has anyone ever used one of these and is it worth it

Looks pretty cool, can't use it in the BWCA for more than one reason.

I use one to take my kids canoeing around our place, but like the pp said you can't use it in the bw

I have a couple DIY versions made from a coleman stool, plus a threaded axle and two 16" bike wheels from Northern Tool.

I like the bigger wheels. With the bigger wheels you can position the cart close to the middle of the canoe, and this takes almost all the weight off your pulling arm. With the bigger wheels, you can cross rough terrain pretty easy, and on a road you can pretty much move at a running pace.

I find it most useful in that I can wheel the canoe from the garage to the lake, and vice versa, and just leave all my crap in the canoe without having to pack and unpack. You just leave everything in the canoe and pull it along.

Yeah, I have one....

quote Savage Voyageur: "Looks pretty cool, can't use it in the BWCA for more than one reason. "

Not true! You can use it on any of the porages between mechanical lakes, as well as a long the border route.

from the BWCAW Rules and Regulations:

MECHANIZED TRAVEL NOT ALLOWED
In addition to the BWCA being motor-free, mechanized transportation is not allowed. This includes sail boats, sail boards, paddleboats, pontoon boats, bicycles, wheeled carts, and portage dollies. Mechanical assistance is only permitted over the following: International Boundary, Four-Mile Portage, Vermilion-Trout Lake Portage, Fall-Newton-Pipestone Bay Portages into Basswood Lake, and Prairie Portage.

I guess they are not allowed in the Q but the former superintendent told a story of telling a group "sure - go ahead and try". I felt sorry that they had to portage the portage wheels across the Quetico. Maybe useful - or useable - from parking lot to Beaverhouse Lake - can't think of many other portages. Yellow Brick Road perhaps.

I own one and used it once. It seems like it would be great thing, but on the tight portage trails I use with mud, fallen trees, and rocks, it's not.

....so not allowed on 99.9% of BW. lakes

quote CrookedPaddler1: "

quote Savage Voyageur: "Looks pretty cool, can't use it in the BWCA for more than one reason. "

Not true! You can use it on any of the porages between mechanical lakes, as well as a long the border route.


from the BWCAW Rules and Regulations:


MECHANIZED TRAVEL NOT ALLOWED
In addition to the BWCA being motor-free, mechanized transportation is not allowed. This includes sail boats, sail boards, paddleboats, pontoon boats, bicycles, wheeled carts, and portage dollies. Mechanical assistance is only permitted over the following: International Boundary, Four-Mile Portage, Vermilion-Trout Lake Portage, Fall-Newton-Pipestone Bay Portages into Basswood Lake, and Prairie Portage."

Ya I knew that. I just ment most of them are too rough and rocky to use them anyway.

The first person to patent an invisible, levitating canoe cart earns big bucks ... but it would spoil most of the Boundary Waters fun.

Thank all of you for your input I have not been up in the bw for over 30 years not to sure what I can and cannot do thanks again

quote NotLight: "


"

If I had that one, I think I'd rig a removable handle, so I could also use it to haul deer during hunting season.

I made one of those carts using bailing-wire technology and 26" bicycle rims/tires. It was a simple axle, flat board for the load, and tires. I used web straps to hold the canoe onto the board. I designed it to take apart easily so that I could haul it along in the canoe. For the time and place, it worked great.

Sort of OT but I didn't realize sailing was against the rules. I have on a couple of occasions rigged up a tarp between paddles on long crossings with the wind at my back. Would that be considered a sail boat or was I in the clear.

you're in the clear

Is that really OK? I mean, I don't see the harm in it, but the rules seem to prohibit using a sail, even a rigged one on a canoe.

I have one, often use it here in Ohio. i can put all of my fishing gear into the canoe, thus I only have to make one trip. Anthony

quote OtterTail: "Sort of OT but I didn't realize sailing was against the rules. I have on a couple of occasions rigged up a tarp between paddles on long crossings with the wind at my back. Would that be considered a sail boat or was I in the clear."

Often debated. Why doesn't somebody who might rig a sail call a USFS office serving BWCAW and ask? I'd say a canoe with a sail is a sail boat but don't know rangers' policies.

It falls under the mechanical assistance section...IMHO and would not be "lawful." But again...IMHO

Motor-Powered Watercraft Regulations

Motor-powered watercraft are permitted only on the following designated lakes. All other lakes or portions of lakes within the BWCAW are paddle only. Motors may not be used or be in possession on any paddle-only lake. No other motorized or mechanized equipment (including pontoon boats, sailboats, sailboards) is allowed.

quote Savage Voyageur: "Looks pretty cool, can't use it in the BWCA for more than one reason. "

They are legal on the "mechanized portages" -

quote OtterTail: "Sort of OT but I didn't realize sailing was against the rules. I have on a couple of occasions rigged up a tarp between paddles on long crossings with the wind at my back. Would that be considered a sail boat or was I in the clear."

As long as you don't cut live trees for masts :( , as McSweem says, you're fine, I'm thinking. Who wouldn't take some benefit of those (seemingly rare) tailwinds?

As memory serves, about 20 years ago, I rented a couple portage wheels to get our 14 ft boats into basswood from fall lake. We may have rented them from fall lake campground, but my memory is fuzzy on that.

They were just a couple bicycle wheels with a two-by-four in between. We'd lift the front of the boat as high as we could, slide the portage wheels back to the middle of the boat, and let her down. With a little adjustment, we were centered, and could then walk our boat across the two portages. My friends boat was actually a 16 bass tracker, and it worked for that too.

Do places still rent portage wheels?