Trailer Rack Advice

Hey guys, recently picked up a couple Predator 13s for my son and I and we are working on a rack for our snow bear utility trailer.  I've looked over quite a few past threads and it looks like the preferred method is seat down resting on the gunnels to prevent warping.  I've also seen all the guys using the conduit and letting it flex along the hull line.  I've got plenty of room and easy access on the trailer and could easily use either approach.  It looks to me like the conduit approach with more contact area would be best. Am I missing something or is that the concensus?  I've also seen a few people glue down outdoor carpet on the conduit.  Any thoughts on that? The trailer will only be used for transport not for storage.  Thanks for any advice.  Jeff

I am just finishing modifying my small utility trailer/kayak trailer.  I went the 3" conduit route as is seemed to give the best support overall.
I used three superstrut 1 5/8" channels for support of the conduit.  This technique has allowed me to change the position of the kayak on the trailer.  This works well with two kayaks or if you only wanted to carry one.  The conduit it easily removed.  I also placed an indoor/outdoor carpet on top of the wood trailer floor.  Nicer to walk on.

Things I would do differently; the 3" conduit is a little too wide for a Hobie Outback.  I would or may change that to the 2" conduit.  I may change the kayak to an off center position allowing me to add storage units to the side of the trailer.  At the moment, there isn't enough room for either of the 17 to 27 gallon storage tubs I use to transport gear.  I am also playing around with adding a winch to the front of the trailer to assist loading and unloading the trailer.

The only other thing I have noticed is that trailer is quite light fully loaded and it tends to bounce when I hit what would be normal road bumps.  Still trying to figure this one out.   I have attached a shot of the trailer as it stands now.

As for the hull deformation, I read somewhere that this is really only a problem when stored for a period in higher temperatures.  It seems logical that heat would be needed to change the kayaks original shape.  So unless it is left for a significant period in hot weather/direct sun strapped to the trailer, I do not think this would be an issue.  Of course I could be wrong here.

Hey Jeff,
There's a lot of folks on the board that have modified trailers as kayak trailers. I am in the process of planning mine as well... Here's a thread with some of our member's creations.
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=17333.

I personally will likely be going with Cosmo's design, from a cost and simplicity standpoint it seems to work well. For basic transport either option of gunnel side up or down should work fine, I would just be careful not to overly cinch down your straps in either scenario.

This is the trailer that I ended up with. Getting a little lazy so I added the hull a vators.

When setting up a kayak trailer, don't forget to check the tongue weight when the kayaks are loaded.  If the tongue weight is too light, the trailer will dart and swerve around, and can even cause your vehicle to crash.  You may need to move gear or the spare tire forward in the trailer to provide enough tongue weight.

Here's a typical tongue weight story: A guy I know had a classic Mustang restored.  He went to pick it up with his Suburban and a trailer.  He loaded the Mustang on the trailer without checking the tongue weight and headed home. The trailer started swerving and flipped the Suburban and the trailer.  The Suburban, the trailer, and the Mustang were all totaled.  And to top it all off, he hadn't obtained insurance yet on the Mustang, and it wasn't covered under the policy on his Suburban.

Snowbear with our own custom designed welded kayak rack. 
Need to find a box for it -- really like Wobbler's box!

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm looking at doing something similar w/out paying for custom welding skills that I don't possess...  does anyone kniw what brand of rack that is on Cosmo's trailer?  That looks like it might be the ticket.

If it would suit my needs I would 100% use the "resting on conduit" route, and I really wish I could. The primary reason I say that is I get tired of rebuilding my kayak every time I get to the water, especially when I'm camping nearby. If I could have the kayak rigged or partially rigged and then just pull up that would be a huge benefit to me.

I've been storing and transporting my kayaks upside down on their gunwales for years now and it's worked really well. I think that either way you'll be happy with so I would make my choice based on what is most convenient to you.

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm looking at doing something similar w/out paying for custom welding skills that I don't possess...  does anyone kniw what brand of rack that is on Cosmo's trailer?  That looks like it might be the ticket.

Did you think about sending Cosmo a PM and asking him?

If it would suit my needs I would 100% use the "resting on conduit" route, and I really wish I could. The primary reason I say that is I get tired of rebuilding my kayak every time I get to the water, especially when I'm camping nearby. If I could have the kayak rigged or partially rigged and then just pull up that would be a huge benefit to me.

I've been storing and transporting my kayaks upside down on their gunwales for years now and it's worked really well. I think that either way you'll be happy with so I would make my choice based on what is most convenient to you.

Interesting - and a good point about having it semi-ready when you arrive.  Got caught in heavy rain yesterday and wished I could pack it up and get out of the rain in fifteen minutes or less.

Buy your damn steel and come see me, all you gotta pay for is welding supplies and rent the shop floor if it's raining, $20-$40 for the shop floor and not more then that for supplies.

When setting up a kayak trailer, don't forget to check the tongue weight when the kayaks are loaded.  If the tongue weight is too light, the trailer will dart and swerve around, and can even cause your vehicle to crash.  You may need to move gear or the spare tire forward in the trailer to provide enough tongue weight.

Here's a typical tongue weight story: A guy I know had a classic Mustang restored.  He went to pick it up with his Suburban and a trailer.  He loaded the Mustang on the trailer without checking the tongue weight and headed home. The trailer started swerving and flipped the Suburban and the trailer.  The Suburban, the trailer, and the Mustang were all totaled.  And to top it all off, he hadn't obtained insurance yet on the Mustang, and it wasn't covered under the policy on his Suburban.

Thanks for the comment.  I went ahead and estimated the total loaded weight of my trailer at around 530 lbs.  I used a bathroom scale to measure the tongue weight at the same height and level as the hitch ball.  It came in at around 75 lbs.  That would make the tongue weight within range if the rule of thumb is 9-15% of the total loaded weight.  I am going to play around adjusting the load to find a "sweet" spot and make that my default loading.  However, I starting thinking about how often people load their trailers without much thought to the actual tongue weight.  Is there a threshold where too light or too heavy actual causes the trailer to misbehave?  I know there is a relationship between speed and tongue weight but can't find much info on this.

I don't pay much attention to tongue weight on my Snow Bear for our loads. I extended the tongue to it longest position for boat clearance, and the load varies from a single kayak to 5 Kayaks and a week's worth of camping/fishing gear for multiple people. It does tow a little better with a heavier load, but has never given me any concerns with light loads.






   

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No kayak trailer is going to crash your car because of tongue weight.  A 5000 pound car on a 2000 pound trailer will though. 

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I don't pay much attention to tongue weight on my Snow Bear for our loads. I extended the tongue to it longest position for boat clearance, and the load varies from a single kayak to 5 Kayaks and a week's worth of camping/fishing gear for multiple people. It does tow a little better with a heavier load, but has never given me any concerns with light loads.






   

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What is the track material you're using for the uprights and crossbars?

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