Care and transport

Kayak Trailers: Capacity, Fit and Towing Checks

by Akayak Editors

Start with your boats and your vehicle before choosing a kayak trailer. Match each boat to its carrier—the rack or cradle supporting it—check the trailer’s cargo and length limits, then confirm your vehicle can tow the complete load. A trailer can make loading easier, but you also need the right towing connection, working lights and secure boat restraints.123

This page summarizes published safety guidance. It is not a substitute for instruction, and conditions on your water may differ. Check the current rules for the state and water you paddle.

Key Takeaways

  • Match every boat’s weight and length to the chosen trailer and carrier.
  • Check your vehicle’s towing and hitch-load limits.
  • Confirm the hitch, ball and wiring requirements before buying.
  • Follow the supplied trailer and carrier instructions for securing boats.
  • Check state registration, lighting and brake requirements.

Choose an arrangement for your boats

The examples below offer different ways to carry boats. Payload means the cargo a trailer carries: boats, carriers and other gear. It is different from loaded trailer weight, which includes the trailer itself.3

J-shaped cradles support kayaks on their sides. Bunks are lengthwise supports beneath the boat. Malone offers packages using both arrangements; Yakima’s EasyRider has two stacked levels for boats and other equipment: the bottom deck is nearest the ground, and the upper deck is above it.425

Named trailerIntended arrangementPublished cargo limitPublished boat-length limit
Malone EcoLight™ 2 Kayak Trailer Package, MPG586XJTwo medium touring or recreational kayaks in included J-shaped cradles400 pounds (181 kilograms)14 feet (4.3 meters) centered on the trailer; 12 feet (3.7 meters) not centered. Malone’s EcoLight specification sheet confirms these boat-position limits. Malone does not publish a measurable definition of “centered” for these three trailer packages.4
Malone MicroSport™ 4 Kayak Trailer Package, MPG462G2Four kayaks in included FoldAway-J carriersTrailer: 800 pounds (363 kilograms); each included carrier: 75 pounds (34 kilograms)20 feet (6.1 meters) centered; 18 feet (5.5 meters) not centered.617
Malone MicroSport™ LowBed™ 2 Kayak Trailer Package, MPG464-LBBTwo large fishing kayaks on included bunk kits800 pounds (363 kilograms)20 feet (6.1 meters) centered; 18 feet (5.5 meters) not centered.27
Yakima EasyRiderTwo levels for boats and other gear, including fishing kayaks500 pounds (227 kilograms) totalBottom deck: one kayak up to 19 feet (5.8 meters), or two up to 17 feet (5.2 meters).5

Keep trailer and carrier limits separate. The MicroSport package’s trailer rating does not increase each FoldAway-J carrier’s allowance. Check the supplied carrier manuals for the EcoLight cradles and LowBed bunks before committing to heavy boats.1

Malone says the EcoLight cradles work best with traditional V-shaped hulls—the bottoms of boats—and are for trailer use only. Ask Malone how its centered-length guidance applies to your intended loading arrangement, especially near the length limit.48

For EasyRider, treat the bottom-deck boat counts as limits for that deck. Yakima does not give an upper-deck maximum boat length on its product page or in either manual; check your proposed arrangement across both levels with Yakima. The total cargo limit is 500 pounds (227 kilograms) across both decks combined. The upper deck can carry up to 350 pounds (159 kilograms), reduced to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) for gear with a high center of gravity. Yakima’s assembly instructions also specify the 300-pound limit when carrying bikes or using J-cradles for kayaks. The lower deck can carry up to 500 pounds, provided both decks together stay within the total limit.53

Check the supporting bars and vehicle capacity

Crossbar spread is the distance between the bars supporting your boat or its carriers. Check that spread, bar width and carrier compatibility together.1

The EcoLight has 58-inch (147-centimeter) bars with a fixed spread of 38.5 inches (98 centimeters). Both named MicroSport packages have 78-inch (198-centimeter) bars; Malone’s specification sheet gives an adjustable spread of 44–63 inches (112–160 centimeters). EasyRider has 78-inch (198-centimeter) HD Bars and a published spread of 24–60 inches (61–152 centimeters).46275

For loading height, Malone places the LowBed bars 22 inches (56 centimeters) above the ground. Consider whether that arrangement suits your lifting needs and boats.2

Read your exact vehicle’s owner’s manual for its towing rating and permitted tongue weight: the downward load where the trailer connects to the vehicle. Include carriers, boats and other gear when calculating the loaded trailer weight.3

The four-kayak MicroSport package lists a total package weight of 263 pounds (119 kilograms) for the trailer and included equipment, before adding boats and other cargo. EasyRider lists an empty weight of 175 pounds (79 kilograms) and a maximum complete trailer weight of 675 pounds (306 kilograms), including all cargo. The maker’s pages and manuals do not give weights for the fully equipped EcoLight or LowBed packages; ask Malone for those weights. Get the equipped weight of your chosen configuration, add your boats and other cargo, and compare that loaded trailer weight with your vehicle’s towing rating.63

Use Malone’s fit-guide links for rack and kayak-carrier compatibility. Those checks serve a different purpose from the vehicle manual’s towing limits.1

Confirm the hitch, ball and wiring

The hitch is the vehicle-mounted towing attachment. The trailer’s coupler grips the hitch ball to connect the trailer to it. Match these parts using the trailer instructions and the hitch maker’s requirements.3

EcoLight specifies a 2-inch (5.1-centimeter) ball, with its top 14 inches (36 centimeters) above the ground, and a flat four-pin electrical plug for the trailer lights, also called Flat 4. Hitch class is the hitch’s load-rating category; check its permitted trailer and tongue loads against your loaded trailer. Malone does not list an EcoLight hitch class on its product page or in its specification sheet or assembly manual. Confirm the required class with Malone and your vehicle-specific hitch supplier before buying.4

For both named MicroSport packages, Malone uses the wording “2” Class II receiver.” Its specification sheet calls for a 2-inch (5.1-centimeter) ball with the top 18 inches (46 centimeters) above the ground. Confirm the receiver and ball-mount requirements for your vehicle rather than treating that wording as a universal rule. Malone’s trailer maintenance manual specifies flat four-pin wiring.6278

EasyRider’s manual specifies a Class I, II or III hitch, a 2-inch (5.1-centimeter) ball, a ball-top height of 16 inches (41 centimeters), and a Flat 4 electrical connector.3

Secure the boats using the supplied instructions

Read both the trailer manual and the instructions for each carrier. Malone requires straps or lines securing boats to the trailer and warns that a winch’s pulling line alone does not provide that restraint. Its carrier guidance also requires bow and stern lines—restraints at the front and rear of the boat—every time you transport it.81

Use the specified attachment points and strap routes for your trailer package. If you have EasyRider, Yakima directs you to its integrated crossbar-end attachment points and requires bottom-deck loads to be tied to a bar running parallel to the road.3

The kayak tie-down guide provides further background. Follow your trailer’s instructions for the actual attachment points.

Balance the load and check before towing

Keep Malone trailers at or below 65 mph. Follow state laws and reduce speed for weather, wind and road conditions.1

For EasyRider, Yakima specifies tongue weight of 10%–15% of the complete loaded trailer weight, with 60% of the weight forward of the wheels and gear balanced evenly. Malone’s FAQ likewise advises about 10%–15% on the hitch and says to check the hitch’s rating. These are maker instructions for their equipment.31

For a Malone trailer, secure the coupler and safety chains to the tow vehicle’s hitch before towing.8 If you have EasyRider, make sure the kickstand is up and locked in place, lock the coupler latch with a safety pin or padlock, cross the safety chains—the backup links between trailer and vehicle—with slack while keeping them clear of the ground, and connect the wiring harness. Check the lights before moving.3

Malone calls for checking tires, wheel lug-nut tightness, lights and tie-downs before every trip, including brake lights, taillights and turn signals. Malone’s checklist also asks that the wheel bearings are properly adjusted and maintained, and its FAQ says to grease the bearings at least once a year or every 1,000 miles. Working brake lights do not answer whether the trailer has braking equipment; confirm that separately with the maker.18

Yakima advises practicing backing and maneuvering in an empty space and checking the load and trailer bolts after the first 20 miles (32 kilometers) of use. If a Malone trailer sways—wobbles from side to side—its manual says to reduce speed gradually, avoid sudden steering or braking, and stop towing if the sway continues.38

Check registration, lights and brakes with your state

Start with your state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for registration and insurance requirements, and check the rules in states where you will tow. Look for trailer title, registration and plate requirements; lighting and reflectors; brakes; and breakaway equipment, which applies the trailer brakes if it separates from the vehicle.39

Read the current official rules linked by the agency. Washington, for example, addresses registration and plates separately from trailer lighting and braking equipment. Its brake exception depends on loaded trailer weight, its relationship to the towing vehicle’s weight, and stopping performance. A small cargo rating alone does not settle the question.109

The Malone and Yakima product pages, specification sheets and manuals do not specify service-brake equipment for these four named models. Ask the maker about braking equipment for the exact trailer configuration, then confirm its legal requirements with your state DMV or State Patrol. Washington’s DMV guide directs drivers to check service-brake rules; whether your load requires brakes cannot be determined without your state and loaded towing configuration.

Where next

Compare the loading and equipment choices in kayak roof racks compared and roof load limits explained. Return to care and transport for related guides.

Carrying two or more kayaks and kayak overhang and flag laws will cover those related decisions.

Footnotes

  1. https://maloneautoracks.com/FAQ.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. https://maloneautoracks.com/MicroSport-LowBed-Trlr-Spare-Tire-2sets-Bunks.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. https://assets.yakima.com/product/instructions/8008129/2 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  4. https://maloneautoracks.com/EcoLight-TM-Two-Kayak-Trailer-Package-2-Set-Jracks.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. https://yakima.com/products/easyrider ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. https://maloneautoracks.com/1-Trailer-1-Spare-Tire-Kit-4-FoldAwayJ.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. https://maloneautoracks.com/malone_content/malone_trailer_specifications_MicroSport.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  8. https://maloneautoracks.com/dealerimages/pdf/Malone_Trailer_Maintenance_Manual.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  9. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.37&full=true ↩ ↩2

  10. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.16A.030 ↩