Does anyone have any suggestions for a hoist to store my kayak in the garage, any web sites offering hoists?
kayak hoists
If you look under accessories on this site you’ll find a kayak storage category. They have a manufacturer named Harkin that has kayak hoists. Iv’e also seen cheaper ones shown at both the Bass Pro shop and Cabelas sites. I looked at the picture on one of these sites and then made my own system using five small pulleys that cost less than 2 dollars apiece from a local hardware store.
Yup, look at the picture
and make your own.
I used 6 ceiling hooks (4 in ceiling, 2 in wall), 6 pulleys, 2 spring clips and a bunch of rope. Maybe a little overengineered, but very easy to raise and lower the kayak.
If you really want to impress your
friends and visitors, get one or two of these babies:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/mhackett/boat/Dcp_1313.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v718/mhackett/boat/Dcp_1993.jpg
They come from http://www.northerntools.com, quite reasonably priced.
Mike
Harken good!
… but expensive and worth every penny. After recently moving, I installeed two sets in my new garage and couldn’t be happier with the money spent. I now also have a place to store paddling gear in the hoisted boats.
The best part about the harkens is the pulley gear advantage and the safety brake. When i was younger my dad and I rigged up a set from scratch for a Sunfish I owned, but there is no equal to the Harken brand. BTW I had Harken rigging (blocks and pulleys)on that sunfish.
Harken Hoists
– Last Updated: Aug-03-05 10:21 AM EST –
Got 2 sets of for the garage a couple monthes ago. I love them. I also went to home depot and bought a set of 4 tie down straps to use as bow and stern lines ($12.00) and 4-6" eyebolts ($4.00) . I mounted the eyebolts a couple inches away off to the outside of each pulley. Once the boat is up, I hook my bow and stern straps up to those eyebolst and cinch them up. I always have my tie down straps when I lower the boats, and the boats are double strapped. (I have had no problems with the Harken Hoists, but I read some people have had the buckles fail, so I though that having the tie down straps bare the weight, except when lowering and raising the boats, would ease my mind. The thought of a glass boat plummetting 7 feet into a concrete floor is a little unsettling.) I can take a picture if you want to see how I got it rigged.
tie down straps for Harken Hoist
Please send pictures if you have them. I looked at the hoist at my reatiler today, its about $120. Is that what you paid?
For about 30 bucks…
– Last Updated: Aug-04-05 9:16 PM EST –
http://www.grayhawk.zoomshare.com/1.shtml/My%20Pulley%20Systyem
Make that around 45$
I’ve got to get a garage like Greyhawk
I think the thatched roof would be just the thing for northern WI! Seriously, though, that’s a nice pulley system. I have been relying on the old el-cheapo system of 2 pair of screw eyes bolted into the trusses, and nylon webbing supporting the boat. Total cost is about 10 bucks for all of the ingredients. Unfortunately, lifting the yaks up to strap 'em in leads to head, neck, and back trauma. I may have to make the plunge into the pulley world after all.
Skol.
I want to live next to you.
Your house looks warmer than mine does in Milwaukee
hoist system pictures
I tried to send you pictures and a sketch of my hoist system but your email system keeps sending them back, with a message "undeliverable - maximun receipt headers exceeded. let me know if you get the problem resolved and I’ll try again to send the stuff.
I use these
http://www.jerseypaddler.com/shop/iproduct.asp?category=m_acc:acc_stora&catid=storpull_bac
I have 4 of them on the ceiling of my garage. Need a 5th, if I continue to keep the 5th boat. They have a built in brake which I find nice. Built my own once like Grayhawks and having the brake is a lot easier.
Joe
Brake
Yeah, I think a hands-free brake system is sort of important. The thing that lead me to the electric hoists I mentioned above was that I thought lifting the 70+ lb double I was using at the time seemed pretty unsafe with just pulleys and only two hands. For lighter boats it’s less of an issue of course.
Mike
I liked that set up
with the electric hoist but I would have to rig a way to only have one hoist for 5 boats or else get five hoists. 
Joe
Probably a way
if you sort of chain a long cable through some stationary pulleys above each boat with a loop downward for each. Each boat would be resting on slings independent of the hoist when up, when you select your vessel for the day just unsling that one and pay out the cable.
A few technical details to work out, it would work best if all boats were of similar weight otherwise light ones could get clunked against ceiling joists while trying to raise a heavy one.
These things are currently $99. Sometimes they go on sale.
Mike
Commercial $50.00 hoist
Doublepoint hoist for kayaks and canoes…I saw this one at the Bass Pro Shop in Nashvegas today, and copied down the URL…
http://www.bacindustries.com/storage.html
Another 50 dollar hoist
I ordered one from amazon.com that has a 200 lb capacity. I looks a lot like the bac industries model (link in post above). I use it to secure my pamlico 140 to the garage ceiling. Been using it for a week and so far it works flawlessly.
hoists
Yes, one of our local shops sells this one I believe. Of course I knew I could put something together for less. After a lot of fooling around, trial and error, false starts etc. I have a fairly nice setup - and the whole experiment only cost me $65!! It’s a block and tackle type hoist with two double pulleys on each rope, hooks in the ceiling etc. Just like they sell. Thing is I had the fun of doing it myself…
Started w/just large screw eyes in the rafters. Couldn’t lift the boat (55#'s). Then went to two single pulleys on each end. It worked but was still a struggle. Final rendition was the double pulley setup. Probably would be under $30 if I had gone directly to this setup.
Look at it this way…
Now people can look at the design and do it themselves if they want…
I LOVE the YAHOO image search capability…look for a photograph of what ya want, refine and modify the idea, then build your own…hooyah!