Hauling a Kayak, Canoe, or Small Boat on a Utility Trailer

The kayak is 14 feet long and the car is not. The canoe is 17 feet and there is no rack. Your new jon boat came with a motor and a seller who wanted to keep the trailer.

A rented utility trailer is the best way to get your new watercraft on the lake for a weekend or a season when there is no boat trailer and no roof system that will take the hull. You need to remember that one rule governs everything that follows: a hull is held gently, at its strong points, and never cranked down.

Match the deck to the hull

Pick a utility trailer whose deck plus the overhang your state allows covers the hull's length, which for most kayaks and canoes means a 10- or 12-foot deck, and for a jon boat a 12-foot deck with a ramp gate. Width is almost never the problem; length and the overhang rule are.

Recreational kayaks run 10 to 14 feet and 35 to 80 pounds, canoes 15 to 17 feet and 60 to 90 pounds, and jon boats 10 to 14 feet and 100 to 300-plus pounds with a motor and a battery. A 5-by-10 or 6-by-12 deck with a few feet of rear overhang covers all of them, and two kayaks ride side by side on a 6-foot deck. A jon boat needs the ramp gate because it slides on and off. Read more about what a 6x12 utility trailer can hold.

Pad it and set it right

Set the hull on foam blocks or padded cradles, never bare on the deck, and orient it the way its maker says: most plastic kayaks ride upside down or on their side, canoes upside down on their gunwales, and a jon boat upright on its keel. A plastic hull left on its bottom on a hard deck can flatten where it rests.

Place the padding at the hull's strong points, near the bulkheads on a kayak and under the gunwales near the thwarts on a canoe, not at mid-span where the hull is softest. Set a jon boat upright on carpet or two lengths of wood under the keel, transom to the rear. Center the heaviest boat over the axle and slightly forward so the tongue stays loaded.

Strap at the strong points

Use cam-buckle straps, not ratchet straps, over the hull at the bulkheads or the strongest cross-sections, snug enough that the boat does not move when you push it and no tighter. A ratchet strap can crack fiberglass or deform a plastic hull in two clicks.

Run two straps over the hull to deck tie-downs on both sides, near the bulkheads on a kayak and near the thwarts on a canoe. A jon boat takes a strap across the bow seat and another across the stern, plus straps through the bow eye and transom eyes to the deck if it has them. Give each strap a half twist so it does not hum at speed, tie off the loose ends, then shake the boat; if the trailer rocks and the boat does not, it is right. REI's guide to transporting a kayak or canoe makes the same point about tension for roof racks. Read more about how to tie down an irregular load on an open utility trailer.

Add bow and stern lines

Run a line from the bow to the front of the trailer and from the stern to the rear, because the straps over the hull stop lift and side slide while the end lines stop the boat from pivoting or walking forward in a hard stop. Four points of contact, two directions each.

Tie to the boat's grab handles or its bow and stern eyes, never to a seat, a deck bungee or a plastic fitting, using non-stretch rope or a short cam strap with a touch of tension. On a long canoe the end lines keep the overhang from swinging when a truck passes.

Flag the overhang and check the law

Anything hanging more than a few feet past the deck needs a red flag by day and a light at night in most states, so flag the stern and check your state's overhang limit before you leave. A 17-foot canoe on a 12-foot deck hangs over by 5 feet.

The federal rule for commercial loads, 49 CFR 393.87, calls for a red or orange flag at least 18 inches square on any load projecting more than 4 feet past the rear, and most states mirror it for everyone. Keep the overhang within your state's limit, often 3 to 4 feet, shift the hull forward if it is close, and make sure the trailer's lights and plate stay visible. Your state DOT has the exact number.

Launch it as a carry

A utility trailer is not a boat trailer: park at the top of the ramp or at the put-in, untie, and carry the kayak or canoe to the water or slide the jon boat off the dropped tailgate at the edge, with the hubs dry. Backing a utility trailer into the water soaks wheel bearings that were never sealed for it.

Two people carry a canoe or a jon boat, and a kayak cart handles a long walk from the lot. For a jon boat, drop the ramp gate, lay carpet on it and slide the hull off at the water's edge; reverse it at day's end with the boat drained. Read more about renting a trailer for a hunting or camping trip for the rest of the gear.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• A 10- or 12-foot deck covers most kayaks and canoes; a jon boat wants 12 feet and a ramp gate
• Pad the hull at its strong points, kayaks and canoes upside down, jon boats upright on the keel
• Cam straps, not ratchets, over the hull at the bulkheads or thwarts, snug and no tighter
• Bow and stern lines to the grab handles or eyes stop the boat from pivoting
• Flag any overhang past 4 feet and stay inside your state's limit
• Carry the boat to the water or slide it off the gate; never back the trailer's hubs into the lake

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