DIY W Fishing Kayak One Wheel Trolley
John Putnam is a kayak fisherman from eastern Massachusetts who likes to fish the beaches and small lakes in the southeastern part of the state, where few other fishermen venture. The access to those places is sometimes very difficult, and therefore requires an all-terrain solution for portaging.
A kayak or canoe trolley would be expensive and bulky to carry onboard, and might not be up to the task in particularly hard to access spots.
John’s DIY solution is simply brilliant: Use the W kayak as a wheelbarrow, with a wide wheel attached in the space below the hull tips. The wheel is mounted on a lightweight, plastic tube frame, which itself can be attached to the boat with just one strap going between the hulls.
John’s ‘all terrain’ 2007 W Fishing Kayak:
Tags: fishing kayak, fishing kayaks, kayak outfitting, kayak trolley, portaging, rigged fishing kayak, rigging fishing kayaks, trolley
July 1st, 2008 at
I don’t quite get how it’s attached to the boat, but it looks like a perfect solution. I guess that wheel must be hollow
Avaz B
July 1st, 2008 at
I wish i could come up with such ideas…
Blue
July 2nd, 2008 at
Looks like there’s a strap going below the saddle to the other side, where it’s probably attached to something else. More pictures would be helpful.
July 2nd, 2008 at
The attachment is very basic. A piece of pipe on top of the hulls on both ends. Run a manual pull locking strap under the saddle and pull both of the pipes together. You can now tie off the frame of the wheel on either end of the W. You may want to bolt a piece of wood to the pipes so the wheel frame will have something square to butt up against.
Enjoy
John Putnam
July 4th, 2008 at
I have to find a way to do this. I bought a Kayak trolley for use with my Wyak and it just didn’t work. Kept sliding off.