The wheels on the boat go round and round (my old kayak cart)

Portaging to Biscay Pond May 14 cropped — First time on the road in May 2011…this photo was in the local newspaper with the announcement of Paddle for Hope. I vividly remember how amazed I was to discover that a well-balanced boat would roll along fairly effortlessly on the flat and downhill sections of a paved road or even the gravel shoulder. (Photo by Bill Bausch)

Trying the wheels with the demo Fusion just before returning it to Maine Sport Outfitters…note the kickstand is down in this photo. Our neighbor’s lobster boat and stacks of traps in the background are another sign of spring!

Happy day, it’s another package from REI, although this one is for my father. It’s another Wheeleez Tuff Tire Kayak/Canoe Cart. After reading often about wheel breakage and meltdown on other paddlers’ blogs, we were very pleased to find that this exact model was still available. The price had gone up slightly, from $129 in 2011 to $135 now.

I chose this model initially for its weight (9 lbs.) and the solid, foam-filled tires which gave me one less thing to worry about. It has carried my kayak on about 50 miles of portages since 2011, with no problems. Even such places as the last third of a mile of the Demo Road portage on NFCT Map 10, which is basically just a rocky trail through the woods. Does it help that I walk so slowly? And my load is well under the cart’s 176-pound capacity.

In my kayak, the cart rode upside down behind my seat, fully assembled. The wheels can be taken off, however, and the marine-grade aluminum cart folded up. Last weekend the wheels were very squeaky, so we greased them, and I will take a bit of grease and some spare pins with me this summer. The cart comes with two 13-ft straps, which traveled across Maine with me in a small Rite Aid bag, tied to the frame! Not very professional, but they were always handy when needed. I think this time, though, I will get a small dry bag that can be clipped on more securely.