Hobie standard cart on sand?
 

This question is for you guys that have Hobies with the carts that go in the scupper holes.

I have a standard cart for my outback and was thinking of traversing over the beach sand for about 100 feet. Is this a bad idea? I'm not super concerned about the damage to the cart, but I'm guessing the resistance from the sand may cause massive stress at the scupper holes, despite them being reinforced.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I've had three of the 4 models available for my Outbacks.

The basic pulls/drags over the sand better than no wheels. The problem with this one is that my spokes immediately started to bend and it seems they would be breaking before too much time. I got rid of those.

I bought the bigger wheels in sand tires in both the smaller (Trax 2) and larger size (Trax 2-30).

The Trax 2-30 rolls easily over anything ... ice plant, ravines, pot holes, curbs, ... but it's kind of big/clunky/heavy for my Outback, and it's too big to comfortably strap behind my bait tank. I always walk it back to my van.

I think I like the more convenient size of the Trax 2, but I don't have a strong opinion on either of these. Both are OK.

The difference in price between both Trax 2 models is $35. For this small price difference and on the recommendation of Ron at FastLane, I splurged for the "best" but I think it's basically a toss-up for my Outback. If I had a PA I would use the bigger of the two.

When I had the outfitter tandem I had the heavy-duty hobie cart, it was really tough to drag across fine sand. It was also difficult at times to lift the loaded kayak high enough to plug it in. I know you are supposed to lay it on its side but I got lazy unloading and loading the fishing gear.

Now I have a new oasis and I got the wheeleez cart, haven't tried it but I'm sure the balloon tires will work better on soft sand. Also being able to store everything in the hatches is a big plus.

Use a "Strap-on"
 

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right cart for your situation, but I'll be brief. In the past there has been some discussion on the stress induced on the scupper area while using a "plug-in" cart resulting in stress cracking in that area. I recall some of the recommendations included the use of a "strap-on" cart instead of the plug-in. This seemed to alleviate the issue. Enclosed is a link to the carts referenced:

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/kayak-accessories/wheels

:auto:

Go with this one

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/wheeleez-beach-cart

Based on the types of failures I've seen from other users over the years and common sense, the majority of the failures result from the carts not being completely inserted into the scuppers. Loading the cart in that manner places a lot of localized leverage on the scupper. If used properly on kayaks with reinforced scuppers you shouldn't anticipate any failures.

On a related note, a damaged scupper is one of the most difficult things to repair on a kayak. Most shops, understandably so, aren't even willing to address it since the success rate is so low.

This make sense jruiz. Fortunately, the scuppers in my outback are reinforced as well. I will make sure the cart is never partially in.

I can purchase just the wheeleez right and put them on my existing Hobie cart?

The wheelez dont insert in the scupper holes. The weight of the yak is enough to hold it in place. I never strap down my yak when on the wheelz. I did make my own rails for it though.

I have the older scupper cart
http://www.kayaksandpaddles.co.uk/ca...-trolley-2.jpg

I've gone through several repairs of the pvc tire as well as replacements. I've since replaced the old PVC wheel assembly with the new PU seen below. I don't anticipate any failures in the foreseeable future.
http://www.wheeleez.com/images/WZ1-24U-angled-800px.jpg

I have not used my new Wheelez cart yet but even going through rough terrain you dont have to strap the kayak on? Looking at the straps I know they will be way too long, I was going to look for some appropriately sized bungee cords to speed up the strapping process.

If you are going over a rocky area you would need to strap it down. If you are hauling off/on a curb onto sand you should not need to, but you never know, your yak might be lighter than my Outback.

Same here, I never strap the wheels to the kayak. However, having the crossbars on the cart help out tremendously.

There is no doubt that the scupper holds well but having to turn the kayak sideways to get the wheels in/out is something I'd hate to do each time I launch/land.

As you can can see you have many options

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps45787f78.jpg
http://www.davidcortner.com/slowblog/IMG_2571t.jpg
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Choose wisely

wow. thanks for all the input guys. I bought my yak WITH the standard Hobie cart included, so I'd like to use it. Perhaps I will get the wheeleez separately.

Does anyone know if THESE wheels will work with my Hobie cart? the price is right for the pair.

https://www.harmonygear.com/products...rade-Pair.html

I think any beach tire is going to be too wide for the standard Hobie cart, I used to have the Heavy Duty cart and I was looking to do the same thing.

Call wheelez give them the dimensions of your axle and they can match you with compatible wheel sets. That's what I did. Go with the polyurethane if possible

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I wanted to comment and let you all know that I just purchased the Hobie Trax 2-30 off of CL. WOW, what a difference in traversing over sand. I HIGHLY recommend these over the sand, what a breeze it was to use. They ARE big though. when inserted in the scuppers behind my outback seat, my shoulders almost rested on them, at the very least touched the gigantor wheeleez.

Thanks for all your input guys, I feel like this is money well spent.

Yeah, I just got mine a few weeks ago. The short stretch of soft sand entering/leaving La Jolla was just killing me. With the new wheels, zero problem at all! Love the new wheels!

I also put most of the weighty items in the rear of my yak when transporting. This balances out the load so when I lift from the front, I can focus more energy on motion than lifting.

you risk damaging the kayak if you put that much force on the scupper i wouldn't do it.

Kevin. this is the EXACT reason I got the larger wheels. i used to use the standard wheels over the sand it it required a substantial amount of force to pull over the sand, thus possibly damaging the scupper holes. these new very fat tires take away that excessive force. Also, my outback is the 2015 version. the scuppers are reinforced with some thick tube. I check that area after every use with the scupper cart.

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has had scupper problems with the new reinforced version.

I had the HD wheels as well, over soft sand the amount of force needed was substantial. After a few run I went and got the Ballon wheels, huge difference.