KayakCarts.net

Transparency

Testing status

Most kayak cart sites imply they have used the gear. This page states exactly what we have and have not done, and it will keep stating it even when the answer is unflattering.

We have not physically tested any cart in this database.

Zero staff-tested records. Every figure we publish comes from a manufacturer specification, a retailer listing, or documented owner experience — each one graded and sourced on the record it appears in. We would rather tell you that than fake a field test.

Where the database stands

7

Carts documented

8

Kayak models

0

Staff-tested records

0

Scupper dimensions published by makers

What each grade means in practice

The badge on a figure tells you its provenance. Two of the six grades are currently unused, and we will not quietly start using them.

Mfr confirmed— evidence level: The figure or fit statement is published by the manufacturer of the kayak or the cart, in their own documentation, spec sheet or support channel.

In use. The bulk of our cart geometry and capacity data. Example: the YakAttack TowNStow Bunkster’s three-tier capacity — 204 kg (450 lb) flat, 136 kg (300 lb) trail, 91 kg (200 lb) over a 13 cm drop — is published by YakAttack.

Staff tested— evidence level: We physically performed the fit or the measurement ourselves and recorded the method, date and conditions. We currently publish no staff-tested records — see our testing status page.

Currently unused, count zero. Reserved for measurements we take ourselves and record with method, date and conditions. If you ever see this badge on the site, the record it sits on will link to the test notes.

Multiple reports— evidence level: Three or more independent owners, in separate public sources, describe the same outcome. Sources are listed on the record.

In use. Consistent accounts from independent owners across separate forums or review threads. Most of our known-issue records sit here — soft-sand failure, strap slip and kickstand collapse are all multiply reported.

Single report— evidence level: One identifiable public owner account. Directional evidence only — treat as a lead, not a fact.

In use, sparingly. One credible first-hand account. Enough to mention, never enough to drive a blocker on its own.

Inferred— evidence level: No direct fit report exists. Our published rules engine compared measured cart geometry and capacity against measured kayak geometry and loaded weight. Geometry is not the same as a real-world fit.

In use, labelled. Derived from adjacent published facts — for example judging wheel behaviour on soft sand from tyre width and diameter. Always visible as inference.

Unverified— evidence level: Sources disagree, or the only sources are retailer listings that contradict each other. We show the conflict rather than pick a winner.

In use. Claimed somewhere but not corroborated, or actively contradicted between sources. The C-Tug capacity dispute sits here, which is why the finder returns “Not enough data” for that cart rather than a number.

Known gaps we are not hiding

Scupper dimensions

Not one manufacturer in our kayak database publishes scupper diameter, spacing or wall thickness. Every scupper field we hold is marked not published. This means we cannot tell you whether a given scupper cart’s posts fit your holes — only whether a scupper cart is advisable at all for your boat. Anyone who claims otherwise without measuring is guessing.

Capacity disputes

Retailers publish contradictory capacities for identical SKUs. We resolve this by calculating with the lowest credible figure and flagging the record as provisional — or, where no figure is defensible, by declining to calculate. See our capacity methodology.

Kayak coverage

We hold 8 kayak models. That is a starting set, weighted towards the heavy pedal and fishing boats where getting this wrong is most expensive. If your boat is missing, the finder has a manual-entry path that asks for your own weighed figure rather than inventing one.

Testing we intend to do

Listed with the reason it has not happened yet, so this reads as a commitment rather than a promise.

  1. Pull-force testing on graded surfaces

    A luggage scale or load cell inline with the tow handle, measuring steady-state pull force in newtons across pavement, hard-pack, wet sand and dry soft sand at a controlled load. This converts our terrain judgement scale into something measured.

    Blocked on: Needs the carts in hand and a repeatable measured course.

  2. Scupper dimension survey

    Calliper measurement of scupper diameter, spacing and wall thickness on common fishing hulls, photographed with the calliper in frame.

    Blocked on: Needs access to the boats. This is the single biggest gap in our data — every scupper dimension in our database is currently unpublished.

  3. Hull-contact mapping

    Pressure-indicating film or simple chalk transfer between pad and hull to record the true contact patch, which is what determines whether a flat pad damages a rounded hull.

    Blocked on: Needs carts plus boats together.

  4. Strap-slip testing

    Repeated kerb and root traversal with each cart’s supplied strap versus a 38 mm (1.5 in) cam strap, recording slip distance.

    Blocked on: Needs carts in hand.

Corrections

If a figure here is wrong — especially if you own the boat or the cart and can measure it — we want the correction. Owner measurements with a photograph of the measurement being taken can move a record from inferred to multiple reports, and that is exactly how this database is supposed to improve.

Read the full methodology Data standards