Canoe Cart

[TheIndian]

Hey All,
Wondering if you could give me your recommendations on a good, sturdy canoe cart. Looking to plan some trips in the future and one of these might come in handy as I plan on bringing a bunch of stuff haha. Was never a big fan of the canoe cart because they always appear to give people trouble especially on rough terrain so hoping y'all could let me know what your favorite one to use is.
Inflatable wheels the way to go, right?
Thx!
Chris

 

[yknpdlr]

Consider the terrain you will be crossing. Large rocks or raised ridges and logs in the trail require large diameter wheels with no through center axle to catch on high obstacles. Is the trail cut wide enough for the distance between the wheels? A well known trail in the Adirondacks hit by a massive blow-down was cut out too narrow for many commonly used wheels, leading to much frustration.

That said, many prefer the inflatable bicycle wheel style, previously known as the Canadian Walker, now sold under different names. it is been made in steel or aluminum frame versions. the wheels are removable, and can be folded inwards for easy storage or transport.

Be sure to come up with a fool-proof way of fastening the canoe balanced on the cart, using (for example) X-crossed NRS straps cinched down tight. Otherwise, the canoe may tend to slide backward off balance, or angle on the cart when wheels hit an obstacle.

https://www.rei.com/product/815324/s...-atc-boat-cart

https://www.amazon.com/Suspenz-SD-Ma...noe+wheel+cart

http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABEL...rt%26CQ_st%3Db

 

[frozentripper]

Chris,

Looking to plan some trips in the future and one of these might come in handy as I plan on bringing a bunch of stuff.

I found a heavily loaded canoe being pulled on a cart is fine on smooth and level roads, but hauling up a hill can be hard work... sometimes too hard and packs have to be taken out and carried up individually. Going solo anyway, maybe two pushing and pulling will have an easier time.

I built my own using the wheels from a hand cart found at a yard sale ($5.00)... the wheels are inflated and nine inch diameter. The axle ground clearance is only about 4-5 inches but that's still good enough to get by on Algonquin's cart trails. Fallen trees are the biggest slowdown, and washouts less so, often the cart will bump over the low spots and the biggest rocks can be avoided or the cart lifted over.

 

[TheIndian]

Thanks yknpdlr....was actually looking at that same cart today at Campmor, $149 there, so thanks for the links. It had nice clearance but the wheels were not inflatable. That a big deal you think? Is this the cart you use?

Thx for the advice frozentripper!

 

[yellowcanoe]

It looks like the ATC carts that used to have inflatable tires now come in flat free versions.. This is probably a good idea.. We had a flat on our several years old ATC cart at the far end of a one mile portage in Maine and no air pump..

We have that particular Swedish Cart.. I would prefer the non inflatable tires for my portaging needs but I am not spending more money

That said there are portages that are not cart friendly so you have to know where you are going.

 

[yknpdlr]

yes, mine does have inflatable wheels. All others I have seen have inflatable wheels. Never had a flat, except after the winter. I have used it while literally running on rough trails on the 90 mile canoe race with a 32 foot voyageur (with extended supports), and several times on the Cannonball-90 (all 90 miles in one day) with several different kinds of canoes. It was disappointing on the Lows/Oswegatchie carry because the logs cut out after the 1995 blowdown were not cut wide enough, so the wheels were a bit too wide.
It is true there are many portages where no kind of wheeled carts are suitable.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Just cause ours has inflatable wheels and we have only seen inflatable wheels doesn't mean much for the buyer this year.. Googled and googled and found only non inflatable for the new gear.
I think we hit something to knock the tire part off the wheel on the portage to Allagash lake which is in a stream bed'

 

[wgiles]

I don't know whether the so called "flat free" tires are solid or foam filled or what. I haven't seen any and don't know whether I'd like them or not. I do know that the small diameter lawn tractor style tires are more than difficult to repair. Bicycle type tires are much easier to repair. I think that I would want at least a 16" diameter tire. Having repaired and replaced my tubeless lawn mower tires, I can confidently say that I would not want to have to do that in the woods. Anything smaller than an 8" rim is a killer to get the tire on or off. 8 or 10" wheelbarrow tires aren't too hard to mount or demount.

 

[yknpdlr]

Never said non inflatable wheels were a bad choice, YC. Of the several folks who I know with this model cart, all have inflatable tires, and are not recent purchases, that's all. If all of this year's carts are non inflatable, thats just the way it is, no reason given.

 

[stripperguy]

Here is my Roll-Eez...had it for about 20 years. Very low pressure polyurethane tires, rolls effortlessly, easily climbs most rocks, logs, tree roots, breaks down for easy fit in the boat.
Not cheap, but has never failed.

View attachment JCIe6PZL4gjyGJm3ZucbC8-AXsbd-13S6QEE8eYtwoyTS4kt51dJ9eo2fVfTeGGyLh_UnIPyCO4681RtLCAGue9tKkOAUMyvb-ku

 

[yellowcanoe]

The nice thing about Swedish Carts is that you can walk normally and just pull or push from one end without being hunched over. What is the height of the cart above SG?

 

[Cruiser]

As YC aid, knowing what the portages are like on route is important. I had the cart that SG (Roll Eez) posted and ended up hiding it at the first portage ( to be picked up on the way out), it just couldn't handle the terrain. That doesn't mean it's a bad cart, it really looked like it would work, but just wasn't up to the terrain we were crossing.

The ones linked with the bike tires have me thinking about trying another one though, my neighbour built one out of 2 old BMX bike fronts and he traveled some pretty rough areas with that and swore by it. Those look similar to what he built.


Brian

 

[yknpdlr]

I've seen one on the 90-miler carrying a heavy voyageur, home built from wheels and other parts from an old wheel chair.

 

[Hays]

Any problem with flats occurring from punctures with inflatable tires can be prevented by adding Slime to the tires. Foam/ Flat proof tires in my experience are comparatively heavy and not springy. Slime will not seal a major cut, of course.

 

[stripperguy]

The nice thing about Swedish Carts is that you can walk normally and just pull or push from one end without being hunched over. What is the height of the cart above SG?

Not sure of the height, but nearly any boat that I've carried (Is it really carrying?) with it has been at a comfortable height for pulling or pushing. For reference, I'm 5' 9" with a 72" reach.
Here's a photo of it in use with about 80 lbs of boats and gear.

View attachment eCOR8HiqgZVFDv9ac1pdZ8XyWiguHb2-FhM8rOcGZ8KiRcPPM8yAom0jNCISaYnkaEeFunlfkVr8TIYiitkss4mCwEytQwn3dfRA

 

[Cruiser]

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, when I hear the word portage, I think of my neck of the woods .... this is what I think of ( and is far from the roughest) :



So there is a big difference in what that word can mean, if you have a well established path, then low wheeled carts (carts in general even) make a lot of sense ... so you really do need to think about what terrain you are traveling as to whether or not a cart is for you.


Brian

 

[Hays]

Inflatable tires are lighter and bounce over obstacles better than solid foam non-inflatable tires. The risk of flat can be virtually eliminated by adding Slime or a similar product to the tires before inflating.

 

[Guest]

No one answer,it depends on the smoothness of the carry and your load. Since I carry over real rough ADK carries I use a Paddle Logic kayak cart for my solo canoe. It takes some rigging to work right, and you have to carry one end of the boat, but it goes anywhere. I also slimed the tires. Still, I rarely use it. The topic of carts always reminds me of the ruined high end cart that used to hang from an overhanging log just after to putin after the Osswagochie headwaters carry.
Turtle

 

[frozentripper]

Algonquin's White Partridge cart trail was somewhat challenging during 2014... IIRC it was quite a while before enough chain saws showed up. Maybe they brought in a bulldozer.

 

[Robin]

I only use my cart on easy clear paths, like gated roads that lead to a legal put in. I have never attempted to use it on rough trails.
On the 3/4 mile road into Lows Lake, before the gate is opened in spring, it works well even with a winter camp outfit in a wood canvas canoe. At the hill 1/2 way in I removed a heavy pack and walked it up to the top to make it a bit easier.
It's home made and I'm glad I used "wheel barrel" tires from Tractor Supply. They float well over soft terrain.