Yakima Rack and Roll trailer and kayaks

I bought a trailer to haul a couple of kayaks around for local use to launch into the ocean. There are advantages to a roof rack but mine is 7 feet off the ground and I wanted the trailer as an alternative.

I looked at small trailers from Portage Pal, Malone, Yakima, and a few other companies and settled on the Yakima to haul two Hobie boats. The cost difference was roughly 50% more for the Yakima over the other trailers. I like the lighter weight of 160 lbs. for moving it around by hand and the ability to quickly remove the two wheels and prop it up for storage in the garage when not in use.

In assembling the trailer which had one part broken and others missing when I opened the boxes I learned first hand that Yakima's customer support is non existent. You cannot get through to talk to a person and I left messages which were never returned.

The ease of removing the two wheels is well thought out and the mechanism has locks but these locks provide a false sense of security. Anyone with a screwdriver, pliers, and a couple of adjustable wrenches, can remove both trailer wheels and the spare tire in a few minutes time and the replacement cost is over $500. I use several cable locks that I bought to secure the kayaks, but now also serve to secure the wheels to the trailer frame.

It was not obvious in my pre purchase research but the Yakima trailer is not at all waterproof and not intended for use launching or retrieving boats from the water. It is made for dry land use only. I was planning to load all the fishing gear into our two boats in the parking lot and then quickly launch them from the trailer at several local boat ramps, avoiding having multiple trips with the kayaks and a trolley and having to keep watch over the gear at both ends of the trip from truck to the dock.

The wheels are also constructed to work with motorcycle tires and tubes so replacing a damaged tire on a trip is more complicated.

The Yakima trailer tracks well and is well engineered but in retrospect I would have been much better served with one of the Malone MicroSport boat trailers (like the MPG461U) that have waterproof electrical wiring and lights, waterproof wheel bearings, and which use standard trailer wheel and tires.

 I learned first hand that Yakima's customer support is non existent. You cannot get through to talk to a person and I left messages which were never returned.

I find this odd. I just contacted them not to long ago to oreder replacement straps and some replacement hardware for my hullraisers. Service was great, shipping was free and delivered in 3 days, plus the gentleman discounted 20% off the listed price on their website. I would keep trying, hopefully its just a fluke......I dont see why they wont take care of you.