Regardless of whether you have to move one kayak around or three, learning about and selecting some of the very best kayak carts from the market could help you out considerably in more ways than you might have imagined.
The purpose of a kayak cart, is to get your kayak from your mode of transportation (trailer etc) or van, to the side of the water with ease. Whilst you might have initially planned on simply carrying your kayak from the car to the water, it may be a more difficult prospect than you thought. If you’re going kayaking on your own, this is even more applicable. Even if there’s two of you and you have a tandem kayak, using a kayak cart to get your boat down to the water offers the ultimate easy and most comfortable mode of on-land kayak transportation. It takes all of the weight of the boat, meaning all that you need to do is push it along in the correct direction.
[amazon table=”518″]
Whilst you might be unsure as to whether or not you really need a kayak cart, it’s more likely than not that you’ll find out the hard way if you do. For example, I you park up at a location with your kayak and find that it’s 500 feet to the water. Walking for 50 or even 100 feet with your kayak might not be too much of a problem, but for longer distances it’s sure to become more and more difficult very quickly!
In this guide, we’re going to go through some of the characteristics of a good kayak cart. In addition to advice, we’ll also provide you with our reviews of the best kayak carts on the market today, listing what we love about them as well as the key features that they have on offer.
What To Look For In A Kayak Cart
There’s no doubt that kayak carts are far more simple products than a lot of other kayaking relating products out there, such as transducers and life vests. However, there are some key features that you should ensure you are aware of and that you should look for in your new kayak cart.
How Does Your Kayak Attach To The Cart?
This is one of the most important points that you should consider. When looking at kayak carts, it’s important to take a look at your kayak at the same time, and consider which design of cart will be best designed to support your boat whilst it moves across land on its way to the water.
Kayak carts come in two main types of design. The first major design type is folding – the folding kayak cart folds out when it’s under the weight of the kayak. In order to keep your kayak securely housed on top, you’ll have to use some sort of ratchet or strong bungee strap. You could also use a material such as rope, but something like a ratchet strap is far more highly recommended, since its tightness and security can be more easily and more consistently adjusted.
The alternative type of kayak cart fitting is one that holds your kayak on via your kayak’s drainage holes. The cart is designed to fit between the drainage holes on your kayak and support it in this way.
Construction Material
The construction material of your kayak cart is very important. When selecting a cart, it goes without saying to make sure that it’s made from a high quality material, that is both light and most importantly, durable.
Whilst some carts may be available in steel, for example, it’s best to choose a cart that’s constructed from aluminium or something similar. Aluminium is the perfect choice, since it’s cost-effective, strong, durable, and lightweight.
Appropriate Tire Style
The type and style of tyre that you choose to opt for on your kayak cart without doubt come from one of two categories. The first being hard plastic tires, similar to those that you might find on a shopping trolley, and the second being classic inflatable rubber tyres, such as those found on a car (but smaller, of course).
Small plastic tyres can bring the cost of a cart down considerably. However, you should also be aware that in addition to not allowing the cart to be nearly as easy to push as the larger rubber alternatives, they can also put a lot more wear and tear on you cart as opposed to rubber tires. This is due to the fact that any force inflicted on the plastic wheels from a bump or hole in the ground will not be absorbed by the tires, and instead sent directly up into the frame of the cart. With large and absorbent rubber tyres, however, this force is more easily taken by the tire and is not transferred to the frame of the cart nearly as much.
This is also an especially important point to consider if you’re going to be taking your kayak cart to the beach. If your cart is going to be taken over any sandy areas, doing so with small plastic wheels will be almost impossible, due to the fact that they will simply sink into the sand and get stuck. A larger and wider pair of rubber tires on the other hand, will handle the job of transporting your kayak along the beach very well indeed.
The Best Kayak Carts
Suspenz Smart Airless DLX
Without a doubt, the Suspenz Smart Airless DLX is one of the best kayak carts out there today. To start with, it’s constructed from aluminium, meaning that it is not only lightweight, but very durable and cost-effective too.
Although the tires that are sitted to the DLX are airless, they are of a large rubber design, meaning they’ll easily move over sand and more rough terrains that smaller plastic wheels would have a more difficult time on.
In order to make sure the underside of your kayak is kept in its best condition, the frme has been fitted with rubber padding that keeps the shell of your boat from pressing against the aluminium frame.
Key Features
- Weight capacity of 125 lbs
- Lightweight and durable design thanks to the aluminium construction
- Large airless tires that make moving over a variety of terrain types effortless
- Rubber padding to protect your kayak whilst in transit
Malone Xpress – Scupper Mounting Kayak Cart
The Malone Xpress is a slightly different kayak art to those others that we have reviewed. As we mentioned previously in the “what to look for” section of our guide, kayak carts come in two different types – scupper mounting and folding.
The Malone Xpress is a kayak cart that uses the scupper/drainage mounts of your kayak as a mount to hold you boat securely in place on top of the cart. It goes without saying, therefore, that the Malone Xpress can only be used with those kayaks that are fitted out with drainage points.
If you’re worried about the Malone Xpress not being able to cater to the amount of space between the drainage points on your kayak, don’t be! The cart is adjustable to any size between 6 and a half and 16 and a half inches. As a result, the Malone Xpress can comfortably accommodate a very large variety of different kayaks.
Storing the Malone Xpress is very easy too – once the wheels are removed, the remaining metal frame stores down to being almost flat. It’s perfect for slotting into a tighter space in your car trunk.
Key Features
- 150 lbs load capacity
- Can support many different kayak shapes and sizes
- Only suitable for those kayaks with scupper drains
- Very easy to store away thanks to the fact that it’s nearly flat after having wheels removed
Malone Clipper – Strong Deluxe Universal Kayak Cart
Sometimes, there comes a time in your kayaking when you might just need to transport your boat with that little extra weight. Worry not, the Malone Clipper is perfect for just that.
The Malone Clipper, has an extremely impressive load capacity of up to 200 lbs. Considering that the average kayak weighs in at less than 60 lbs, you’ll easily be able to transport a kayak as well as extra items on top of the Malone Clipper. It’s important to remember though that if doing so, you should be sure that all extras are tied down and secured safely and appropriately.
The wheels on the Malone Clipper are fairly large at 10” in size. They’re also designed to be completely anti-puncture. Not only will these large wheels sail over rough ground easily, they won’t become flat doing so.
Similarly to the Malone Xpress, the Malone Clipper’s wheels can be removed, allowing the rest of the frame to be stored flat wherever you would like whilst in transit.
Key Features
- Extremely strong, with a load capacity of 200 pounds
- Large never-flat wheels – great for moving over more rough terrain
- Can be folded completely flat, making for easy storage and transportation
Apex KC Dolly Seat
The Apex KC is a little different to all of the other kayak carts in our guide, and for one main reason – it acts as a seat in addition to being an effective kayak cart! Who would have thought?
The Apex KC features an aluminium frame, meaning it’s lightweight and hardwearing – not to mention comfortable! The large rubber tires on the Apex KC mean that it can move effortlessly along.
If you’re looking for a kayak cart that you can also use as a seat (or even as a rest for anything else that you would like for that matter), then it’s without doubt the one to go for!
Key Features
- 195 lbs load capacity
- Doubles up very usefully as a comfortable seat as well as a kayak cart
- Lightweight and hardwearing design, thanks to the sturdy aluminium construction
- Large rubber tires that can move the kayak and cart along different terrains easily
Bonnlo Kayak Cart – Cheap Kayak Cart
The Bonnlo Kayak cart bosts the advantage of being one of the easiest to use kayak carts on the market. It’s based on a simple design that can support a load capacity of up to 165 lbs, and is also very easy to build and take apart for storage and transport.
The Bonnlo is kitted out with well-sized rubber tires that are perfect for helping transport the cart and your kayak across the land, on your way to the water.
The Bonnlo is kitted out with a loaded spring design, meaning that it’s easy to load you kayak onto the cart, as well as keep it secure once on. The large 10 inch tires are constructed from rubber too, meaning they can transport your kayak easily and safely. Accessories to the Bonnlo cart also include a 5’ bungee strap, as well as a 12’ strap for securing your kayak once on board.
Key Features
- Weight capacity of 165 lbs
- Easy to build and take apart
- Large 10” tires that make for very easy moving
- Wrapped in foam padding to ensure that you boat is protected once loaded on
- Spring loaded meaning getting your kayak on top is easily done
TMS Cart – Deluxe Kayak Cart
The TMS Deluxe Kayak Cart is well-known for being one of the best kayak carts on the market. With a load capacity of 120 lbs and a lightweight construction, the TMS makes for the ideal mode of transport for your kayak from land to water.
To keep your boat mark-free, it’s wrapped in foam padding to protect the kayak’s shell. Thanks to the large 9.5” tires, you can easily pull your kayak over sand and different surface types when it’s on top of the TMS Deluxe Kayak Cart.
The TMS Cart is constructed from a combination of steel and aluminium, making it both lightweight and very strong. It’s also very easy to disassemble and pack away for storage.
Key Features
- Sturdy and durable construction that’s designed to last
- Carrying capacity of 120 lbs
- Large and supportive tires that are 9.5” in size
- Foam wrapped to ensure scratch-free transportation of your kayak