EasyRider

I absolutely love this trailer, but there's one major flaw in my opinion. When I mount the Yakima Big Catch saddles to the bottom portion of the trailer I had to remove the top cross bars due to lack of space. With the saddles installed and the top HD cross bars installed my Hobie Pro Angler would not fit due to lack of space. I would love to mount the HD cross bars back on but if i do so then my trailer would not be able to fit my kayak. I have searched everywhere for a spacer kit or even some adapter to put space between the bottom and top bars but had zero luck.

I’ve had my trailer since November 2022 now, and have had nothing but great a experience. The fenders were shipped new with an upgraded metal frame on the inside of the fender, and I have had no issues.

Like several other commentators have noted, the fenders are the biggest weak point. My fender easily broke and my license plate was damaged as a result, so I now have to replace both and hope it doesn't happen again with the replacement fender. Other than that, the trailer itself is very solid and sturdy. I have 2 Old Town Sportsman kayaks and it accommodates both easily. Just wish those fenders weren't so cheap and flimsy for the price you pay for the trailer.

Love the trailer. It has been great for our two fishing kayaks and gear BUT those FENDERS. I ordered a left replacement fender after on our last trip our license plate all but snapped off. Had to spend $36 to get a new tag due to the fact the license plate was so damage. Since the trailer will be down for a few days due to wiring damage because of the fender cracking so bad, I ordered the right replacement fender as well. Yakima definitely added a beef-up strip to the new fenders. Hopefully this stiffens up the fenders enough to keep from license plate from acting like a speed brake on a fighter jet and causing the fender to crack.

We purchased this trailer last spring and enjoyed a drive from AZ to OH without any issues. Took a short jaunt to Tucson and just a mile from the house noticed the license plate had been "sucked" into the tire. Thankfully, we had stopped to eat before hitting the road. The license plate is bent beyond repair and the fender is cracked. Not the workmanship I have come to expect from Yakima products.

Overall the trailer is very versatile. The one negative are the flimsy fenders. I have a 2020 and both are broken and need replacing so plan on paying another $300 to replace the fenders on top of thee cost of the trailer. Seems like they would recall and replace the fenders for free.

Like the others who commented below, my wife and I took a trip with our kayaks and when I looked out my side mirror the drivers side fender and license plate was shaking dramatically. When we pulled over, the fender was cracked from front to back. We ended up using duct tape and bungee cords to secure it so we could finish the trip. I haven’t found a replacement yet but plan on contacting Yakima tomorrow. I think they should have used something other than plastic for fenders given the price.

This trailer is used to haul a 12-foot fishing kayak (~105lbs), is outfitted with the Big Catch saddles and a Spare Tire Kit. It is stored in a garage and only exposed to the elements when being used. I purchased this unit in March of 2021 and used it maybe a dozen times through spring, summer, and fall. It sat in my garage for the winter. The first thing that went wrong occurred during my 4th or 5th trip last year (each trip about a two hour haul round-trip).

In my side mirror I noticed the trailer's license plate flapping dangerously off the back of the trailer. I immediately pulled over and noticed that my license plate was not only bent out of shape, but cracked all around the edges of the connect points. I'm glad I pulled over when I did, because it was likely to have fallen off completely before returning home. I used the included hardware to attach the license plate so I thought it was odd that the plate would have sustained so much damage. I thought maybe something hit it on the road and chalked it up to bad luck.

So, I flattened out my plate, purchased a sturdy license plate frame and beefier bolts, and reattached the plate to the trailer. On my second trip out this year, I noticed the same thing happening when I caught a glimpse from my mirror. I pulled over immediately and inspected. Again, the metal was bent and mangled. When I gave the plate just the slightest tug, it snapped on one side and started swinging from the one remaining connection point.

As I removed the remains of my plate and frame from the trailer for the second time, I noticed that the fender had cracked along the top crease extending out from the trailer side rail. I was not happy! I wiggled it to make sure that the fender was safe enough to return home and decided it was. When I got home I did a full inspection of the trailer, torqued all bolts to spec, and everything seemed ok otherwise until I wiggled the passenger-side fender. Lo-and-behold, the same crack in the same place on the opposite fender. (picture)

Aside from the obvious flaws in the fenders, this is an incredible trailer and I really am happy with everything else about it. It is super lightweight, tows extremely well with no hopping and skipping all over the road (empty OR loaded!). I also love the foldaway tongue and handy handle near the hitch. The tires have a slight angle to the camber which I thought was a problem but doesn't seem to affect anything so I guess that's the way it's supposed to be? Those FENDERS though! Yeesh.

I am reluctant to pay $300 for a new set of fenders for a $3,000+, year-and-four-months-old, already-out-of-warranty trailer that was assembled professionally (Rack-n-Road). Are the new fenders going to crack too? Am I going to shred another license plate in less than 10 hours of normal use? For the time being I'm going to rely on good ol' JB Weld and keep the license plate in my car and hope I don't get pulled over.

For now, the review is 3 stars - deduct one for each faulty fender. The only reason it's not a 1-star is because literally everything else on the trailer is awesome and I haven't found a trailer in the price range that has the features or ride quality.

Hopefully the engineering team at Yakima has addressed this issue on newer models. And hopefully I can get a discount/replacement on some new fenders!

Trailer is great quality and worth the money. Only concern I have is the way the HD bars are mounted to the trailer, someone could easily unscrew the 4 screws and take the bars... not sure if there is any anti-theft option?

I like the trailer despite it's flaws. I've had to replace both fenders because they cracked. The replacement parts I ordered from Yakima were more robust than the original parts. I'm assuming they improved on an obvious weakness so maybe the newest trailers have these parts already installed. Likewise, I've had to replace both tail lights. I'm not sure why they quit working. The replacements work fine. Cool trailer though, I enjoy using it.