Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks

I just wanted to show how my DIY Kayak trailer project turned out. Use regular strut instead of the shallow strut. Please watch the entire video. I started out with pictures, but I switch to video. I also show the products I used in the video Update: 12-12-2017, Kayak trailer is going strong. Everything is holding up great. The trailer is garaged when not in use which helps in longevity. The square trailer light guards already paid for themselves. No damage to my lights. UPDATE on 4-19-18. I made a few modifications. I removed some metal and added some 90 degree angled pipe to protect the kayaks from loading and unloading. https://youtu.be/W4kMgGmU5v4

Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks sentiment_very_dissatisfied 8

Kayak 7 years ago 43,304 views

I just wanted to show how my DIY Kayak trailer project turned out. Use regular strut instead of the shallow strut. Please watch the entire video. I started out with pictures, but I switch to video. I also show the products I used in the video Update: 12-12-2017, Kayak trailer is going strong. Everything is holding up great. The trailer is garaged when not in use which helps in longevity. The square trailer light guards already paid for themselves. No damage to my lights. UPDATE on 4-19-18. I made a few modifications. I removed some metal and added some 90 degree angled pipe to protect the kayaks from loading and unloading. https://youtu.be/W4kMgGmU5v4

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Most popular comments
for Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks

Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 5 years ago
I just finished today with some slight modifications to this trailer. https://youtu.be/W4kMgGmU5v4
Greg West
Greg West - 6 years ago
Nicely done!!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Greg West Thank you.
Jimmy Flex
Jimmy Flex - 6 years ago
Nice trailer! How does it run on the freeway?
Jimmy Flex
Jimmy Flex - 6 years ago
Nice! Thanks for the reply and sharing the video!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
trailers great on the highway. I've had three of this model trailer. I have two, 2016 model HF trailers right now. One is the double kayak trailer and one is my utility trailer. I have a video of the utility trailer on my page as well.
I guess HF stopped selling the trailers for awhile because of litigation with D.O.T. I have no clue if they started selling them again. Right before Christmas, I received two recall notices for the tires on both of my trailers. I just need to remove the tires and bring in them to harbor freight and swap them out for the D.O.T compliant rims and tires.
Joe Avelar
Joe Avelar - 6 years ago
How long are the superstrut pieces?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Joe Avelar Mine are 6 feet wide. You can make it longer or shorter depending on what your carrying.
Ken Franklin
Ken Franklin - 6 years ago
outstanding build. I have 2 Wilderness ATAK 140 Kayaks. do you have a parts list for this trailer??
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Ken Franklin sorry but I didn’t make a parts list.
Diane Brzeski
Diane Brzeski - 6 years ago
Love your trailer. I have done something similar but would like to add the 3" pipe lengthwise. Could you explain how you set up the holes to atta h to the rails and if you needed a curved washer? If so, how did you curve it.
Thanks!!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Diane Brzeski I used a vise to make the bends in the washers.
retrodog63
retrodog63 - 6 years ago
Really nice build. I like the way you have it set up for three positions (2 or 1). I finished my Harbor Freight trailer build but no customization yet. Still working out the requirement for the design.

You need to put some protective caps over the ends of the tie-down rails. I can just see someone's leg getting a hole jabbed right through it because they turned around too quickly without thinking about it.
Wendell & Sons
Wendell & Sons - 6 years ago
FYI-when building this design, I compared regular PVC pipe to the electrical conduit shown in the video. The conduit is quite a bit stiffer and sturdier than standard PVC making it worth the extra buck or so per length. An added bonus is the conduit is rated to heat exposure to 194 degrees and sunlight resistant.
Wendell & Sons
Wendell & Sons - 6 years ago
What size hardware you using to attached the conduit to the superstrut?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Wendell & Sons It doesn't do that with mine. Have tried filing the sharp edge. Maybe the pvc end cap might help you.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Wendell & Sons I doesn't do that with mine. Have tried filing the sharp edge. Maybe the pvc end cap might help you.
Wendell & Sons
Wendell & Sons - 6 years ago
Gunskayaksdrones I finished my trailer and loaded up the kayaks for the first time. They fit great but, noticed something a bit disturbing...shavings off the bottom of the kayak. Those pvc conduit has a sharp edge that cuts the hull like a knife! I went to Home Depot and purchased 4 each 3" dia 45* elbows and put them on the back end. Not only does it stop the hull damage also, aides in loading and unloading.
Wendell & Sons
Wendell & Sons - 6 years ago
Thank you for the reply. I think I'm going to go right through the superstrut to the 2x4 frame with lag screws.
This is a really cool design btw.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Wendell & Sons I forgot the exact measurement. It is specially made bolts for attaching conduit, electrical boxes to the struts. Regularly found at Lowe's. Consists of a bolt, spring and backing bolt.

10. comment for Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks

Gary Jensen
Gary Jensen - 6 years ago
What's the fastest speed you've safely taken this up to? A lot of these trailers are only rated at 45mph
Gary Jensen
Gary Jensen - 6 years ago
Gunskayaksdrones Thanks, I've been looking at doing something similar, I just need to make it a little more easily removable so it can serve double duty. Thanks for sharing!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Gary Jensen 65. I live next to the highway. Most of my driving is highway. From 50-66 and the occasional 70. I have three HB trailers. One is still in the box and it will soon replace my aging trash trailer that I've had over 10 plus years. You can see the older green one in the video . That's why I used heavy wood in the trailer....no bouncing while driving down the highway.
Brian McIntyre
Brian McIntyre - 6 years ago
I looked over the comments, but didn't find what I was looking for. What is the distance between the pvc?
Brian McIntyre
Brian McIntyre - 6 years ago
Gunskayaksdrones I appreciate the reply. I have two old towns. A PDL and the predator 13. I like being able to use the middle when going solo. Nice job!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Brian McIntyre Hi Brian. Mine are 18" on center. The middle two rails are 17". So 17-18"s work for me. It might differ with other brand kayaks as the bottoms can differ.
Measure the center of the trailer and mark it so you have everything balanced on the trailer. I measure the kayaks on the ground, level, side by side and left a gap in between them so they don't rub while trailering.
Keep It Bent!
Keep It Bent! - 6 years ago
Nice, thxs 4 sharing
Michael Hunter
Michael Hunter - 6 years ago
I am following your guidelines but substituted brush on Rustoleum Undercoating from a can because it can't be seen if it showed brush marks.. I started with spray cans but it would have been a lot of dollars to spray paint the entire trailer. The brush on went on thicker and 1 quart did the entire job.. I substituted Rustoleum brush on primer for metal which is intended to go over previously painted metal. I read that the self etching is for bare metal. I used brush on Rustoleum hammered black paint to paint the sides. The effect of the paint hides imperfections. Thanks for this video, it inspired me to follow your plans with a little tweaking. Cheers.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Michael Hunter Nice!. I followed other vids too. Tweaked things here and there to fit my needs. Tight lines!.
MrLonstar
MrLonstar - 6 years ago
Great build, it's obvious you took the time and effort to do it right. A couple of suggestions -

Sharp points on it that could cause injury - the struts that protrude out the sides for the eye bolts. At the very least round them off, or better yet, cover them. Some people use foam pipe insulation, I prefer the cylindrical pool noodles. They're cheap and available in different colors. Get the color you want, cut pieces to cover the ends of the struts, use good quality, thick zip ties to attach (cheap and/or thin ones break over time). The long bolts holding the tongue jack.....if it were me I'd cut them flush with the nuts.

Wiring - very surprised to see wire nuts on an otherwise well thought out, time consuming build. Cut the wire to the proper length for the lights and get some crimp on barrel connectors. Put a little dielectric grease in the crimps, and on all wire connections for that matter. It helps stop the aggravating intermittent 'lights not working' gremlins that pop up as time goes on because it stops corrosion from forming. If you extend the trailer later, just use new barrel crimps to add longer wire.

Other than that it looks really good. Thanks for taking the time to post a video.
Amanda Eubanks
Amanda Eubanks - 6 years ago
anyone ever tell you you sound like robbert downey jr
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Amanda Eubanks No but Thank you.
TarheelTim
TarheelTim - 6 years ago
Would I need the tongue extender for my 14 foot yak?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
TarheelTim my old town predator is over 14 ft. I haven't had an issue with hooking up to my Suv. if you want the yak to sit further forward, you might want to buy an extender for it.
Bob Barker
Bob Barker - 6 years ago
Do you think that the superstrut is strong enough to act as a lateral brace between the 2x4s running lengthwise along the trailer? I'm looking to building something similar without the 2x4s on each end, using superstrut to add j bars for 3 kayaks.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Bob Barker I believe so. There's another video on YouTube where the fella just used struts across a Lowe's trailer. he could take the struts off if he needed to use the trailers flat bed. I added the 2x4 to add weight so I wouldn't have trailer bounce driving down the highway.
Harry Hall
Harry Hall - 6 years ago
get your self a back-up ball camera , less then $200.00  good back u camera no wires .
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Harry Hall Thanks Harry. I'll look into that.
Matt Kight
Matt Kight - 6 years ago
Where did you purchase the tail lights?  You mentioned redtrailers.com but this website apparently doesn't exist...  Did they go out of business?

20. comment for Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks

Rent To Own Blueprint
Rent To Own Blueprint - 6 years ago
Great build. Buy the way, where did you purchase the struts?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Rent To Own Blueprint thanks. I bought the struts from Lowe's. The only thing I would change would be going with the higher struts instead of the shallow struts.
Thomas Paige
Thomas Paige - 6 years ago
Nice video, thanks. :) Any reason to not go with lengths of 2X4 set on their sides to run the length under the kayaks instead of the 3" PVC?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Thomas Paige pvc is smoother specially when wet. Easy gliding of the kayak.
Michael Koester
Michael Koester - 6 years ago
Thank's so much for sharing your DIY design. I just finished mine and have set two FF Lure 11.5 on it. Looks fantastic!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Michael Koester thanks Michael for the kind comment. Tight lines!.
Steven Andersen
Steven Andersen - 6 years ago
Thank you!
Randy Flatgard
Randy Flatgard - 6 years ago
i know the struts come 10' lengths, did you just cut them in half. I have just finished my build and trying to figure the best way to attach struts.
Dubya3D
Dubya3D - 6 years ago
Gunskayaksdrones guessing that you kept the struts at 60". To be sure, is the overall width of the trailer 60"?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
Randy Flatgard yes, I cut them in half. I centered them on the trailer and used lag bolts with washers to screw them down into the 2x4's.
J Led
J Led - 6 years ago
What's the length between the the pvc pipes? Does your kayak touch the trailer or the strut?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
J Led I had the distance in center written down somewhere. I have to find them. When I get to the trailer, I'll measure again and reply. The kayak doesn't touch the strut. Only the pipes. If I did it again, I would have used the higher regular struts instead of the short struts.
The best thing to do is mark the center of the trailer. Work your measurements from the inside out. From your centerline, measure out so that the two kayaks won't rub once loaded. You can even do your measuring with the yaks on the ground. Space them apart from each other l making sure they are equal in distance from the centerline. Once you have found the location for the twin "inner" pipes, you can add the two "outer" pipes. Make sure the bolts are loose. With the assistance of another person, place the kayak on the pipes. Adjust the width to accommodate the kayak. Make sure the kayak is level on the pipes. Make sure the kayak is level when you first start doing all of this. Slide the kayak back and forth until the kayak slides smoothly and evenly. The strongest part of the kayak is where the scuppers are located.
Once you find the sweet spot, remove the kayak and tighten down the bolts. Take the measurements from one side and duplicate the measurements on the other side. Make sure the kayaks don't rub specially if you have any accessories attached to the yak while your trailering down the road.
DrGopta
DrGopta - 6 years ago
Well done Sir.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 6 years ago
DrGopta Thank you!.
Matthew Ryckman
Matthew Ryckman - 7 years ago
great build. I want to do one like this, but I have a 15 foot kayaks. you think that is ok to let hangoff the back with a flag?
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 7 years ago
Matthew Ryckman thanks. You would need the Trailer tongue extension from red trailers .com
JungleJimAB9AB
JungleJimAB9AB - 7 years ago
Amazing video and terrific kayak setup. Thanks for posting.
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 7 years ago
JungleJimAB9AB Thank you!.
Ask The Pro DJ
Ask The Pro DJ - 7 years ago
I dont like it, looks Ghetto.
Bob Log
Bob Log - 7 years ago
Ask The Pro DJ your racist, I live in the ghetto, just kidding I'm rich.

30. comment for Harbor Freight Double Kayak Trailer Build | Use 1 or 2 Kayaks

Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 7 years ago
The only thing I forgot to add after making this video. I should have went with regular deep struts instead of the shallow struts. The 2x4 blocked the openeings to the struts holes. Instead of the bolts screwing passed the strut, they would dig into the 2x4 wood. The deep let strut would have fixed that issue. I tried to save a few bucks when I went with the shallow strut.
RJ Unleashed
RJ Unleashed - 7 years ago
Excellent configuration on the Harbor Freight trailer. I have my design on RJunleashed channel. If I did not have the thule bars and racks already, i would have designed it like this. Although I had not idea how to do it, last winter when building one. I looked at many many designs which were to complicated so I went with the stansions and bars like the Malone. But this one is the best tube rig i've seen. Love the way the tandem coverts into a single with each tube spaced equally. Brilliant! I like my Yak being elevated to rig, however the angle to port is steep. I am careful not to dip the stern in to deep. It has taken on water via the stern when fully loaded with trolling motor and battery. I mount both after port now. If i ever change my design this would be it. Thanks for sharing. RJ
South Tx Fishing
South Tx Fishing - 7 years ago
Nice set-up ... Perfect for what im trying to do ... Thanks!
Tyler Clarkson
Tyler Clarkson - 7 years ago
Awesome build! With Kayaks, what would you estimate it all weighs? Considering a build similar, but I will be pulling with my Ford Focus, so weight is important!
Troys Hobbies
Troys Hobbies - 7 years ago
Tyler Clarkson Thanks. The stock trailer with no wood is around 254 pounds. Each of my Predator 13 kayaks weight roughly 86 pounds each. One 3/4 sheet of plywood is roughly 75 pounds. 8 ft, 2x4's roughly weigh 10 pounds. I have around 4. That's another 40 pounds. I used three sections of superstrut with a total weight around 24 pounds. This is all off the top of my head thinking back on the build. Right now I'm at 1130 pounds not including the weight of the three conduit pipes.
You can modify what I done by using more superstruts and less 2x4's. If the weight station was open, I would get a better number by having my setup weighed.

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