Stand Up Paddle Surfboard Bike Trailer

Inspired by Tim (Strand Leper on the Standupzone) I modified a mule to fit my F18. Dropped bicycle and trailer (in a little bag about the size of two books) off at Wailea Beach (Four Seasons Maui) and drove back to the Kehei Pier for a light wind downwinder. Paddled hard the whole way, partly because I was trying to catch micro-swells, and partly for training for the upcoming Maui Canoe and Kayak Club races. Hit the beach semi-pooped and sweating, rigged the trailer and discovered the tires were flat.

Ah well, I figured there was not that much weight on them, off I went. Wasn’t bad, and I got air at the Kihei Bike shop about halfway through the ride. A four foot bike and an 18 foot trailer is a bit tricky to maneuver, but I got the hang of it. I did expect the ride to be just a cruise, but it certainly wasn’t, at least not with the trailer. It was a pretty tough climb at the beginning, somehow I thought it would be flatter.

I think the downwinder was about 8 miles since I went way outside, using the Chantelle/Jack Dyson line: go to the horizon and turn left. The bike ride was probably 10 miles since I had to circle back to get my Camelback–left it at the bike store. I was pretty glad to see the jeep at the end.

So, this thing is doable. As usual I tested it by jumping straight off the edge of the fjord–running though downtown Kihei in holiday high season traffic. Not bright, but I know it’s good in worst case conditions. Gotta say, as simple as the Mule is, it’s a brilliant design. It has that pared-down character that’s so nice to use.

This is a great addition to the funmobile. Now if nobody can go do a downwinder I can just do it myself. I also made a bike rack out of bits from an old weight bench (I somehow wound up with two). I went to buy a hitch rack and discovered they ran close to $300. So I rolled out the MIG welder and whipped one up in about half an hour. It’s not the prettiest thing I ever built, but it works fine.