Kayak Trailer

[Technoviking]

Well its been quite some time since I started this project, I had finished building the steel frame for the trailer back in January and it has been sitting in my garage painted and waiting for the ply.
Today I finally finished it! I know it sounds a little over the top building a trailer for one kayak, but this yak is a monster, its the Jackson Big Tuna at 4.3 meters long and almost 90cm across and weighs a hefty 46kgs empty it would be quite a challenge loading this on top of my ute by myself after paddling all day.
I wanted a kayak that could be converted into a double paddler for the family and a single for fishing trips and the big tuna ticked all the boxes.
Anyway back to the trailer, I picked up a rusty old trailer with a ruined frame for $150, all I wanted was the axle, wheels, wheel arches, draw bar, loom, lights and other misc stuff which would have cost quite a bit more than the $150 that I paid.
I basically copied the exact dimensions of the old trailer so I could reuse the front and rear fold down gates and original parts.
The frame is made from 25x50x4 rhs and the ribs from 50x50x2 shs, and finished with 12mm marine ply and 2 x 90mm PVC pipes with caps that run the length of the trailer gaped to fit the big tuna's keel (about 50mm) which I will use for one piece rods and flag storage while under tow, I have seen a fair few people on youtube use this method to transport their kayaks, it helps support the entire keel length of the kayak to help prevent buckling/denting on hot days. This PVC setup makes sliding the kayak on and off the trailer incredibly effortless, i just attach the kayak trolley, unstrap the kayak, grab the front grip and slide it off the back onto the attached trolley and wheel it away, ( did some dry runs today to see how easy it would be)

I think in total I had spent just over $600 (not including rego and wof) for a light weight dual purpose trailer.
To convert the trailer back normal, I undo 6 bolts holding the PVC pipe, lift the front gate up and lock, and attach the tail gate (10 minutes tops)
Im thinking I may swap out the nuts for wing nuts.

Part 2 of this project with be to make a removable rack to transport additional kayaks.

All in all im really happy with the trailer and I cant wait to take it out when im not on call!

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[Stinky inky]

looks smart, very tidy work by the looks of it, like that idea of using the PVC tubes as a cradle and rod storage.
I use a trailer all the time even tho my yak is far lighter than yours, so not overkill at all having a dedicated set up.

[Hainesy]

Nicely done.... def some good thought gone into the design & build

[Technoviking]

Thanks fellas!
With all this amazing weather we are having here I am chomping at the bit to get out on the water!

[MikeAqua]

How did you secure the pipes to the deck?

[FatherOfMany]

Nice work Viking,

I've got this at the moment and you're right, it's such a pleasure rolling the kayak from the trolley onto there. My Predator XL also weighs around 50kgs and this is just SO much better than rooftop.

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I've seen some videos with guys using the PVC piping and am thinking of doing something similar so that I can fit a second kayak on there, but I still want the XL to fit right in the middle when stored.

[Technoviking]

How did you secure the pipes to the deck?

I drilled an 8mm hole all the way through the pipe and used a step drill to enlargen the top hole to fit my 13mm socket so i could then bolt the pipe down through the trailer timber, securing it with a washer and nut under the trailer.