UKT4

Like others have shared, I had grown tired of hefting 55lb kayaks and 70lb canoes on top of my crew cab truck and decided that a trailer was the ticket. While shopping for a kayak trailer, I looked at most available on the market and compared features, configurability and price. At the end of the day, I decided that the Magneta UKT4 offered the most flexibility for configuration adjustments and had hardware available to accept the Yakima bars & accessories I already owned.

The base trailer holds 4 kayaks and is priced at $1,375. I placed an order for a base trailer and upgraded to 12" wheels, a 6' swing away tongue extension and hardware to attach my Yakima bars raising the price to a bit over $1,600. As my luck would have it, the day after placing the order with Magneta, I found a good condition used UKT4 for sale locally for $550. I promptly cancelled my order with Magneta and bought the used trailer. The folks at Magneta cancelled my order without any issue and were very friendly. I subsequently ordered a tongue extension and hardware to mount my Yakima accessories from Magneta and again, they were quite easy to do business with.

The used trailer was missing the lights so I purchased lights and wiring from a local boat dealer and installed myself. I made my wiring harnesses with a ground wire to each light (rear and sides) to avoid the need to use the trailer as a ground. I also ran all the wiring inside plastic tubing to protect it from wear and all connections were soldered and sealed in both liquid tape and plastic electrical tape. The lights work great. I also inspected and re-greased the wheel bearings before putting the trailer in service.

So, how is it performing? Over Memorial Day weekend, I used the trailer to transport 3 kayaks on a 250 mile trip and it performed just fine. The trailer tracked well behind my truck and felt stable with the 3 kayaks on board. I really appreciated the load height of the trailer compared to the roof of my truck when loading and unloading. It is also a lot easier to strap down the kayaks when they are within easy reach. In my opinion, the trailer is well made and can be reconfigured easily using a variety of components available from Magneta.

There are a couple of reviews that mentioned issues with wheel bearing failures right out of the box but since mine was purchased used, I couldn't comment on what a new purchase experience might be like. But, it is always best to check bearings before use just in case and if I had purchased new, I would have checked the grease and made sure they were tightened appropriately on the spindles before using. Also, there were complaints about the lighting being very basic. On this issue, I also would have upgraded the basics to what I did on my used version.

If you are considering buying a new Magneta UKT4, here are my closing thoughts:

• This trailer will do the job and is well made for its intended usage
• Customer Service at Magneta is friendly and helpful
• Since you have to assemble it yourself, check the grease and tightness of the wheel bearings and install your lighting properly – upgrade the wiring harness to ensure they keep working.
• If you are not handy and don't have the ability to deal with the wheel bearings and lighting, you might find these items to be a potential issue. If you are handy, put it together with these items in mind and you will have a very solid and useful trailer

Last thought…
Shop Craig's List for a used one and save a ton of dough….

After looking at several different canoe trailers and reading reviews I decided to purchase the Magenta 4 place canoe trailer, like many others I also went with the larger tires and tongue extension. It was relatively easy to put together, though I did have a small number of leftover washers (directions made little mention of when and where to use them). I did not go with the galvanized option and noticed more than a few places on the tubing where the paint had already chipped off upon opening the packages containing the parts. This is not a big deal for me, as I will probably strip off any rust and repaint in a year or so anyways, but others may like to know. I may also get some plastic tubing to protect the wiring as mentioned in another post. Additionally I plan on slapping a piece of treated plywood on the frame to have a place to haul coolers and other gear and might build a box on the plywood as well. Looking forward to using this trailer.

We got the ten-boat version. First time out: wheel bearings seized and blew out the bearings. They sent us a replacement kit that had another defective bearing.

Purchased the trailer last year after many frustrating attempts to car-top two Old Town 138's. Two boats, relatively small- no problem. Add some length and 60 lbs to bench press and things get ugly. Now the review- WOW ! If your thinking of it and it will get you out a few more times feel confident that this is a good choice. The trailer, bought off EBay, came disassembled and was not a problem to put together. Actually, at the end of last season I took the trailer apart to store in my garage to make room for another car. Most of the "small parts" can stay on so it wasn't hard and only took an hour or so to put back together.I have the 4 ft extension (get it- you will need it for a 14' or greater). I also have the galvinized trailer and 12"wheels. Tows nicely. Great to leave the boats on with the tongue pointing out of the garage towards the lake ! Hookup and go. believe me lifting the boats only 3' to get them home is so much better, safer, and back-friendly than car-topping.

This is my first try at a kayak, and my wife purchased it for me. I have not had this much fun in a long time, and I also took a lesson here in the Essex County area of Ontario, and this is also the best money I have ever spent. The ease of getting out of this boat when it is upside down, and being a beginner this was important for me. I would recommend this particular kayak especially for larger people, I am 5'9" and 215.

A very functional, attractive trailer. Currently carrying two 15 foot sea kayaks and a 11 foot recreational kayak without problems. Got the bigger tires and tongue extension. Assembly was not a problem except for the missing leaf spring. Made the mistake of not making an inventory of the small parts before contacting them about the spring. When it arrived, noticed that I had one too many large ubolts and one too few small ubolts. They were responsive and got the parts to me but ended up waiting 2-3 weeks between initial arrival and hauling the boats. Would have been quicker if I had noticed the ubolt mixup. Overall, this has been an excellent trailer and I only rated it a 7 due to the parts delay.

After placing my order I recieved my trailer in 2 buisness days via UPS. It came in 3 boxes. Assembly was simple with easy to follow instructions. I ordered the single kayak trailer with 4 foot tongue extention and 12 inch wheels. The trailer is extremely well made. I however, changed the appearance of the trailer by painting it with black glitter paint, powder baking the wheels gold, and adding gold pin stripping. Now it matches my car down to the last detail. Overall, I am very well pleased with the trailer, the service, and the price.

I bought their two-canoe trailer, with extras: galvanized dip, spare tire, big wheels, front wheelstand, oarbox, and canoe gunwale brackets. They were out of stock on the last two items, and I am still waiting for the oarbox after about 3 weeks. The basic trailer is sturdy and well-designed. The instructions for assembly have a few errors in bracket sizes, and don't cover accomodating the accessories. Sadly, the company scrimps on things. The wiring harness is about 2 feet short, there is no wire protector material (a couple of bucks at Radio Shack) and the safety chains are too short. Plus they don't tell you that if you order the galvanized option they don't paint it. Not needed for rust prevention, of course, but it sure would look better, and painting is standard, so when you pay extra for galvanizing, they shouldn't delete the painting. But it does what it is supposed to and the lights work. A shame they short-change on a few cheap little items they could cover for $5 on an $1100 purchase.