Standup Zone Forum

Stand Up Paddle => Gear Talk => Topic started by: kimanjo on September 10, 2009, 08:10:34 AM

Title: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: kimanjo on September 10, 2009, 08:10:34 AM
Ok, more feedback wanted.  My daughter is 5'3" (when she stands straight) and 100 pounds.  She's going to be moving this 11' board from the vehicle to the beach.  She will have to go over sand, sometimes a good deal of it. 

Any suggestions on whether The Mule can handle the sand (sometimes powdery, sometimes packed)  or whether I should buy/make a modified Kayak cart (lots of videos on YouTube) or would the Sling work? 

Ii I were to make a modfiied Kayak cart I would need those super thick "beach wheels"--almost look like rollers--that they sell for the Mighty Mite.  I would prefer to make a modified cart, but here is the big question-:

How do you secure the board to the cart and then how do you pull it without the board shifting?  Unlike a kayak which has cleats, holes in the bow, etc. there is nothing to grab onto on the SUP at the nose.  So would I have to build/sew/create something?
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: stoneaxe on September 10, 2009, 10:19:10 AM
The mule is great. She'll not only be able to get the board down to the beach but a cooler and chairs as well. The wheels work well enough in the sand, especially with just a board .
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: paddlesurf.net on September 10, 2009, 03:04:56 PM
I agree: The Mule works great and it packs down really small (comes with a nice case too). Oh- and your daughter is pretty petite- women that size around here paddle 8' and 9' boards- with finger grips to make transpo really easy- I'm sure she could go smaller. 

Good luck!
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: Barknuckle on September 10, 2009, 07:39:27 PM

Be sure to look at the BarKnuckle too.  It won't help you get your chairs to the beach  but it will make it super easy to get the board and paddle to the beach.  The original idea for the BarKnuckle arose from my 5'4" girlfriend needing a way to get her board  to the beach.   


Hope this helps

Cory

http://www.barknuckle.com (http://www.barknuckle.com)
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: rkdjones on September 22, 2009, 11:18:10 AM
I found that even 30 lbs is too much weight to carry with a shoulder sling any distance.  I found that it is actually easier to use a good handle and carry my board under my arm.  There is a commercial product that looks like old racing bicycle handlebars that probably works well and costs $30 or so (I forgot the name but there was a discussion on this forum a while ago).

I am intrigued by the barknuckle.  Does it work and not damage the board?  Anybody have experience with one?

Robert
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: awe on September 23, 2009, 11:33:01 PM
Kimanjo,
What rkdjones is talking about  is the big hook.You can check them out at

www.thebighookhawaii.com (http://www.thebighookhawaii.com)

or look up "the big hook hawaii" in this gear talk section.

Goog luck
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: PonoBill on September 25, 2009, 10:30:17 AM
For this application: Mule. Easy to attach and secure, folds down to nothing, converts your SUP into a trailer for schlepping stuff, and you can use it behind a bicycle or motorcycle.

Barnuckle, Big Hook, schlepper and etc. are to make it easier to carry. Mule makes it so she doesn't need to carry.

No financial interest and no big bias, I have one or two of each except the Barnuckle.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: Shawn Michael on September 25, 2009, 12:38:08 PM
of course if the wind is up then you have to reevaluate which one of those options will work.  I love the big hook but it is usually so windy in the afternoon in Long Beach that I just pinwheel around and amuse the kitesurfers.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: markkaddy6 on September 25, 2009, 03:42:27 PM
The Quiver Kaddy is  great it will carry up to 3 SUP boards at one time as well as your  Water bottle lunch , chair , everything for a day at the beach and folds up to smaller than a body board for storage , connects to your bike , made from 304  stainless steel ,  wheel go great on the sand ,
check it out on www.quiverkaddy.com (http://www.quiverkaddy.com)
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: PonoBill on September 25, 2009, 09:33:35 PM
Very nice, but it's $500 aussie bucks. the mule is $95 USD.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: awe on September 25, 2009, 09:52:29 PM
Kimanjo,
The mule might be the way to go. At her height and weight the board might be to heavy to use the carriers.  Or you can just carry it for her ;D

Aloha
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: PeteCresswell on September 27, 2009, 05:33:09 PM
Ok, more feedback wanted.  My daughter is 5'3" (when she stands straight) and 100 pounds.  She's going to be moving this 11' board from the vehicle to the beach.  She will have to go over sand, sometimes a good deal of it.  

Any suggestions on whether The Mule can handle the sand (sometimes powdery, sometimes packed)  or whether I should buy/make a modified Kayak cart
I used one of these things: http://tinyurl.com/yegx5ee (http://tinyurl.com/yegx5ee) for quite a few years when they were made by Rolleze.   Since then they've been made by WheelEze and, IMHO, the air valves have been improved to straight-up Schraeder valves instead of those needle jobbies like on a soccer ball.

Maybe our sand is atypical, but I cannot imagine a solid wheel rolling over our sand.   Through it, yes... but not *over* it.    

Call me a wuss, but I find that pulling something that sinks into the sand is a *lot* harder than pulling something that rolls over the sand.

The WheelEez tires run about 2 PSI and roll over our sand quite nicely.   They also do a good job of enveloping irregularities like SUV tracks.

I used to haul my 9/6" wave ski or my 20' surf ski, paddle, life jacket,  4 beach chairs, a beeeeeg cooler full of food, a beach umbrella, plus assorted towels and beach bags for four people.

The only downside of the low-pressure wheels that I perceive is that they take up more space than a skinny solid wheel - and I dealt with that by hanging the thing on the bicycle rack in back of the vehicle.

If I bought another one, I *might* go for the next size larger tires - but more to get the load up to where I could pull it with less tilting of the board than anything else.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: supstoked on September 28, 2009, 11:07:07 AM
I think you need to sell the 11' and get her a 9'.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: PonoBill on September 28, 2009, 05:06:39 PM
Pete, you needed big wheels because you had so much weight. If you are using a skinny wheel rig like a mule the wheels divide the load between them and assuming a reasonably flat angle (likely for a long board and a short girl) the load is also pretty much divided between the wheels and the person. So for a 20 pound board the person is carrying 10 pounds and each wheel has five. They don't sink.
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: Barknuckle on October 05, 2009, 07:44:29 AM

We did a lot of research to ensure that the BarKnuckle does not damage your board.  The BarKnuckle is 100% safe to use on your SUP. 

If you want to drag your board across the sand then a cart may be the option you're looking for but if you want a multipurpose, completely removable handle the the BarKnuckle is how to carry your stand up paddle board SUP.

Hopes this helps

Cory
Title: Re: What works best--a Sling, The Mule, or a Kayak Cart?
Post by: Stansurf on October 09, 2009, 06:29:38 AM
As I stated in my product review, the Mule is a good product.....HOWEVER if you have a SUP with an especially wide and squat tail, make sure that you have Mule send you an axle that is 4" to 5" longer than the one they normally include in their standard "big board" package.  I have a Jimmy Lewis 11' SUP that does have a very wide tail, and the first time I used the Mule, it damaged my board because the wheels did not clear my back rails.  They rubbed off about 1/4" of the board shell on each of the back rails where the wheels rubbed on the board. >:(  The people at Mule were very responsive and immediately sent me a longer axle and now the Mule works perfectly for my Jimmy Lewis.  :)
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