took all that pesky baby holding fabric off, and removed the front wheel. I've pushed and pulled my canoe or kayak on it a couple hundred miles over some decently rough terrain. I also have one of the foldable kayak carts with the eight inch wheels (possibly from ll bean?) that hasn't moved an inch since I got the jogging stroller. It's not exactly easy to get it to fit into the canoe, but I've managed to keep it out of the way of my fishing rods as well as me and the other person in the canoe.