What is a Kayak Camp Trailer?
By Kayak Camp Trailer I mean a trailer for hauling kayaks with some additional features for camping. The idea came during our family's recent holiday in Trenton, Maine where we rented a couple of sea kayaks for a week to explore the calm morning shores of rocky Union River Bay. The rentals rested on the grassy banks of our beach house making it very easy to wander outside and get into a boat on a whim. Almost every day saw some combination of guests go for a paddle.
We have owned freshwater kayaks for several years but do not use them as often as we could. Dragging them out of storage and loading them up before driving to a put-in is a chore in and of itself. We might be more apt to go for a row if the kayaks were stored on a dedicated trailer making it that much easier to get underway. At least that is part of the motive for building a kayak trailer.
During the long drive from our home in Maryland to Main and back I contemplated just how many parks, lakes, and rivers we must have passed. Probably hundreds. Of course, Maine is beautiful, more majestic and picturesque than anywhere I have experienced on the East Coast, and certainly worthy as a summer vacation destination. Still, I couldn't help thinking that we ought to make an effort to check out wilderness closer to home. If the kayaks were always ready to go, surely we'd be more likely to enjoy weekend outings.
And, truth be told, I like to build stuff. I don't really need a kayak trailer at all. Building is just fun. Designing stuff is fun too. I'll probably spend more time thinking about this project than actually building it. I'll go through several iterations of the kayak camp trailer on paper before cutting any wood or metal.
And our family likes to camp too, although not nearly often enough for my taste.
So this will kill three birds with one stone: more kayaking, more camping, and a new project.
We have owned freshwater kayaks for several years but do not use them as often as we could. Dragging them out of storage and loading them up before driving to a put-in is a chore in and of itself. We might be more apt to go for a row if the kayaks were stored on a dedicated trailer making it that much easier to get underway. At least that is part of the motive for building a kayak trailer.
During the long drive from our home in Maryland to Main and back I contemplated just how many parks, lakes, and rivers we must have passed. Probably hundreds. Of course, Maine is beautiful, more majestic and picturesque than anywhere I have experienced on the East Coast, and certainly worthy as a summer vacation destination. Still, I couldn't help thinking that we ought to make an effort to check out wilderness closer to home. If the kayaks were always ready to go, surely we'd be more likely to enjoy weekend outings.
And, truth be told, I like to build stuff. I don't really need a kayak trailer at all. Building is just fun. Designing stuff is fun too. I'll probably spend more time thinking about this project than actually building it. I'll go through several iterations of the kayak camp trailer on paper before cutting any wood or metal.
And our family likes to camp too, although not nearly often enough for my taste.
So this will kill three birds with one stone: more kayaking, more camping, and a new project.
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