How to Choose a Kayak Cart

Fishing kayaks may feel light and easy when they’re in the water, but they can be downright heavy and cumbersome on land. In fact, for many paddlers, getting their fishing kayak to the water is the hardest part.

That’s where kayak carts and their portage wheels come in. We'll help you get to know all about kayak carts and their benefits, as well as some popular models to choose from.

Kayak carts can be your very best friend when it comes to getting your fishing kayak from your vehicle or trailer to the water. Even more so when you have your fishing kayak loaded with additional gear and tackle. A top-of-the-line Vibe Shearwater 125 loaded-up will weigh about 92 pounds, and a Vibe Sea Ghost 110 hull will weigh 62 pounds.

Kayak Carts Allow For Ease of Transportation

With all of this said, we need an easy way to get our heavy kayak rigs to the water’s edge from our transport vehicle, and that's precisely where you want to be using a kayak cart – so you take the strain and weight off your back and shoulders, and you use a kayak cart to act as a fulcrum so that you can easily displace the weight and pull the kayak to the waterline.

There are many types of kayak carts sold, as well as DIY options available with a search online, but for simplicity's sake, here are a couple terrific kayak carts that will do everything you need them to do.

Kayak Carts Take Strain Off Your Back & Body

No matter who you are or how old you are, your back is taking a beating by lifting and moving your kayak around - whether you're moving it only occasionally or every weekend. Every kayak owner should do themselves - and their body - a favor and buy a kayak cart as an essential piece of household gear. Your back will thank you later.

Popular Kayak Cart Models

The C-Tug by Railblaza

One of the more popular kayak carts is the C-Tug made by Railblaza. It's strong and sturdy and makes it easy to strap your kayak to the cart and roll your way across pavement, or dirt and small rocks, or even hard beach. The cool thing is, all of the parts are replaceable if you anything ever needs replacing, and the unit breaks down for storage, and requires no tools for disassembly or assembling.

This cart will fit most kayaks due to its adjustable pads and it's corrosion free, so it can be used on or near saltwater. The maximum load weight is about 300-pounds/120kg static loading.

If you are in the market for a kayak cart you can check out the C-Tug here.

Malone Nomad by Malone

Specifically designed for smaller storage requirements, the highly popular Malone Nomad is a rugged kayak cart with 10" airless "Never-Go-Flat" all terrain tires and a folding non-corrosive anodized aluminum frame.The 150 pounds/68 kg capacity frame easily supports larger kayaks. It also includes oversize foam padding and a cam buckle load strap.

The Malone Nomad kayak cart can be checked out here.

Kayak carts are a wise and long-term investment that your body will appreciate even more over time. Good vibes!