I'm close to Stångån here in Linköping, so there will be a lot of paddling there. I usually pull the kayak down on a cart and it works well with the Qajaq as well. However, my usual cart is too big to fit in the Qajaqen. Sure, I took it apart and it would probably work, but the wheel axles just go down.
So I decided to build a small mini wagon. The design was based on the fact that it could be placed behind the seat and clamped with e.g. a foam sponge. After some searching, I got hold of wheels with a diameter of 8 cm and a suitable wheel axle. The shaft is through, so I had to buy a really long drill.
The cart consists of a wooden cross that can be taken apart as the pieces go in half. the part that runs alongside the kayak is to make sure the cart doesn't tip over.
I measured out the hole for the axle in the "wheel part" of the cart with a little extra margin and then I taped a ruler and an angle hook as a target measurement to be able to drill reasonably straight. There is a bit to drill... It turned out a bit crooked, but after a little measuring and marking, it was easy to plan the plank down so that everything turned out as if the hole had ended up perfectly from the beginning.
Everything is treated with linseed oil and as protection I have taken pieces of ordinary sleeping mat. The axle and wheels are locked with two pairs of stop rings.
On the wheel part, I have attached a cut-off strap. At each end of the tensioning band I heated a hole with a round tip of the heat knife. I then put an eyelet in these holes. The straps are screwed on.
At first I only had a tensioning strap on the cart, but it turned out that it liked to turn around its plumb line. So I tried an extra strap on the part that runs along the kayak. I just attached the tape with the staple gun - maybe there will be a fancier attachment in the future.
Because the kayak is relatively pointed at the ends, the cart likes to slide backwards. I counteract this by tying the ends from the tension straps in the backrest rib.
A disadvantage of the cart is that it is quite low, so it is important to take it carefully because otherwise it is easy to scrape the stern when walking with the kayak. If I just want to go down and roll, I take the "big" cart, but if I want to be able to paddle away, it's convenient to bring this cart.
When I'm going to put the cart in the kayak, I take the two parts apart and place it lengthwise on top of the wheel part and lock it with the wheel part's strap. Being able to do this was part of the plan with the construction so therefore I have made the lower part of the longitudinal part from the top side of the wheel part. The top of the wheel part is made from a cut out cardboard template created from the kayak and the place on the kayak where I expected to have the cart.
I think the pram is ok, although a little more bumpy to walk with than the usual one because it is so low. If I had made it higher, there would be greater forces that want to make it bend, but something higher probably wouldn't have been a problem.
Unfortunately, I've noticed that the shaft and stop rings are rusting, so I'll have to put some 5-56 on them.
If you don't want to build your own wagon, you can buy one. Search for kayak trailer on Amazon.
Hi nice trolley.
Do you have any measurements / drawings of it?