Here it is a supersimple, low cost, stowable, do-it-yourself PVC KAYAK CART. Pics at: westcoastpaddler.com
Nice cart, but…
It looks like a nice cart, and I am thinking of making one, but I could not find any reference to what size pipe you used. Pipe is sold by it’s inside dimension, so could you please post what size ID pipe you used?
Also, just for reference, what is the length of the arms that the pool noodle sections are on. I need the total length of the arm, not just the length of “each side”.
Thanks for the post, and a little more info would be helpful! 
Pipe dimensions
wjlatsha, the inside diameter of the pipe used in the cart is 1 5/16". The arms are 26 inches from one end to the other.
Sorry for the lack of detail – when we initially built the carts, we weren’t thinking that we’d be passing on the design to anyone else and didn’t record the measurements. I will be drawing some formal plans of the cart to post on the site as soon as I get some time to do it (there’s so much to do!). I did post some additional info to the cart album yesterday – you might find it useful.
If you have any further questions, you can e-mail me directly at contact@westcoastpaddler.com
Hope this helps.
Dan
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com
Thanks for sizes…
This inside pipe dimension would be called 1-1/4" pipe.
THANKS!
A mini version
A fellow who was at the recent Vancouver Kayak Builders Meet at the Beach used the photos on our site as a reference to make a cart but he used smaller diameter pipe (please don’t ask me what the diameter is) and it looked pretty good – although it definitely won’t carry as much load as the larger diameter version. He did however, complain that his wheels tended to splay a bit although it did seem to work fine. Here’s a picture of his cart:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/building/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=59
Dan
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com
Any one try to make one of these?
Has anyone tried to make one of these? http://www.paddleboy.com/pages/product_pages/tomato2.html
It’s the best design I have seen. Very easy to put on a kayak or canoe.
I had a Paddleboy…
I had the Paddleboy small kayak cart, and thought it was great. I recently sold my kayak to be able to buy a new one, and when the guy saw the cart, he talked me into selling the Paddleboy with the kayak. (anything to make the sale).
Now after paying for the new kayak, I don’t have the “change” to buy another paddleboy cart. They are nice, but $100.00 is a lot of money right now.
I am thinking of trying to build one of these as seen on this post.
I Did it…
with 1/2" square aluminum stock tubing, stainless hex bolts and nylon locknuts. Wheels were 7" plastic spoke wheels bought at a salvage store for 3 Dollars each…
Forget the rubber padding AND the contour bending on the cross arms, simply make a square slightly narrower than the beam of the boat, and extend the legs to a length you determine to be a reasonable ground clearance…slips over the end of the boat, and when not in use, the whole thing folds (The reason I used square tubing). Pad the cross arms if you will but padding will prohibit folding the caddy closed.
I use mine to avoid dragging my Loaded Perception Carolina from the car down to the water, and when I need to move the boat around in the Gear Room (I’m blessed with both a Garage and a stand alone outbuilding my wife refers to as the “MAN Room”…
MUCH LESS THAN $100
The west coastpaddler cart design could be built for much less. Or even the simple square design of the “tomatoe” could be adapted to simple PVC pipe for less.
I bought parts last night
– Last Updated: Jun-02-05 2:54 PM EST –
Looking at 1" plastic pipe, and 1-1/4" pipe, I opted for the 1" pipe. I bought fittings, 7" wheels, pipe, and 1/2" bolts for axles. It all came to under $25.00. I think the 1" pipe is strong enough for my kayak.
I normally only need to pull my kayak a short distance on an asphalt parking lot, so I think the 1" and the smaller wheels will work ok.
I have the glue and primer at home, so I am hoping to attack this over the weekend.
Thanks again for the post!
I built it last night!
I spent about 2 hours last night building one. I sized it down for my kayak. After laying out the sizes reccommended for the canoe, I felt I really didn’t need one that large.
I made the top bars 18" long total (instead of 26"), and the width of the upright arms are 12" apart as a center measurement. The 1" PVC pipe seems plenty strong for my kayak.
I used 7" plastic lawn mower wheels, and with the smaller wheels I was able to glue the wheel mount “T fittings” to the uprights making less to deal with when storing it in my kayak. I only have to remove the top “T” pieces. Tonight I am going to make a strap for it. I am going to try mounting the strap right to the upright sides of the cart, so I don’t have to wrap two straps under the top pieces. I think that will work (hope).
One other mod I did was the mounting of the wheels to the cart. Instead of putting a block of wood into the pipe “T”, I glued a 3/4" pipe cap, INTO the end of the 1" pipe “T”. First I epoxied a washer into the inside of the 3/4" pipe cap. Next I drilled thru the pipe cap and washer to fit my axle bolt. After gluing the drilled cap into the “T”, I then drilled thru the back of the “T” so the axle runs thru it. A 5" long 1/2" bolt made a perfect axle. I used a locking nut with a plastic washer in it as a lock nut.
So far it has been easier than I thought it would be…so far! The test will be when I am pulling my kayak on the parking lot, and if it stays in place!
I’ll let you know how it works out!
Another Option…
I have made two different types of carts.
My first was made from the rear wheels of my daughters old tricycle… worked… but didnt handle bumps very well…(wheels too small)
Second one I made was from a child carrier that is pulled from the rear of a bicycle. Dont know what those are called… like a kid trailer I guess.
I pulled the top bars off… the pull bar off… all the canvas and then added some foam pads to the leftover square frame. Some webbing for lashing it on, and whalllah… Perfect!
The wheels come off for transport simply with a cotter pin.
This cart handles rocks and anything else I need it to. Im thrilled.
The original cart cost me $20 at a yardsale…
I think a kid stroller, the kind with the big wheels, remodified, would work well too.
I love to see homemade projects!!!
More power to ya guys!!!
Here is a link to a pic of my kayak with cart.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/81849689/372194695ExrKQJ
2x4 version for heavier boats
The cart I made for canoes is just a board with wheels on then ends that acts like a big axle. I lagged oversized lawn mower wheels into the ends of a 2x4. I sit the canoe on the “axle” use a tie-down to secure the canoe to the board. I stapled some rubbery cloth (that you put under throw rugs) to the board to avoid sliding.
I u-lock the cart at the put-in so it doesn’t walk away (roll away) while I am paddling.
Made a “Tomato” out of pvc
I used 3/4" pvc with a solid 1/2" threaded rod for the axle. The threaded rod is incased in aluminum tubing (to keep the threads from eating into the pvc)and 3/4" pvc I also used 12" lawnmower tires ($10 ea.) due to the boat ramps being very rough for traction. The whole thing cost less than $30 and supports my 60 lb canoe loaded with another 50lbs of gear and bait (My 35 lb 4yr old also climed in the canoe once but I made him get out after about 3 sec). I have been very happy with it so far and have not had any problems with structural load handling yet.