Almost as important as choosing the right Hobie kayak model for your needs is figuring out which kayak trolley system will work the best with your kayak. There’s a few things to think about and a number of options to choose from. Lets start with the variations available that are offered by Hobie and we’ll conclude with a few alternatives from other brands of note.
Hobie make a variety of wheel carts and dollys available for their kayaks, all of them well suited to specific kayak models and usage scenarios. The wheel carts are a simple ‘plug-in’ style trolley that are used by plugging the frame posts into the scuppers. All Hobie kayaks are compatible with plug in carts, though some models won’t work well with the lightest (and cheapest) ‘standard’ cart.
The dollys are a larger option that have a hull supporting cradle and handle, which is used to push underneath the hull. The dolly’s are sometimes an ideal carting solution for larger boats such as the Pro Angler and Island models. When selecting which wheel cart or dolly to go for it can pay to consider the type of use the cart is going to get, where it is most commonly going to be used and which model of kayak it is being used for.
The main advantage of plug in carts over dollys is that they are smaller, lighter (and in most cases store-able on deck while on the water) and relatively simple to insert and remove from underneath the hull. The main advantage of dollys is that they will support the hull better and can be positioned anywhere underneath the hull, which can help to reduce how much weight is being picked up from the bow handle. They also have a wider wheelbase, making for a stable ride. However they are far too big to be stored on deck, and will have to be stored elsewhere (ie: your car) while on the water.
As a general rule, the plastic-spoked standard wheel cart should only really be considered for use on the lighter models: Lanai, Quest 11, Quest 13, Kona, Odyssey, Sport, Passport 10 & 12, Lynx, Outback, Compass, Revolution 11 and Revolution 13. The standard cart is a good choice for launching from solid terrain such as ramps, grassy and hard sand or soil banks. It is not well suited for use in soft beach sand.
The Heavy Duty cart looks and performs like it uses pneumatic wheels but they are in fact solid and therefore cannot be punctured. Thus it is the most robust of all Hobie plug in wheel carts. It will work with any model in the range but although it is better suited to use on sand than the standard cart, it is unlikely to perform well on soft beach sand or muddy banks under heavier models. The heavy duty cart uses the same frame as the standard cart, so if you have a standard cart you can upgrade it to a heavy duty cart by purchasing the heavy duty wheels.
The Trax 2 wheelcart uses 24cm pneumatic wheels that are intended to be soft and spongy in order to roll over soft terrain like beach sand. They work well under almost every kayak model Hobie make except for the Pro Angler and Island series of kayaks.
The Trax 2-30 wheelcart uses 30cm wheels that are excellent for rolling over soft beach sand. They are the best option for the Pro Angler 12/14 and Adventure and Tandem Island users that are launching and landing on beaches. They are larger however, and will take up more space being stored on deck of the kayak when on the water. Some users will find it best to store the wheels in their vehicle after carting the kayak down to waters edge.
The Fold & Stow Wheel Cart is the lightest trolley available and is also collapsible and compact. These are best suited for lighter models such as the Lynx, Passport and Compass models. We think these are better suited for hard terrain usage but not terribly well suited for beach sand environments.
Hobie Heavy Duty ‘Tuff’ Dollys
The heavy duty dolly carts are a good option for carting heavier and wider models across harder terrain. They are a lot larger and heavier than plug in wheelcarts but can make lighter work of carting the boat around. Unlike plug in carts these cannot be stored on the boat when in use. There are models available for Pro Angler and Island boats.
Hobie Beach Dollys
The beach sand dollys are the best option for carting heavy and wider boats across beach sand. These are also a lot larger and heavier than plug in wheelcarts (and are also pretty much impossible to store on the boat when in use) but can make lighter work of carting the boat around. There are models available for Pro Angler and Island boats.
We can’t be talking about kayak wheel carts for Hobie kayaks without mentioning the BerleyPro Kimmi Cart. Although BerleyPro weren’t just thinking about Hobies when they designed the Kimmi cart, but they certainly made sure it works great with all Hobie kayak hulls. There’s a few notable advantages with this system, primary among them being that it doesn’t rely on being plugged into scupper holes. So it solves a problem some people have with Hobie carts (struggling to insert the posts into the scupper holes) while offering similar functionality to a dolly but without the complications of bulk and weight. The ability to position the Kimmi cart under the hull at the centre of mass means that you can balance the kayak on the cart rather than having to pick up some of the weight by hand. This can make quite a difference as to how easy your kayak will be to haul around.
We should point out that Kimmi carts are not supplied with wheels – you have to provide your own (or purchase them separately). BerleyPro have 3 models available. One that fits Trax 24cm wheels (the same ones used on Hobie Trax 2 carts), Trax 30cm wheels (the same ones used on Hobie Trax 2-30 carts) and they also have one that fits the wheels offered by Railblaza C-Tug kayak trolleys. So if you already have one of those carts but are looking to upgrade the frame, look no further than the Kimmi cart. This is especially true if you own a Hobie Pro Angler or Island model, which Kimmi carts work great with.
Railblaza C-Tug SandTrakz Carts
Railblaza C-Tug carts are a unique kayak trolley system that are built tough and fully collapsible, so you if storage space is a premium for you these might worth looking into. Railblaza offer C-Tug carts with Sandtrakz wheels, one of which is better suited to Hobie kayak hull shapes than the other.
If you own a Hobie kayak the C-Tug R with SandTrakz Wheels will almost certainly work the best. Similar to the Kimmi Cart, the C-Tug R uses rails (with adjustable width) that work well underneath a Hobie.
Then there is the original C-Tug SandTrakz with uses cradles rather than skids. While you can adjust the angle of these cradles you can;t adjust the width and there are very few Hobie kayaks this is likely to work well with. These are generally better suited to canoes and kayaks with a more v-shaped profile.
