Surfski Bicycle Trailer

I represent Epic in Southeastern, North Carolina. I designed and built a Kayak cart to be towed by a bicycle:

There are some great ideas in that design, and some that could be improved.

The cradle part for the surfski nose I think is a stroke of genius - but then having a bouncy connection is not so great.  Hmm - That is a difficult one. I'll think on it a bit.

Drilling a hole in the bike frame is not good. Just make the top bit of the rack shorter, then provide some extra bits that can bolt down to standard rack fittings (or P clips).  P clips used to be sold by bike shops but are also available from plumbing suppliers.

Regarding that rack - - using flat Al bar means it will flex a lot. Square section tube will be much more rigid. Minor niggle though.

Were you restricted to what wheels you could get? Those look to be running just nylon on steel. Fine for low speeds and short distances, but the nylon will quickly wear and heat. 

The castor to protect the rudder is a great idea.

Great feedback. Thank you.

Disclaimer of sorts: I used spare parts for everything. The flat aluminum plates on the bike rack portion are from two sets of scooter forks from a shop project. The bike is 14 years old, and a hole was drilled in the frame to completely eliminate any twist or flex in the flat plate members: sacrifices had to be made! The wheels are the cheapest and lightest that Harbor Freight had in stock. I dare them to fail, and they keep defying their structural limitations on a near daily basis. The stirrup rubber is from a piece of cargo area floor mat left over from installing a bulkhead in my van. The straps are from the cut off ends of the tie-downs.

The soft strap to t-handle hitch point works well and eliminates a rigid connection point. I am terrified of using anything that will break the stern handle in the event of a bike fall over or crash.