Towing kayaks

[ljk]

I know most of us carry our yaks on our boats. However, I just bought 3 Hobie Passport 12s to go with my Hobie Pro Angler 12. That is too many yaks to carry on my 34 Mainship!

If anyone has towed their kayaks, particularly Hobies, I would appreciate some advice. How did they track? How far back? Did you rig a special bridle? Etc., Etc.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Comodave]

Get a bigger boat...

 

[Ken E.]

Are you thinking about towing them 'daisy chain' style, one after the other?

 

[AKDoug]

They don't tow well at any but the lowest of speeds, they tend to dive back and forth across the track. I haven't found a fix for it, have two Ocean Kayaks 15' sit on tops I used to try to tow.

Since I switched to inflatable paddle boards (with kayak seats on them) I have found that the inflatable SUP's tow very well at displacement speeds. When towing anything, remember that you have lines in the water that can be pulled into your propeller!

 

[psneeld]

I might tie the bows up out of the water to the stern of the boat...just let the kayak sterns float themselves.

May work, maybe not....would have to experiment.

But regular towing...nope...don't see that going well except slow, calm water and short distances.

 

[GFC]

What if you towed a small fender behind each of the kayaks. That would help to keep them going in a straight line.

 

[AlanT]

It is very easy to swamp a towed kayak! I suppose an SUP board is OK or a sit on top style kayak but I would not recommend towing a sit-in kayak. They will snake, twist and dunk, as the line takes up and loosens they can get jerked on their sides easily and in any of these situations they will take on water very easily. I would check if you can attach the new kayak outside your lifelines or on a cabin roof.

 

[ljk]

With the 4 kayaks, I am going to try tying them 2 abreast. The Hobie dealer suggested a way to bridle them that would keep the 2 leading yaks bow high. Will let you know how Irit goes!

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I doubt it, but Good Luck. I like the idea of putting the bow of the kayak up on your swim platform though.

pete

 

[Larry M]

We tow a couple of kayaks in tandem occasionally when we’re in the Bahamas. Mostly in protected waters but we’ve also towed them in pretty rough conditions. We use a 25’ bridle plus about a 10’ painter for the first one and then about another 10 footer for the second.

Here we’re headed out to the flats and mangroves at 28 mph.

 

[ljk]

towing kayaks

WHEEEEE! Looks like fun! I won't be going as fast as you guys, though!

 

[Flybull]

Do you have a pic of your swim deck and transom area?

I'm thinking that if your swim platform is good and stout, I'd tie off the nose of the yaks to the swim platform and let their ass-ends trail.

 

[MurrayM]

Have some weight towards the stern of the kayaks. If they’re bow heavy they’ll wander all over the place.

 

[ljk]

Do you have a pic of your swim deck and transom area?

I'm thinking that if your swim platform is good and stout, I'd tie off the nose of the yaks to the swim platform and let their ass-ends trail.

Sounds like a good idea if all 4 will fit, I need to check this out, thanks!

 

[rslifkin]

Sounds like a good idea if all 4 will fit, I need to check this out, thanks!

Even if only 2 fit side by side, you could probably build a rig to stack them 2-high.

 

[Flybull]

Sounds like a good idea if all 4 will fit, I need to check this out, thanks!

Also... with some sort of simple way to connect the tails of the yaks as well.

I'm thinking a single piece of 1/2" pvc across the trailing ends that could be bungy'd to or some other type of connecting rod to keep the back ends of the yaks all tidy and not going their own ways smacking into each other...

Hmmm....

 

[MurrayM]

If your kayaks aren’t of the sit on top variety, you might want to experiment with tying the sterns onto the swimstep...in following seas the bows will be better able to shed water and the cockpits will be higher out of the water.

Pretty much a calm water option nonetheless.

 

[Larry M]

If they fit on your swim platform you can stack them according their web site. That would make things easy.

 

[rgano]

WHEEEEE! Looks like fun! I won't be going as fast as you guys, though!

Send us PIX.

 

[ljk]

Kayak towing bridle

We mothershipped a couple of Hobie Passports yesterday. Towing the yaks alongside a pontoon boat and kept our speed under 6 knots.

It went ok, but water kept coming up through the big hole where the pedal drives go.

Will keep posting to this topic, the concept of towing the yaks to where neither boats nor other kayak fishermen go worked out VERY well for us!

 

[murofrelwart]

When we bought our 10.5 Passports they came with a plug for the pedal hole.

We mothershipped a couple of Hobie Passports yesterday. Towing the yaks alongside a pontoon boat and kept our speed under 6 knots.

It went ok, but water kept coming up through the big hole where the pedal drives go.

Will keep posting to this topic, the concept of towing the yaks to where neither boats nor other kayak fishermen go worked out VERY well for us!

 

[ljk]

Towing honies

When we bought our 10.5 Passports they came with a plug for the pedal hole.

Yep, going to incorporate the plug into my solution—whene I HAVE one!

 

[ljk]

Hobie Towing Bridle

Send us PIX.

OK, here is what I have mocked up. It ain't pretty, but I want to actually test it before getting it sewn professionally.


The bridle locates the towing pressure to the piece of wood laying across the hole where the fins/paddle assembly go.



I put the cassette in the big hole where the fins/peddle assembly go to prevent a lot of water from shooting through when under toe. The bridle should keep the bow high when under tow/


Thoughts? Comments?

 

[Nomad Willy]

If you tow kayaks w people in them make them use their rudders if the kayak is equipped w them.
Kayakers seem to think rudders are for sissys and other un-cool people.

 

[Hippocampus]

Have a Hobie pro angler 360 12. Not a good kayak to tow. Better off to crane up and not worry about it. Unfortunately all pedal fishing kayaks built to be used in the ocean are heavy and awkward imho. Also sit on tops do take on water and are difficult to bail. Much easier to unscrew the drain plugs after use.