Why I bought a Kayak-ity-Yak kayak trailer to haul my kayak with. Let me tell you loading a 95-pound Old Town Sportsman 120 Salty PDL kayak (since sold) onto the roof of a 2020 Toyota RAV4 is a challenge. No matter how careful I was I still ended up with dents all along the top edge of my car. I was lucky enough to not drop the kayak and take out a mirror or put out my back after a full day on the water fishing. Twice some helpful strangers in the parking lot watch me struggling and helped me get it loaded up and that was great! One time the plastic folding step I used to give me 14” of vertical help getting it up shattered under me and all though I was able to keep the kayak under control this could have ended up being much worse than it turned out. It was after this trip that I knew I had to figure something else out like a trailer.
Is it Time for a Kayak Trailer?
After some time researching, I discovered a couple of different options for kayak trailers. Malone makes a great trailer but at the time they where all out of stock and the price point was a little more than I could handle. My next option was a company based out of Severn Ontario called Kayak-ity-Yak Inc. Kayak-ity-Yak Inc. was established in 2011 and they have several dealers throughout Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. They offer several different trailer setups building on a base model all with real good price points and several upgrades you can add to your trailer package. I purchased my TR15-GLV-RT Angler trailer from one of the authorized dealers that was closest to my home location which was C & R Kayaks in St Catharines, Ontario. Rob at C & R Kayak was very friendly and helpful in getting alll the need information to me right away to get my new trailer plated and ready to go.
Featuring a fully galvanized welded frame and a length of 15 feet overall with a tongue that retracts to 9 foot in length for vertical storage. This very maneuverable trailer has a net weight from 201-280 pounds (depending on the style) and a rated load capacity of 650 pounds. These kayak trailers are transport Canada approved and come with a one year coupler to bumper warranty. Configurations include single and a two-tier system with the two-tier coming with a low center mast or a tall center mast. Options available are a spare tire, swing away jack stand with wheel, and a few other things to fit your needs. Checkout the Kayak-ity-Yak website for full details.
In the times I have used the trailer I am happy with how it handles. The suspension works well considering the unloaded trailer only weighs 240 lbs. It does not bounce all over road and tracks very well. The long tongue makes backing up a breeze even though (depending on the tow vehicle) you can lose sight of the trailer at times. Being very low it is easy to load and unload your kayak without any issues. I highly recommend checking out these Kayak-ity-Yak kayak trailers.
I purchased my Kayak-ity-Yak TR15-GLV-RT Angler-78″ Trailer near the end of the 2020 season and did not get the chance to use it until this year. Since then, I sold my Old Town Salty 120 PDL and moved into a 2020 Hobie PA12 360. Because I did not need the 78” crossbars most of the time I changed them out to 48” bars to keep the trailers over all width narrower. I decided to use the Hobie kayak cradle system, so I also needed to fabricate an extra mount for a 3rd crossbar to have the 67” space between the cradles (the trailers crossbars are at 48” apart). I am also building a locking system so I can secure my Hobie to the trailer to deter any potential thieves. I will post more about this at another time. Reach out if you have any questions!