# Towing boats on a bike trailer



## Matthames (12 May 2010)

This is probably really ambitious, but has got me thinking. 

I have seen pictures of canoes and kayaks being towed by a bike and see that it could be done. But with my thinking, how about going a stage further than this and tow something like a Laser dinghy. 

Any thoughts?


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## Rhythm Thief (12 May 2010)

How far would you be towing it? I'd have thought a Laser was a bit too heavy and unwieldy to tow safely behind a bike, but I've never tried it.


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## numbnuts (12 May 2010)

Crazy next question
I have thought of towing my kayak by bike, but I would like to keep in in one piece


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## Rhythm Thief (12 May 2010)

Thinking about it a little more, I'd just use it as an excuse to buy an old Land Rover.


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## Matthames (12 May 2010)

Rhythm Thief said:


> How far would you be towing it? I'd have thought a Laser was a bit too heavy and unwieldy to tow safely behind a bike, but I've never tried it.



Not really sure, I am interested to see if it could be done. Unfortunately I don't have a Laser dinghy at the moment, but would hope to acquire one at some point in the future. I don't envisage towing it far though, because like you say they are pretty heavy and unwieldy, the last one I owned seemed to be heavier then the others in the boat park, which probably accounted for me not winning anything


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## Norm (12 May 2010)

A Laser would make quite a load to tow - although there was a post on here a few weeks back from a chap who had cycled round London towing a kayak.

_Edited to add: _Here you go


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## Rhythm Thief (12 May 2010)

Matthames said:


> ... the last one I owned seemed to be heavier then the others in the boat park, which probably accounted for me not winning anything



 Older ones can let water in around the mast socket, which obviously adds a lot of weight.


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## Norm (12 May 2010)

The 'glass can turn porous and absorb water. 

I bet I can claim the oldest, though, sail number 2493.  What are they up to now? Have they passed 200k yet?


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## jay clock (12 May 2010)

I was in Tanzania recently and they would sneer at pathetic load like a dinghy, when they tow a huge trailer with a pile of sofas about 10 foot high! Go for it


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## TheDoctor (12 May 2010)

If you gear low enough, I'm willing to bet a bike could tow just about anything.
Stopping it could be a different matter, of course...


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## Muddyfox (14 Jun 2010)

Theres a chap near where i live that tows a canoe with a recumbant trike ... he takes it to Seaton (Devon) and does a bit of mackerell fishing with a handline

Simon


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## Clarkey (16 Jun 2010)

There was a thread about this on a canoeing forum a while back - lots of comments about how illegal it was to tow something the size of a canoe with a bike. Try as I might I can't find any legal limit on pushbike trailer dimensions though - does anyone know if they exist?

I have a 16' dinghy (60kg) that I would quite like to tow to the river with my Brompton, a distance of about 1 mile with no hills. The only thing really putting me off is the typically pathetic Brompton brakes.


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## Banjo (20 Jun 2010)

Clarkey said:


> There was a thread about this on a canoeing forum a while back - lots of comments about how illegal it was to tow something the size of a canoe with a bike. Try as I might I can't find any legal limit on pushbike trailer dimensions though - does anyone know if they exist?
> 
> I have a 16' dinghy (60kg) that I would quite like to tow to the river with my Brompton, a distance of about 1 mile with no hills. The only thing really putting me off is the typically pathetic Brompton brakes.



I supppose you could allways throw out an anchor :-)


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## Wobbly John (20 Jun 2010)

I tow my boat, but it's only an 8 footer:







It's pedal powered BTW:


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## Clarkey (21 Jun 2010)

Is that an Atkins Mouse?


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## hubgearfreak (21 Jun 2010)

that's brilliant john. out of interest, could you possibly estimate the distance it might travel for the equivalent cycling effort incurred in a 50 mile ride on a mediumweight bicycle?


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## Mycroft (22 Jun 2010)

Wobbly John said:


> I tow my boat, but it's only an 8 footer:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




do want!!

DROOL

more info please


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## CopperBrompton (23 Jun 2010)

Oooh, that's cute. What is it?


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## Wobbly John (23 Jun 2010)

It is indeed an Atkins Mouse.

More details of my boat on my website - pedalmouse
and the trailer is the Adaptable trailer.


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## Wobbly John (23 Jun 2010)

hubgearfreak said:


> that's brilliant john. out of interest, could you possibly estimate the distance it might travel for the equivalent cycling effort incurred in a 50 mile ride on a mediumweight bicycle?



I would guess 10-12 miles.

I think it's more tiring than a bike because there is no change in position and no constant steering to keep balance. You would probably travel further with company - it's the boredom rather than the effort that is the limiting factor.


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## Wobbly John (23 Jun 2010)

BTW, Arch built the 'Flat Rat' version of the boat. We both had them at one of Hilldodger's events in Leicester in 2005:


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## nigelb (23 Jun 2010)

Towing a boat like a laser youmight also consider the wind - any form of side wind, gusts etc could leave you in big trouble?

(Just thinking of the way my Volvo estate gets thrown around when towing)

Nige


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## CopperBrompton (23 Jun 2010)

Thanks for the details - lovely-looking craft.


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## Arch (25 Jun 2010)

Wobbly John said:


> BTW, Arch built the 'Flat Rat' version of the boat. We both had them at one of Hilldodger's events in Leicester in 2005:



There was a chap at the Rally asking about boats - we pointed him to your website....

I forget, sometimes, that I own a boat. I assume it's still at Cyclemagic!


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## Mycroft (27 Jun 2010)

is anyone else having trouble opening those links? or is it just me.


had a search the other night after posting and found a few sites on building the mouse, but couldnt find any plans on building the pedal version.

I live beside a river and have for a few years dreamed of a boat to go to town in and do the shopping, however it gets quite shallow in places so the idea stalled, flat bottomed small boat might do it though, and this has sparked my interest again, so thanks 

my original idea was to get an electric outboard/battery and slap as large a PV solar array on as possible.

have been out on the water with an electric motor before and while initially sceptical the silence was amazing!

adding in pedal power when my legs are already there seems a good idea 

I also have a neighbour that might turn a shade of green.. not that that is a motivation though  as id be all for sharing the idea of alternative transport.

if those links worked, Id be grateful. as it is though, the pictures have made my week 


LINK prob solved, just an extra http.

those are some of the webpages i was looking at, as i said no plans for fitting the drive mech. and prop.


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## hubgearfreak (29 Jun 2010)

found this and thought of you..........


http://bikerodnkustom5.homestead.com/pedal_boat.html


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## Arch (30 Jun 2010)

Mycroft: The drive unit John and I used was a commercial unit, from a thing called a surfbike - it was a plastic housing which had the cranks at one end, and a prop at the other, and a machine chain connecting them, that simply twisted through 90 degrees from chainring to sprocket. Our units were spares from Cyclemagic. I'd have thought something similar could be made up without the moulded plastic bits.

The unit slotted through a hole cut in the bottom of the boat, with a box built up around it to contain the displaced water and stop the boat flooding. So the propellor was amidships, so to speak, directly under the pedals - it did increase the draught a bit, to a few inches, since my Ratty was only drawing an inch or two floating normally.

I have a Powerpoint I put together, of the construction - if you PM me an email address, I could send it to you.


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## RedBike (4 Aug 2010)

I love this post. 

I'm just looking into going sailing. Not only do i HAVE to join the local sailing club before I'm aload to put a boat on the water I will get charge a launch fee everytime I take my car down to the lake. 

I couldn't help but think how much cheaper things would be if I could pedal my boat to the lake, ride across the lake, then skip off home before anyone noticed.


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