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Getting your kayak to the water.

Once you get to your favourite paddling spot, you’re going to need to get your kayak to the water's edge. Car parks, roads and tracks aren’t always conveniently located, so you’ll often find yourself needing to find some way to transport your kayak the final few hundred yards.

 

Carrying

You can always carry your kayak on your own! Here at Conwy Kayaks, we move kayaks around all day, every day; we’re old hats at it and have our technique down to a tee. Some of the team can even be seen wandering around with a two-person kayak on their shoulder! 

But we don’t recommend you do that; carrying a kayak on your own can be risky. A kayak's happy place is on the water; that’s where they’re designed to be, not flapping around in the breeze on your shoulder. A kayak can be unwieldy and unpredictable, especially in windy conditions!

We know that not everybody moves their kayak every day, so it goes without saying that you’re going to need a helping hand.

Carrying a kayak with two people is by far the easiest and safest way to carry your kayak. For this reason, all our kayaks come with front and rear carry handles. With one person hoisting at each end, carrying your kayak really is a doddle.

However, this does mean you will either need to have two people going out at the same time or else hope there will be helpful friendly soul around where you plan to paddle. At the very least, if you are using a single-person kayaks, this is going to mean multiple trips back to the car.

 

Trundling

If you are on your own, this is where the trusty kayak cart comes in.

Kayak carts are lightweight trolleys with two wheels, which fit to the kayak and make single person transportation much easier and more convenient. After all, you want to be spending your time on the water, not getting a workout carrying your kayak back and forth.

Kayak carts are usually classified by their upper weight limit. While most users will likely never use a 60kg rated kayak cart to move 60kg in weight, the weight rating gives you a better idea of the size and suitability of the cart.

The higher the weight rating, typically the wider the track (distance between the wheels) for the cart is likely to be. This, in turn, brings greater stability but at the cost of a slightly wider frame which may be more difficult to stow.

  

Which style of cart?

Cradle style

Some carts act as a cradle; the kayak sits in the cradle and is secured in place with a strap. This makes the cart more versatile and means it can be used for moving all kinds of lightweight watercraft.

Goal post style

Some carts feature adjustable rugby goal (‘H’ style) posts which fit into the scupper holes of most sit on top kayaks.

These are smaller and more lightweight but are limited to use with sit on top kayaks with scupper holes.

  

What sort of tyre do I need?

Pneumatic tyres

Pneumatic tyres are rubber and filled with air. They are hard-wearing and economical, but there is always the possibility for punctures and the need for repairs.

With pneumatic tyres, it is possible to reduce the pressure in the tyres for use on in situations such as soft sand but you will then need to carry a pump for reinflation of the tyres.

Flat free tyres

Flat free tyres are a style of solid plastic tyre. Made from a moulded polyurethane rubber compound, these tyres are a little more expensive, but only by a couple of pounds per cart.

As the name suggests, they can never go flat, meaning they will give years and years of maintenance free service. There truly is no real downside to flat free tyres, aside from being limited in that the pressure can not be adjusted.