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Portage cart help

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WNY south of Buffalo (closer to Turtle than he rea
Now that I'm starting to get old, I'm contemplating a cart for my canoes. Questions are: short fat wheels or higher thin wheels? Inflatable tires or solid tires? Brands to avoid? I can see advantages/disadvantages to both. I'm open to advice/ideas/suggestions. From the side of the garage to the truck to the waters edge is about as far as I want to carry any more.

Thanx in advance.

Jon
 
Need more info... Are there rocks roots, stairs involved. Do you want to use it for actual portaging?

Wheels that slide under and end are tiring and just about impossible up a rocky slope. But those are often cheaper. I have a cart like this that we use for longer portages( sometimes) like the walk to Allagash Lake about a mile the last part very rocky But taint cheap
https://www.rei.com/product/815324/paddleboy-designs-atc-boat-cart
 
Need more info... Are there rocks roots, stairs involved. Do you want to use it for actual portaging?

Wheels that slide under and end are tiring and just about impossible up a rocky slope. But those are often cheaper. I have a cart like this that we use for longer portages( sometimes) like the walk to Allagash Lake about a mile the last part very rocky But taint cheap
https://www.rei.com/product/815324/paddleboy-designs-atc-boat-cart

Frequently rocky, root laden and bumpy trails with maybe a few steps but occassionally some routes pass through mucky areas. My assumption was that the larger wheels would not do well in muck and mire and the smaller wheels wouldn't do well on rough terrain. Guess it's a balancing act.

Some that I've looked at online didn't have inflatable tires but I think I would prefer inflatable. And yes, I would use it for portages, I've got arthritis in my spine and and its tuff carrying even a 40# canoe. Cheap is relative. Stuff that I can improvise in the event of failure, I generally go cheaper. Stuff that would leave me stranded I'm willing for pay the price just for peace of mind
 
My cart is homemade, heavy duty. It has fat tires but short axle height which limits it's rock stradling ability. It also doesn't fold up, so that is a big draw back, plus it's heavy.
I rarely carry it in my canoe. Just back and forth from the truck where a gate prevents a close put in.
Having said that, it's great for moving 20' wood canvas canoes and big Royalex canoes around the yard.
It will carry a fully loaded canoe.
Out on the trail it is fine for places like Lows Lake where the portage around the upper dam is smooth. I usually stash it in the woods for the return trip.


Marshall Lake, Ontario
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I have a Swedish Cart.. Its got higher ground clearance. Narrow tires ( no good for sand.. does OK limited muddy spots)

It does fold up. It is center loading so the canoe is balanced( I think that is the most important aspect) and the tires are inflatable which reminds me to always take a pump and patch kit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbgwk1FIWxY

wish there werent so many umms.

Its pricey but we have had ours several years and its handy on some mile long portages
 
a while back, I purchased one of those cheap TMS portage carts from amazon, I believe it was 30 something dollars, and I highly recommend you stay away from it, or
cheap carts. First, the second it came out of the box I was overwhelmed by a strong chemical smell from the rubber tires, I know they have low environmental regulations in China, but dang it was enough to eventually do damage to you. Secondly the tire had a puncture and wouldn't inflate, rendering it useless. & I didn't even want to touch the chemically ridden tire to patch it. So I got rid of it. This was just my experience however.

I would recommend spending a little more on a really nice foldable cart with larger wheels, that'll last a long time or make one yourself like Robin did.
 
I have often thought of making a canoe carrier from a GAME CART, it wouldn't be very practical for tripping but moving my canoe from the house to the lake wouldn't be too bad. The linked model would just need some wider cross bars added on the ends then strap the canoe to those.... I think anyway? This is one of those ideas that seems like it would work but I won't know until I try it. :D
 
I took an angle grinder to an old wheelchair. Cut off the un-necessary parts and relocated the folding fabric seat to the arms. It carries the boat at waist level, rolls just about over everything, and folds up for transport.
 
I have a Rolleez, currently known as Wheeleez (http://www.wheeleez.com/)
It goes over and through everything and anything...rocks, logs, mud, old corduroy, etc.
The low pressure tires are polyethylene and very tough but compliant.
It's been faithfully serving me since 1998


In the video link below, you'll notice that my cart and I are well ahead of my half aged nephew!!

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View attachment Njsa2oz5p7UT_UZmyNDhnm-myOyv8md8B6GHINaVznxARGzB4ECNKXjUVAvVWsd2ZydVoxkfytmh1oCiwpYWaQod7wr7xs8sioYJ



Video of cart in action (I hope)
 
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Now that I'm starting to get old, I'm contemplating a cart for my canoes. Questions are: short fat wheels or higher thin wheels? Inflatable tires or solid tires?
I can see advantages/disadvantages to both. I'm open to advice/ideas/suggestions. From the side of the garage to the truck to the waters edge is about as far as I want to carry any more.

Some years back we had the opportunity to field test a half dozen different canoe cart designs, center haulers, end haulers, folders, take aparts, tiny versions and ones capable of toting a row boat. And for every advantage some design facet offers that was a disadvantage.

The Canadian Boat Walker/Swedish Boat Cart may have been the best of the lot, sturdy with high ground clearance. Which also means, relative to some other designs, big and heavy. Plus the higher the bunks on which the canoe rests the harder it is to get the canoe centered atop, and the higher the center of gravity, which is not a good thing on a \ sideways slope.

Center haulers make for an easier carry than an end hauler. With a properly balanced center hauler you can roll the canoe along with two fingers on smooth level ground. A 17 foot plastic canoe gets heavy with an end hauler where you are holding all of the weight aloft with one hand. With a center hauler I can carry some gear in the boat, not something you want to do with an end hauler unless you have Popeye arms.

That said I mostly use an end hauler cart for moving boats into the shop and from the truck to the water on easy paths.

With an end hauler I just slip the stern into the hauler frame, attach one hook and walk off. I am at the shop or water’s edge in less time than it takes to hoist it onto a center hauler, get it centered and buckle the straps. That said an end hauler would be useless on rough terrain and the boat weight quickly gets heavy in hand on any lengthy walk.

Skinny tires suck in sand or deep mud. Pneumatic tires get flats at inopportune times. Take apart carts fit in the canoe or vehicle better, but they better be dead simple to put back together with no small parts to lose.

The prefect boat cart is akin to the oft-asked novice canoe choice query “I’m looking for a canoe for my family of 5 that I can solo up to Class III”.

For a compromise cart (center hauler, fat tires, take apart into 4 pieces) I liked the Paddleboy Heavy Lifter we tested.

http://www.r3doxies.com/store.php/ou...FYsfhgodQCUNjw

I did not like it $230 worth though.

I am sure that made your choice clear as mud. For your purposes, if you are at all handy, I’d look at the various cart designs, repurpose some suitable wheels and axel and DIY one for $20 in parts.
 
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I took an angle grinder to an old wheelchair. Cut off the un-necessary parts and relocated the folding fabric seat to the arms. It carries the boat at waist level, rolls just about over everything, and folds up for transport.

THANKS Doc:D! I've got one in the basement that hasn't been used in 6 years. Never gave it a thought. So... can you guess what my next little project will be?

Jon
 
Either way, post what you come up with!

I hated using a cart. Unless traveling on a road, it mostly became more to carry.
 
Jon, I just saw that you are the original poster of this thread, and I have been meaning to review my LLBean cart. I bought my Seattle Sports Canoe cart through LLBean back in July. I only opened the box and assembled it the day before the trip to Lows Lake. As you already may have seen, it folds up pretty nicely to fit into the boat, and you did carry it for a minute or two so you know how heavy it is. Not too bad is it? It would be nice if they could make that design in Aluminum. I read the reviews on it before purchasing and it was recommended but most folks on LLBeans site.
Seattle sports has one on their site with Knobbier tires. http://www.seattlesportsco.com/paddl...art.html#tabs0
Both carts are listed as All Terrain Carts.

Cabelas has one on their site but the rating is 200 lbs. whereas the LLBean/Seattle rating is 300 lbs.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABEL...rt%26CQ_st%3Db

None of the carts come with two straps, you need two straps or a rope to secure the canoe in two places. On your Wenonah I had one strap around hull and two other straps around the thwarts. Pictures of the cart on, and inside my Sundowner to follow.

The LLBean cart has wire spoke wheels, as the Cabelas cart has plastic spoke wheels. I read the review on the Cabelas carts, and the bearings don't seem to hold up. I am very satisfied with the Bean cart, and I am thinking about what to use to convert it as a table in camp. It was sitting on the beach doing nothing for two nights, what a waste. Maybe some wooden or aluminum slats? Maybe a piece of plywood? Open to suggestions here.

Bruce
 
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Here are the photos of the LLBean cart.

Bruce
 

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Thanks Bruce. I've been googling around and have seen a few that interest me. Can't decide if I want aluminum with a lighter payload or the steel w/300# capacity. No longer in a hurry to get one since I will be having spinal surgery in Nov or Dec and next season's paddling may be in jeopardy. At least I'll have all winter to check things out (won't be skiing either).

Jon
 
Jon , Look on L.L. Bean's , they are on sale & you may be able to take an additional 20% , today only . I picked up one myself after seeing Bruce's.
 
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Jon , Look on L.L. Bean's , they are onsale & you may be able to take an additional 20% , today only .
Remember try it.
If it does not suit you you can return it.. Returning is a bit of a PITA but I like mine ( which is the same) and I'll wager you will like yours.
 
Sorry to hear about the surgery, I will be praying that all comes out well and that we will get you back on the water next season.
 
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