What's the best car trailer for 17" wood and canvas canoe?

[Larry & Margaret]

We built a 17' Penobscot with Jerry Stelmok 25 years ago. We can no longer lift the canoe to the roof rack on our Forester and are seeking advice on the best car trailer for a canoe of this sort. Many thanks!

 

[Benson Gray]

Welcome, the thread at the first link below with a previous discussion on this topic may interest you. The first question is if you wish to carry the canoe upright or upside down. I used an old snowmobile trailer as shown at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/5305/ for many years. It finally died so I replaced it with a Malone MegaSport as shown at https://forums.wcha.org/attachments/55415/ a few years ago. The second link below has more about the trailer options from Malone. Good luck and let us know what you decide,

Benson

J

Thread 'Trailer'

Oct 1, 2023

We haul our Old Town cedar/canvas with a trailer. I would appreciate seeing photos of your trailer without canoe. Just curious how folks rig a trailer for canoe hauling.

I would also appreciate it if the WCHA member I met at Little Hosmer pond in Craftsbury could contact me.

• John Zaber
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Tips and Tricks

Trailer

Malone Auto Racks designs, manufactures, and distributes auto racks and trailers for kayaks, canoes and bikes.

maloneautoracks.com

 

[Dave Osborn]

I’ve used Trailex trailers in the past. They work well.
Keep in mind that your canoe will collect more dirt, etc when pulled behind a vehicle.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Try to find one that is not overbuilt (or over-sprung) for your needs. One with a 5,000 pound capacity, for example, is going to have such stiff springs that it will ride poorly and be pretty hard on your canoe. We have an old Holsclaw from the early 1970s that was 600 lb. capacity and is equipped with coil springs and small shock absorbers. It rides drastically quieter and smoother than anything with leaf springs. We have used it over the years for a couple of small sailboats, an iceboat, canoes, sea kayaks and currently it holds two Hobie pedal boards and a gear box up top. There are some nice light trailers available from companies like Yakima, but the prices are insane. We will just keep switching the pads and cradles as needed on our old Holsclaw.