Canoe Carrier/Cart recommendations?

[Blair]

I am thinking that the old back could use a bit of relief from lifting my canoes around. I now have a 17' Chestnut, and I just finished rebuilding a OT 15' square stern. I keep these behind my garage under a patio cover. I have a couple of trailers (one for white water rafting and a nice little Monkey Wards unit) but I don't keep boats on them. I also have 2 9' sailing dinghies that weigh over 100 lbs that I use with the Scouts for Small Boat Sailing MB work. I have been looking at the InSTEP aluminum CC450 ($54 on ebay) and the CC100 steel unit ($62-74 on ebay). I'll bet that other have experience with these, or others, and can provide a recommendation for the best unit for utility and price. Cabella's has these on their site with some good reviews. I think the Aluminum one looks pretty functional. Any input to confuse me further is greatly appreciated.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Canoe Walker

I ordered the Canoe Walker from Paddle Fancy, which was advertised in Wooden Canoe (I don't see it in the latest issue, so check back-issues). Called and asked if they gave a discount to WCHA members, and they knocked five dollars off the price... it was about two hundred dollars with shipping, which is a lot more than what you're looking at on eBay, but this contraption is made of ash and cedar and seemed most appropriate for my beautiful old canoe.

As Denis Kallery is currently out of the country and not likely to see this post, I will attach a picture of the Canoe Walker cradling the 1927 Kennebec Katahdin with Denis standing behind it (he is shy about this sort of notoriety).

This little contraption works just fine, transporting the canoe a block away... to where I can put it into the water gently-- instead of flinging it off the twenty-foot drop in front of the house. The canoe can be moved by one person... once it's in place on the Walker. The Walker's wheels are easily removed and the whole thing stored inside the canoe until needed again.

Kathy

 

[pklonowski]

There are a couple of nice features with the rig that Kathryn has. The wheels are large, making small bumps in the road irrelevant, and you set it up amidships, where the load is balanced. The first such rig I got mounts at one end, so you get to carry the other end, which gets heavy before long.

I now have a 4-pack trailer, homemade (I'm the 3rd owner, if not more than that). It's a john boat trailer for a frame, and tows nicely behind my small station wagon. Very handy, indeed, but only gets you as close as the nearest parking lot. The Water Walker is nice for the rest of the way...

 

[Andy Hutyera]

Dan Miller recommended an In Step cart to me last year. i got one at what I thought was a great price. Later I checked ebay and found several for a lot less. Currently there are several new units listed for about $94 including shipping. They come with very nice balloon tires and a self contained tire pump. I've used it for about a year now to haul around my 17' Prospector with all it's sail accoutrements and it works great. It folds up for easy transport.

Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-InSTEP-CC10...ryZ36123QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Blair]

Andy Hutyera's In Step canoe carrier unit.

Andy, that is one of the two I have been looking at. I see it on ebay for $74 buckazoids, plus $19 shipping which comes close to your $94 figure. Yours is made of steel, from the discriptions I have read. Good to know that this one is working for you.

The CC450 from In step appears to weigh about half as much and looks like you could fold it up and take it with you in the boat. It is aluminum but still carries about the same capacity. There are some comments out there that indicate people throw this in the boat with them when they go since it has a small footprint. This one is a bit cheaper, but there are no negative comments on the Cabellas web site. Both would probably work for me.

The other item that you fine folks provided looks good also, except that the dinghies I carry are wider than a canoe and it appears from the pictures that the sides of the boat would rub on the wheels. I could be wrong on this.

 

[Dan Miller]

Double check your specs, at least one listing for the CC450 says it is steel. I have the CC100 (the 450 wasn't available or I may have gone for that one.) The CC100 does fold.

Be forewarned... steel rusts (especially if you use it to launch your boat in salt water), and the nuts need a gentle touch - they strip easily. I do like the big tires.

Dan

 

[Dave Osborn]

Ferdy and I both have the CC100 In-Step models. They work great on our Northwoods portages. It will fold and lay relatively flat in the bottom of the canoe once you reach your destination. The large wheels take a lot of the root and rock bumps out of the trail.
I can load my gear into the canoe and roll down the portage trail with relative ease. To have to shoulder the canoe and pack in fishing gear and shore lunch gear would add a lot more work to my day of guiding.
I bought mine on E-Bay. Watch out for the prices....as the price of the unit goes down, the shipping goes up. Always total the two before bidding.
Ours were $75 in total as of last summer.

The other place that they are a Godsend is at the Assembly and other such gatherings. I went to Assembly 2003 without one and carried the canoe quite far. At Assembly 2007 I had the carrier. What a difference!!

Itching to paddle....!
Dave

 

[JClearwater]

Ebay canoe cart

There is currently a canoe cart listed on Ebay that appears well made and a good design at a decent price. Listing #130209258694