Reference
Data standards
A compatibility database is only as good as its discipline about what counts as a fact. These are the rules we hold ourselves to when writing a record.
Units and rounding
- Metric is canonical. Kilograms, centimetres and millimetres are the stored values; imperial follows in parentheses.
- Where a manufacturer publishes an imperial figure, we display their published imperial number rather than converting back from our metric conversion. Round-tripping a conversion invents precision — 450 lb should never render as 449 lb.
- Weights are shown to one decimal place in kilograms. Dimensions to one decimal place in centimetres, whole numbers in millimetres.
- Percentages of capacity are whole numbers. We do not imply sub-percent precision on a figure built from a disputed denominator.
Rigged weight, not hull weight
Every load calculation on this site uses rigged weight — the boat as you actually cart it, with seat, drive, rudder and fittings. Manufacturer “hull weight” excludes parts you are certainly carrying. On a Hobie Pro Angler 14 the gap is 54.7 kg hull versus 65.5 kg rigged: nearly 11 kg that a hull-weight calculation would silently lose.
How we record what we do not know
This is the rule that most distinguishes this database. An unknown value is stored as an explicit null with a status, never as a blank, a zero, or a plausible-looking estimate. It then renders as visible honesty:
Rendered example
- Cart mass
- 5.0 kg (11 lb 1 oz) Mfr confirmed— evidence level: The figure or fit statement is published by the manufacturer of the kayak or the cart, in their own documentation, spec sheet or support channel.
- Scupper post diameter
- Not applicable
- Packed dimensions
- Not published
Not a scupper cart — nothing enters the hull.
Maker states it disassembles to fit kayak hatches, but publishes no folded envelope.
- Not published — the manufacturer has never stated it. We will not derive it from a photograph.
- Not applicable — the field has no meaning for this product.
- Disputed — sources contradict each other. We record every figure we found and calculate with the most conservative.
- Inferred — we derived it from adjacent published facts, and the badge says so.
When sources disagree
Contradictory specifications are the norm in this category, not the exception. Our procedure, in order:
- Prefer the manufacturer’s own documentation over any retailer listing.
- Where the manufacturer is silent or unreachable, record every distinct figure found, with its source and check date.
- Calculate with the most conservative credible figure, and mark the record provisional so the caution travels with every verdict built on it.
- Where no figure is defensible, refuse to calculate and return "Not enough data".
- Keep the dispute open in the data. It is closed only when a manufacturer source resolves it, not when we get tired of it.
What a complete cart record holds
Every cart is stored against the same schema, so a gap is visible as a gap rather than hidden by a shorter page.
Identity
- Brand and model name
- Alternative names and SKU codes
- Country of origin
- Cart type
- Discontinued status
Frame
- Frame material
- Corrodible structural parts, named
- Cart mass in kg (published imperial preserved)
- Foldable / tool-free disassembly
- Packed dimensions where published
Capacity
- Headline capacity with its caveat
- Terrain-specific variants where the maker publishes them
- Planning capacity — the figure we calculate with
- Dispute record where sources disagree
Fit
- Pad or cradle style
- Pad geometry warning where flat pads meet round hulls
- Width adjustment range and number of positions
- Hull shapes suited and poorly suited
- Documented non-fits
- Scupper capability and post dimensions
Wheels
- Diameter and width per wheel option
- Tyre construction
- Per-wheel load rating where published
- Inflation pressure for pneumatic and balloon wheels
Terrain
- Score 1–5 per surface, per wheel option
- The reasoning behind each score
Marine
- Saltwater rating
- Named corrosion-prone components
- Rinse and maintenance requirement
Support
- Replacement parts availability
- Warranty terms
- Known issues with severity and evidence grade
Freshness
- Source list with URL and check date
- Record last-checked date
- Price band with price date
- Model years covered
Imagery, and what each kind of picture is worth
Three different kinds of image appear on this site and they carry very different weight. Confusing them is how a reader ends up trusting a picture instead of a measurement, so we label them rather than leaving you to guess.
Technical diagrams
Drawn by us from the pad geometry, wheel dimensions and hull shapes recorded in the database. These are the images you are invited to reason from. Where a diagram shows an archetype rather than a specific product, it says so beneath itself.
Scene photography
AI-generated outdoor scenes used to illustrate an article — sand, shingle, boat ramps, a strap being tightened. They set context. No claim is made that any specific cart or kayak in a scene is a particular model.
Product illustrations
AI renders of named products on the cart and kayak index pages, always badged Illustration. Generated from our own recorded specifications to aid recognition. Not photographs, not from the manufacturer, and not evidence.
Be clear about the limitation
A product illustration is generated from a text description of a product, so it will get the broad form roughly right and the details wrong. Fastener positions, exact tyre tread, frame joints, colour and proportions in these images should be treated as invented. If you need to know whether a specific bracket exists or a pad is 40 cm or 50 cm apart, the recorded specification and the manufacturer’s own photography are the sources — not our render.
We do not generate logos, model badges or any lettering into these images, because a plausible-looking fake badge is the point at which an illustration starts actively misleading people.
Records without a render show No illustration yet rather than borrowing a picture of a similar product. A generic stand-in presented as a specific model would be the same error as an invented dimension.
Freshness
Every cart and kayak record carries a last-checked date and a source list with per-source check dates, both shown at the foot of the record. Price bands carry their own separate date because they decay fastest. Records are not silently refreshed: if we recheck a source and the figure has changed, the change is what the date is for. The whole database was last reviewed on , and the sample record above was last checked .