April 2018
After taking the winter off from kayaking, it came to April and it was getting warm enough to go back into the water. The old method of using the portable kayak trailer was getting tiring. I wanted to create a method of transport for the kayak, me, my bike and all of my luggage.
First off, I re-connected the trailer (without kayak) to the bike.
Then I put the kayak's nose about a foot from the seat-post. This of course left the issue of an extra 2 metres of kayak hopelessly hanging off the back end, dragging on the floor.
This would be inefficient and damaging for the kayak.
I rummaged around and managed to find some lengths of wood, two 16" kids' wheels, and two shopping trolley wheels. I set up a little platform for the trolley wheels, bolted onto a block of wood, which was connected to a longer plank that was fastened onto the underbelly of the trolley.
First off, I re-connected the trailer (without kayak) to the bike.
Then I put the kayak's nose about a foot from the seat-post. This of course left the issue of an extra 2 metres of kayak hopelessly hanging off the back end, dragging on the floor.
This would be inefficient and damaging for the kayak.
I rummaged around and managed to find some lengths of wood, two 16" kids' wheels, and two shopping trolley wheels. I set up a little platform for the trolley wheels, bolted onto a block of wood, which was connected to a longer plank that was fastened onto the underbelly of the trolley.
This allowed for the trailing end of the kayak to have some added stability, and prevent it from hitting the ground. But it still wasn't sturdy enough.
Keeping in mind that my welder wasn't working at the time, I had to improvise with just using cable ties, rope, wood and bolts.
I found 2 old banisters for landings upstairs, and bolted them together with two smaller blocks of wood on each end. There was a hole in each end for bike wheels to be fastened to. I put the small wheels about 3/4 of the way down the plank, so that the kayak would be lifted a little higher.
Then I lashed the wheel set onto the plank, and re-attached it to the trolley and tied on the kayak.
In total, this was now an 8-wheeled vehicle.
Keeping in mind that my welder wasn't working at the time, I had to improvise with just using cable ties, rope, wood and bolts.
I found 2 old banisters for landings upstairs, and bolted them together with two smaller blocks of wood on each end. There was a hole in each end for bike wheels to be fastened to. I put the small wheels about 3/4 of the way down the plank, so that the kayak would be lifted a little higher.
Then I lashed the wheel set onto the plank, and re-attached it to the trolley and tied on the kayak.
In total, this was now an 8-wheeled vehicle.
I later used the Tandem Bike to tow the trailer and kayak too, however that was short-lived.
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