Necessity is the mother of invention, and if it were not super-easy to get a boat in and out of storage, I would not use it very often. I've been using a rather unique method for moving my guide-boat in and out of storage ever since I got the thing, which was about 8 years ago I think. I needed a way to carry the boat to the back end of my garage and then place it on a wall-mounted rack. The boat would be very difficult to simply carry back there because the garage is "crowded" and because the ceiling is much too low for normal on-the-back carrying (since one end of the boat aims high if there's no carry thwart). Also, it would take two people to place the boat on the rack because the rack is high enough that the hull is quite close to the rafter stringers once it's in place, so it couldn't be be tilted much when being loaded or unloaded from a conventional rack. In addition, the storage rack is right above another boat that's on a trailer, so even two people would need to set it down on the other boat halfway through the process of getting the boat in or out of storage. With the method I use, one person can do the job much more easily than two or three people could do it otherwise.
I won't explain the system here, as there's text that goes with the pictures. The photo quality isn't great, as I shot this on the spur of the moment tonight when I got back from an evening boat trip. I've been intending to post this for years. Check it out:
http://tiny.cc/ocmbt
Some of the explanations that go with the photos are repetitive, but I did that in case people only look at some of the shots, rather than all of them.
Click the "Detail" button prior to viewing the pictures if you want to see much larger preview images. Also Flickr's new method for viewing different sizes of the same photo is not as intuitive as it used to be. After clicking for a somewhat-larger image, you need to look for the option of viewing various other sizes.
Too many boats is the mother of
innovation. Nice work. Very creative.
I think that the pot just called …
… the kettle “black”, but thanks!
alternative track and trolly
Nice solution to single handing your boat into a tight spot,GBG.For those who want to construct a similar setup,but don’t have welding capability, there is a commercialy made barn door track and trolly system available at farm supply stores and larger feed stores. It rolls smoothly and could be lagged to the underside of each joist. It might even be cheaper than the steel stock needed to fabricate the system. An uncluttered garage is a sure sign of a sick mind!
Chris
Excellent!
I wasn’t expecting that, at all. Seeing the canoe slide in on that trolley brought a smile to my face.
Nice
I’m glad you are using your talents for good!
Ah’d give…
Andy_S’s right arm ta have a garage like dat!
FE
Very slick!
GBG - how 'bout some detail on the “pointy-end dolly”? My ceiling is way too cluttered for that clever trolley, but the dolly would be useful.
Your solution is much more extravagant
and technologically detailed than any of mine, though I’ve been pretty creative.
way to cool…
i want to make one of these.
Hey its a Guideboat Sliding not a Canoe!
Sorry I’m just inclined to rant a little. It always bothered my when folks said stuff about my “canoe” when it was clearly a guideboat. I would rather try to row a canoe than paddle a guideboat, but rowing my guideboat was a true pleasure.
cool!
I have similar issue putting my kayak to bed in my shed…I don’t think I want to get as elaborate, but I like it. I do have an old garage door opener mechanism…it has the track and a the door part will slide…hmm…
An easy modification would be…
to have a rack or hanger for the boat on one end only - the end that the person is lifting. Then you’d just leave the other end hanging (in the back of your shed) from the trolley. As someone pointed out, once you buy the track and a single hanger for a sliding barn door, you’d be nearly done with the project.