I really enjoy your magazine and I’m glad to see this sport catching on so much. Last winter, I got so hooked on kayak fishing that I bought two Hobie Outbacks and rigged them out for serious fishing. 2007 was a spectacular year and we’re looking forward to warmer weather soon here in Long Island, NY.

Transporting my kayaks on the roof of my mini-van was a hassle, as I was usually tired at the end of the day. I even dropped one once off the roof. Having said that, I decided it was time to solve this problem permanently, so I designed and built a custom kayak trailer from a basic 6’ x 10’ utility trailer that easily allows 2 or 3 kayaks to roll up onto the trailer. It also holds 12 rods, all of my gear, parts and tackle. It has built in lighting for night recovery, and is easily towed with my Kia. The two Yakama racks can up and down, so once the kayaks are loaded on top from the rear, they swing up and lock into an upright position for transporting.

The new trailer was about $900 and I think the material for the conversion was about $350 or so. At 52, I am tired of hoisting those boats over six feet into the air on windy days.

• One of the photos shows 2 gray 1x3’s on the right rear of the trailer, where a slide-in cutting and bait board mounts
• There are 4 locking hatch doors for access to my gear, tools, wheels, sails, rods and a hose reel
• I can clean the kayaks at the dock before leaving. (A real pleasure).

I’ve had 3 sail boats up to 27’, so I improved the Hobie sail configuration a bit. Now, the sheets run smoothly, and lock via quick release cam cleats with finger adjustments for trimming. I can also roller furl the sail around the mast from the cockpit safely, something I was determined to do because the sail was a real problem to control when the wind kicked up. Sometimes less is better. I added a Hummin’ Bird fish finder, Scotty rod holders, anchor trolleys and night lighting. I use a 12vdc 7aH gel cell for power. The charger is built into the trailer so the battery is charging while I drive.

Anyway, I thought you might like to see it. I bought my boats at Empire Kayak in Island Park. Mike and Gabrielle are fantastic people.

I think their eyes bugged out though when I showed up with this rig. She accused me of having too much free time.

Ain’t it sweet?