Maine Portage
59 Main Road
Carmel, Maine 04419
(207) 848-9991
Personal Trailers
Maine Portage offers a line of personal sized trailers which are designed to meet the specific needs of the user.
For instance, we have built trailers for square stern canoes up to 22' long. For the kayak enthusiast we offer a standard unit which will carry up to 4 kayaks on a single rack. We have also built a unit which could carry 4 kayaks and a tandem bicycle. We apply the same attention to quality and usability to our personal trailers as we do to our commercial units. Our goal is to build a unit which works for you.
Maine Portage is aware that you have other options available to you. We have seen some of the trailers which are available and we are not impressed. Most of them look good in the picture or at a dealer but we judge our trailers on how long they last and how usable they are. We do not use aluminum or galvanized steel.
Aluminum does not hold up over the long haul. Aluminum becomes brittle through use and is expensive to often unsuccessfully repair. Extruded aluminum uses bolts to create friction which hold the unit together. Use and improper assembly distort the channels which degrades the ability of the parts to stay connected as intended.
Galvanized steel is impractical to use for three reasons. One is that the unit must be galvanized as a unit or in components which would necessitate bolting them together. We prefer not to use bolts. The second reason we do not galvanize is that it makes it impractical to build custom units. To galvanize on an individual basis is expensive to the extreme and does not allow for dimensional characteristics which are common to custom units. Third, galvanized steel does not last longer than non galvanized steel. It may look better on the outside but it is still oxidizing at the same rate on the inside. Repairing galvanized steel is a tedious process and many shops will not attempt it. Painted and welded is the way we fabricate our units.
All of our personal trailers share the following specs:
15' or longer in length
700# Dexter torsion suspension with EZLube hubs (largest spindle available)
3/16" steel channel and/or 3" x 2" x 1/8" steel tube frame
12" bias tires
up to 78" 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" tube steel load bars (compatible with many roof rack accessories)
2" coupler
safety chains
standard four prong connector DOT lighting and reflective markings
For instance, we have built trailers for square stern canoes up to 22' long. For the kayak enthusiast we offer a standard unit which will carry up to 4 kayaks on a single rack. We have also built a unit which could carry 4 kayaks and a tandem bicycle. We apply the same attention to quality and usability to our personal trailers as we do to our commercial units. Our goal is to build a unit which works for you. 
All of our personal trailers share the following specs: