Canoe cart

[EagleCrag]

Anyone have any recommendations for a canoe cart? I've been looking at them online but it appears most are not designed for rough terrain. Recommendations on ones to avoid are also appreciated.

[Bob K]

I have one that looks like ge ABN and TMS brands on Amazon. Wide tube tires around 10" diameter with aluminum frame. A second I own has a wider base but similar pneumatic tires and a heavier SS frame that comes apart for storage. Wheels can removed for storage in kayak.

Both are great but require secure fastening to canoe including straps from rear brackets to rear of boat and front to something well in front ( dont just strap around middle of boat - trust me on this). Maintaining alignment while traveling is key.i often tow by bike for miles, and easily go 3-4 miles at 5-10 mph. Can pull by shoulder strap too.

If walking over very rough terrain ( rocks and roots), larger diamater tires advised. Try to minimize weight in boat particularly up hill.

[billconner]

I like my Supenz. https://suspenz.com/products/all-ter...y-airless-cart Have even used it to move pieces of trees that I can't lift. Like Bob says, took me a while to figure out how to lash canoe to cart. I don't go around, but rather from cart to forward thwart to rear thwart to cart, on each side. Only down side is it's heavy if you do have to carry, and doesn't fit easily in narrow solos.

[Wldrns]

The Suspenz style cart is a derivative of what was once called the "Canadian Walker" from 20 or more years ago. I've used them over the years to transport heavy 30' voyageur and other canoes at a fast running pace during the Adirondack 90 miler on rough rocky and exposed root carries.
True with any cart, if you are not careful and creative (and practiced) on how you (quickly) tie it down, when one wheel or both strike an obstacle, the canoe can easily shift to off balance aft on the cart, and worse it may angle out of line on the supports, making for difficulties on the run.

The best thing about this style is it does not have a low wheel-to-wheel through axle which on other styles can get caught on rocks and other center high obstacles on a lumpy rough portage trail.

[St.Regis]

I have a Canadian Walker and I like it because it's heavy duty

[stripperguy]

I have a Roll Eez cart, now known as Wheel Eez
Low pressure polyurethane tires, no straight axle to hang up on rocks or stumps.
It easily rolls over mud, sand, rocks, stumps
I’ve had it for about 25 years and it still works well

[swampthing]

After years of humping a canoe with a pack frame, I just purchased a cart to use on some of my longer trips. While lashing down such things as paddles and poles is obvious, what tips does anyone have to keep gear from sliding around on the bottom of the canoe ? Non-slip carpet underlayment mat?

[billconner]

I have little loose gear. Two packs that fit snug and I bungee dealy bob the paddles to the thwarts. Any other loose items go in pack pockets.

[MTVhike]

I have an Suspenz EZ Airless cart, which I got for my 85 lb Royalex canoe; used it once to get to Boreas Ponds dam from the 4 Corners PA. I don't have that canoe anymore, "traded" it for a pair of Hornbecks, and was wondering if I could use the cart to tow one of my Hornbecks behind a bicycle (since the road to Boreas Ponds is closed).

[swampthing]

After years of carrying my canoe on a pack frame, I’m now a canoe cart convert. However, I’m struggling to figure out the best way to tow behind a mountain bike. After constructing and breaking several towing setups I am looking for something better. Currently, I ubolt a pipe to my bike’s top bar. It’s pretty simple but seems to work. Any suggestions are appreciated.

PS - Thanks Bob K. For suggesting Lashing the canoe front and back to the cart to maintain alignment.

[Bob K]

Boat towing setup behind bike


What works well for me is ?" copper pipe secured to rear bike rack by an adjustable pipe clamp(s). An eye bolt around 8" behind the rear wheel has a snap bolt hanging down below.


Mount a front extension from canoe with 8-10" in front of bow. I used an old Xc ski secured at bow and also via U -bolt facing down to front thwart. Another U bolt facing up at very front connects to the snap bolt hanging down behind the bike.


Experience shows that some flex in the suspension helps with bumpy roads and to go fast. After snapping the boat, I use multiple wraps of bungee cord to give the suspension some bounce. The bow extension is short on my Lost Pond boat (10.5'). On my RapidFire the extension is long as the front thwart is several ft behind the bow. The xc ski flex surely helps.


This works extremely well IF everything is secure. You must test this and assure all connections are tight. This includes thwarts and bike rack mounting. After first downhill stop, check and tighten everything. Vibration is dramatic at speed.


Strapping wheels to front and rear of boat is essential. You will need long straps. I mounted webbing loops to canoe stern to facilitate. Alignment is key.


Minimize weight in towed boat. I use rear bags on bike rack for heavy stuff.


You will have to ride the brake on steep downhills. Watch for big rocks and dips in rd. Walk up steep hills. Can easily exceed 10 mph on flat good rd. for extended periods. You'll be surprised at ease of transport once you get it right.

[Zach]

My experience with towing a canoe with a bicycle is mainly on pavement and dirt roads, and may not be suitable for some places people go on mountain bikes, but for what it's worth here it is. I bought a Paddleboy canoe trailer in 2014 when I built my first canoe. It is an added tongue that connects to one of their canoe carts. The design was good as far as it went, and the idea of attaching the tongue to the rear axle is great, as it keeps the trailer from pushing the bike around when braking. The connector they used was made of some type of plastic and each one only lasted a few hundred miles before the plastic fatigued and broke. I bought a couple of spares from them and then I bought some 3/4" aluminum rod and copied the shape of the plastic parts with it. The aluminum connector I have on the trailer now has been going strong for 6 years and a few thousand miles, and I made two so I could still carry a spare.

In 2016 I realized that the 16" bike wheels on the canoe trailer were of fairly low quality and I couldn't get the bearings to stay tight, so I decided to build a trailer using two spare front wheels the same size as the one on my bike (700C). This had two other benefits also. The big wheels roll better and go over bumps more easily, and the spare tubes and tire I carry could be used on the bike or the trailer as needed. Since I built the new trailer I've never had a flat on it. I kept the original connector that went from the front of the tongue to the bike axle but i made everything else new, from aluminum. The wheels are outside the canoe instead of under it, so the footprint is close to 4 feet wide, but this also helps it not to tip over if one wheel goes over something.

I carry all my camping stuff in the canoe when towing it with the bike, so the weight of the canoe and load is around 80 pounds, depending how much food I'm carrying. I have gotten up to 37 or 38 MPH with this on downhills with no problems, except if the load shifts too far forward. I generally stop every 10 miles or so and check the tongue weight to make sure it's balanced.

If I was looking for a cheap-ish way to make a canoe trailer I would be tempted to buy one of those child seat trailers that people have on Craigslist or Facebook sometimes, and take off the body and lengthen the tongue, and add something to hold the canoe. I'm not sure, but I think that would work, although it would be a bit harder to provide rigid support for the front end of the canoe since usually the tongue on those is offset, rather than centered.

[Addryn]

My experience with towing a canoe with a bicycle Tomasso is mainly on pavement and dirt roads, and may not be suitable for some places people go on mountain bikes, but for what it's worth here it is. I bought a Paddleboy canoe trailer in 2014 when I built my first canoe. It is an added tongue that connects to one of their canoe carts. The design was good as far as it went, and the idea of attaching the tongue to the rear axle is great, as it keeps the trailer from pushing the bike around when braking. The connector they used was made of some type of plastic and each one only lasted a few hundred miles before the plastic fatigued and broke. I bought a couple of spares from them and then I bought some 3/4" aluminum rod and copied the shape of the plastic parts with it. The aluminum connector I have on the trailer now has been going strong for 6 years and a few thousand miles, and I made two so I could still carry a spare.

In 2016 I realized that the 16" bike wheels on the canoe trailer were of fairly low quality and I couldn't get the bearings to stay tight, so I decided to build a trailer using two spare front wheels the same size as the one on my bike (700C). This had two other benefits also. The big wheels roll better and go over bumps more easily, and the spare tubes and tire I carry could be used on the bike or the trailer as needed. Since I built the new trailer I've never had a flat on it. I kept the original connector that went from the front of the tongue to the bike axle but i made everything else new, from aluminum. The wheels are outside the canoe instead of under it, so the footprint is close to 4 feet wide, but this also helps it not to tip over if one wheel goes over something.

I carry all my camping stuff in the canoe when towing it with the bike, so the weight of the canoe and load is around 80 pounds, depending how much food I'm carrying. I have gotten up to 37 or 38 MPH with this on downhills with no problems, except if the load shifts too far forward. I generally stop every 10 miles or so and check the tongue weight to make sure it's balanced.

If I was looking for a cheap-ish way to make a canoe trailer I would be tempted to buy one of those child seat trailers that people have on Craigslist or Facebook sometimes, and take off the body and lengthen the tongue, and add something to hold the canoe. I'm not sure, but I think that would work, although it would be a bit harder to provide rigid support for the front end of the canoe since usually the tongue on those is offset, rather than centered.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Heard that Paddleboy makes good canoe trailers