Hobie Cat Forums

Just wondering if anybody here has the mini cart and if so would they recomend it? Basically i'm using my AI by myself and so have to load it onto my roofracks myself, i find the easiest way is to lift the front of the AI onto my rear rack and then pick the back of the AI up and push it along. However when i pick pick up the front the AI is on such an angle that the normal wheels lift off the ground scraping the back of AI where the bung is. So i'm thinking of strapping the little wheels there? What you think?

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I had the same problem. I just get a bit of foam rubber and place it under the little keel then hold it on with a bungee strap. Saves lots of scratches, is simple, cheap and light to carry.

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I place the rubber floor mat I use in my car under the skeg before lifting the boat. I don't need to bungee it.

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do either of you guys have the 2010 AI because it has the bung right on the bottom which is the main reason i was thinking wheels.

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errr - no. Would loading it on stern first help?

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Mine's a 2009 model too. This is what I use-



I only leave it on when putting the hull on and off the roof. Going to change it for some foam without holes.
I've also got some yellow line marking tape stuck on there to help the small marks. I just whack another piece on every now and again.

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it would, but it would be even harder for me to do unless i drove with the kayak facing the wrong way.

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So what makes stern-forward the wrong way?

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aerodynamics

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I can see that with a tinny, with a broad flat stern, but do you really think it makes much difference with a kayak?

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I can't see the rudder offering much resistance...

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Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!

true but its not just that. It's also the weight of the hull seems to be based more in the stern and it would not be balanced well on my small car with the stern hanging over the front of the car. In any case i think i will try and make my own cart, the Mini cart was over 120 bucks which is crazy for what they are.

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My AI is transported stern forward on my truck rack with no perceptible difference either way while driving. The reason is that once, while unloading stern first, the hull rolled (I slipped) and the boat turned bottom-up with all the weight on the rudder mechanism. Not wanting to risk screwing up the rudder, I now unload off the back of the truck bow first. Also, with the stern up, it is a bit easier to insert and remove the cart.

Baysailor

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baysailor