Hi all,

I am picking up a 6x4 trailer tomorrow ready to start building the yak trailer.

I need to carry 2 x 12ft kayaks.

I was thinking of making some racks that sit 2ft above the trailer so I can store camping gear etc underneath them.

I will be extending the draw bar by 4ft aswell.

Any ideas? Any input would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Jamie.

It is my understanding that once you put either a boat or a kayak on an unregistered trailer it becomes a boat trailer requiring registration. I have seen a lot of drivers booked for this over the years. Registering your trailer should be straightforward though.

Your plans sound reasonable enough to me. The yaks shouldn't be too high to make loading too difficult.

Maybe you could do a search on this site for some more info, as I'm sure it has all been covered before.

Been using a normal box trailer for our kayaks without registering it as a boat trailer for a while now and haven't been pulled up about it once. Had a number of cops just go past. You could tie something bright like a orange work vest around the end to keep them a bit happier. I suppose it depends on what kind of cops they are and where you drive through.

However if you wanted to be on the safe side of things, as windknot said its easy to register it which would most likely be a better idea and probably something we'll do in the future.
Can't help you with the trailer set up though as ours is flat to the trailer and would be able to raise it up.

Hope this helps

If its a box trailer and you intend to use it for kayak transport and say rubbish removal you can't register it as a boat trailer, it has to be registered as a light trailer.

I was given an old box trailer and have just about finished setting it up. Just remember you can't technically have any rear overhang.

Hey there,

Yeah it will be registered mate, regardless of it carrying kayaks it will be too long to be exempt from registration anyway.

Yeah I only wanted them just above waist height as that's the whole reason for building a trailer, the 4wd roof is just too hard

I thought about just flat loading but as we intend to take the yaks on long trips I want to make some v brackets as such for them to sit in and locate nicely, I will also be adding a small pole to locate the yaks through the scupper tube for extra security.

Ofcourse the other advantage of having them up of the trailer a little bit is that you can carry camping gear, esky water etc underneath.

Cheers

Jamie

GoneFishn wrote:If its a box trailer and you intend to use it for kayak transport and say rubbish removal you can't register it as a boat trailer, it has to be registered as a light trailer.

I was given an old box trailer and have just about finished setting it up. Just remember you can't technically have any rear overhang.

Hey mate, what method did you use for the extendable draw bar? I was thinking of the same thing.

Jamie444 wrote:

GoneFishn wrote:If its a box trailer and you intend to use it for kayak transport and say rubbish removal you can't register it as a boat trailer, it has to be registered as a light trailer.

I was given an old box trailer and have just about finished setting it up. Just remember you can't technically have any rear overhang.

Hey mate, what method did you use for the extendable draw bar? I was thinking of the same thing.

Previous owners had it built that way by ATA trailers. It's basically box tubing within box tubing that has pin and bolt arrangement to lock it in place.

GoneFishn wrote:If its a box trailer and you intend to use it for kayak transport and say rubbish removal you can't register it as a boat trailer, it has to be registered as a light trailer.

I was given an old box trailer and have just about finished setting it up. Just remember you can't technically have any rear overhang.

there is no where in the rules that says a boat trailer can't have a box on it and there is also no rules saying you cant carry other goods on it
so you can reg it as a boat trailer as its designed to carry boats

as you have stated a box trailer isn't aloud over hang however a boat trailer can the rear of the boat ( kayak ) can be up to 3 meters over hang from the centre of the axle or axle group ( if it was a multi axle ) but the railer neads to be longer from the centre of the axle group to the hitch

this of cause is longer than needed for a yak trailer

as far as rego goes in Vic any trailer that is over 3 meters in total lenth - wider than the car - weighs over 270 kg empty - is used for your work or carries a boat must be regoed
something else to keep in mind that any trailer than is going interstate NSW or SA must be regoed as unlike Vic all there trailers must be regoed

Just remember, as Kelly (gonefishing) said in Victoria it is now illegal to have ANY overhang on a 6x4 trailer, I know of quite a few being booked / warned around here. The Shire even had a guy at the rubbish pit informing people about having crap hanging out the back. On the up side of registering as a boat trailer, is that you can use the parks at boat ramps without worrying about being booked, usually a 6 x 4 will incur a fine.
Damn Cheater beat me by a few minutes

I actually rang vicroads about regoing my trailer as a boat trailer and they put me through to (I think) someone in safety & rules? He informed me if I was to register a box trailer as a boat trailer and get pulled over while doing a tip run I could be fined as a boat trailer is only allowed to carry a boat.