Saturday, March 12, 2016

Malone Microsport XT Kayak Trailer

Today I put together a Malone Microsport XT Kayak Trailer.  Of course, I ordered it on Amazon:  Malone Microsport XT.  What makes this one an "XT" is that it comes with the aluminum wheels and the telescoping tongue.   That is a nice thing to have since you can "fold" this thing up and prop it up against a wall in the corner of your garage.  Also, it looks like you could put a really long yak on it - most likely a 17' sea kayak without issue.

What it doesn't come with is mounts.  Just the square loading bars.  There are a ton of choices out there that would work.  I just went with the Malone branded ones as they seemed pretty stout, yet were much cheaper than alot of the alternatives.

I also got some accessories - the Malone kayak mounts, the spare tire kit and the luggage/trunk accessory.  This trunk comes with mounting brackets and it's essentially a heavy plastic toolbox big enough to put some lifejackets and a kayak dolly in.

The bulk of it came all broken down and shrink wrapped to a palette (via Pilot freight service):



The installation instructions were pretty poor.  It does lack some important details on the bolts and washers to use in specific locations.  Someone could spend just a few hours editing the thing and end up with a really nice installation manual.   But eventually, I got it.  Took almost an entire day to assemble - 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  But it was a beautiful day to do this in the old driveway.

In the Amazon reviews, others complained about the instruction and missing nuts and bolts. I didn't have any problem with any missing parts, but I did have a few things left over.  Kinda scary that those big bolts are extra, but I went thru it again and there is nothing missing from the build.



To my amazement, the lights worked correctly on the first try!  It's a simple system you'd have on a boat trailer - incandescent bulbs and clip connections.  But it seems to work OK.

Well, here it is all put together with two of my cheap yaks loaded.  Did a road test and it pulls true and doesn't make any discernable noise, nor is there excessive bounce.






My final assessment?  I like it very much, and I saved alot of money over the Yakima trailer.

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