It’s always fun to see the excitement when people are buying kayaks and looking forward to getting on the water and enjoying nature.  But an important consideration many may not think about is how will they get that kayak from home to the water?

The challenge isn’t as big with lighter sit-in touring and recreational kayaks, which are easy to load on one of the many roof-top rack systems out there.  Sit-on-top kayaks, which are usually wider and heavier are more challenging to transport. Add in the even heavier and wider self-propelled kayaks and the challenge is magnified.  Two people can sometimes handle most of the sit-on-top kayaks for roof-top transport with the proper roof-rack.  Much easier, especially if you are alone, is some sort of kayak trailer or a utility trailer that can easily be modified for kayaks.  These smaller/lighter trailers can be pulled by almost any vehicle. For the past 12 years I have been using a kayak trailer, which makes my kayak outings easier, whether fishing or just out enjoying nature. Nicely for storage my kayak trailer stows easily up against the garage wall taking up little space.

Another consideration is how to get the kayak from your vehicle to the water. Sometimes you can get right to the water to launch, but many times you will have to get from the parking area to the water. So, you should consider a small kayak cart which makes that last stretch from car to water much easier, especially if you are alone.

I hope my suggestions have been helpful. You should also ask the outfitter you buy from their suggestions for transport.  I’ve also seen this question asked with interesting answers on Facebook sites like Wisconsin Kayaking and Kayaking Wisconsin.  As always, I’m very happy to answer any of your questions.  You can email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com.