Riding with a coracle + other bike + boating questions

[DaveP]

Loved the Canterbury Belle. Reminded me of the time I saw one of those amphibious cars when I were a lad. They were offering rides around the Marine Lake at Southport, but it was far too expensive for us.

As for the original question, it occurs to me that riding with a coracle would effectively be riding wearing an air brake. Could be jolly hard work!

[Annoying Twit]

Thanks for all the replies here. I am reading them and thinking about the points that are being raised. (E.g. in most circumstances my path to watery places is pretty much flat - if I had to I could walk down hills without too much of a time penalty.)

[[XAP]Bob]

I'd be quite happy towing a boat on a trailer - I might want to weigh it down though.
MickF has a supply of concrete blocks

Coracle or kayak shouldn't be an issue (although one needs a much longer trailer than the other (the kayak can, of course, act as it's own structure).

Bike trailers don't have the same dimensional regulations as other vehciles, but you must:
- Light the correctly if out at night (triangular reflectors and red light on trailer AND bike)
- Be able to stop in an unspecified "reasonable distance" (i.e. still have decent brakes)

A boat is, by definition, fairly light weight compared with many trailer loads bikes regularly carry...

[Ruadh495]

I'm looking at this too. I'd like to dispense with the car and still be able to go boating. In my case I know what boat I'm using, it's a 16' open canoe, weight about 75Kg. That sounds a lot, but it's only the same as an adult passenger. It's easy to move on a trolley, but the length imposes some constraints. Most local cycle paths are out because of barriers, for example. There's always the road...

I used to know someone who did exactly this. He made the local paper, though I think the police did decide it was legal...

Using the boat as the trailer structure makes me slightly uneasy, it means there are two temporary connections which are part of the trailer structure. I'll probably end up going that way though.

Another idea I had was to use a cheap "toy" dinghy as a coracle (same paddling technique). That should fit on standard carrier deflated. Small punctures can be fixed with a cycle repair kit. Once it has too many patches or bigger holes, bin it and buy another. Not the most environmentally friendly solution.

[[XAP]Bob]

The legality of the trailer isn't in question, in daylight hours you only need to be able stop in a reasonable distance.

[Ruadh495]

We know that, but local police don't always... Plus it looks unusual and motorists find it inconvenient, so it "should" be illegal.

[Graham]

I'm looking at this too. I'd like to dispense with the car and still be able to go boating. In my case I know what boat I'm using, it's a 16' open canoe, weight about 75Kg. That sounds a lot . . .

In theory, the large Carry Freedom Y-frame can tow up to 90Kg if using a solid axle on the bike.

From my own experience with that trailer I would not want to carry a load above around 50Kg. The effects on the bike start to become rather too significant.
That is with loads restricted to size of the Y-frame platform. I suspect a long canoe would introduce other interesting effects.

[[XAP]Bob]

We know that, but local police don't always... Plus it looks unusual and motorists find it inconvenient, so it "should" be illegal.

Mostly they'd be fine with you quoting the rule and demonstrating braking.

75kg is a fairly hefty load - I'd have no issues towing it on the trike, but that's rather a different kettle of fish to a bike I appreciate.

[Heltor Chasca]

I had a mad cap plan a few years back. Along the Kennet and Avon. Plan was to tow my 18 foot canoe upstream, load the bike in the vessel and paddle back. Too many issues:

Towing this length offers no manoeuvrability. Pedestrians, bridges, bollards, ANYTHING was a nightmare.

If the trolley hit a bump, just the tiniest of misalignment of the wheels sent the whole boat in a different direction.

The thought of my bike ending up in the drink was enough to call it quits and I gave up.

Wrong time of year but Bah Humbug to me.

[700c]

I rigged up a system that allowed me to "drag" my 9'6" surfboard behind my bike.

It did work well. Except for the descent to Bantham beach which was terrifying. If you know that area, you'll understand.