> I can think of several advantages to a trailer. I do not currently use a
> trailer, but am considering the purchase of one. The main reason is that I
> have a full size van and it is a chore getting my kayak on and off because
> of the height. I cannot do it myself, and my wife is too short to help
> unless standing on something. It seems that it would be much easier to
> lift it on and off a trailer.

A van can be a bit much, I agree. However a couple of possibilities spring quickly to mind. Such as a roller on the back of the roof to allow it to be rolled on and off instead of dragged on and off. If you've got a rack up there at all you could also quickly fabricate a side extending set of bars to set one end on, then the other, and slide it over into position.

> The kayak needs to be stored somewhere. Why not on the trailer? This is
> the other advantage I see. When I get back home from paddling, I shove the
> trailer in the garage and I am done. This versus: unstrapping the boat
> from the roof, untieing the bow and stern lines, finding someone to help
> lift it off the roof and carrying it into the garage. (This procees to be
> reversed when I want to paddle again.)

I store my kayak in the roof. Two pulleys, a cleat, and some rope. Tie the rope to each end of the boat (it goes bow, pulley, cleat, pulley#2, stern), pull the rope and the boat is securely hoisted into the roof up out of the way. It would work just as well directly to a van, except for the quite possible clearance problem with an overhead lifting garage door. A trailer, because of it's width, takes up a lot of floor space. A trailer is also no more convenient to unhitch and manuever around into a garage then a kayak is, imo.

> Is this really a problem? Have other people that use trailers for kayaks
> experienced these events? I would be interested in hearing, because I
> would not want to buy a trailer and have this happen.

I cannot say what others have had happen with large surface area trailers and low weight (kayaks). I can say that I have had similar occurances myself with large surface area trailers and low weight, and that of others (motorcycle). My tongue is twisted a bit from catching air while coming off a one wheel bounce with too much air in the tires. The hubcap on that side is scraped from it too. My trailer is wide and low compared to the current trend of narrow and taller. I have seen the modern tall and narrow trailers tumble sideways behind motorcycles in wind and from bounces. Thank goodness for swivel hitches and paper clips. You've seen how badly a car towing dolly bounces around without a car on it. Rememberit weighs a lot more then your trailer and kayak will, and the tow dolly is wider as well.

Don't casually dismiss the harsh pounding a trailer gives. Which you can help tremendously by adjusting tire pressure. It takes some getting used to, and you have to listen to a lot of naive doom and gloom. I run my tiny trailer at around 6 psi fully loaded. At that pressure (roughly) the ride is much less harsh, the drag is not excessive, the tires are not overloaded, and there is no heat buildup in the tires. And it still bounces, jounces and breaks things. At the rated pressure of 45psi (think that's it) the trailer is airborne most of the time, and virtually completely out of control. It also breaks everything placed in it. I also do not need that 1.5 ton tire capacity that full pressure gives.