Hi guys,
I am trying to organize my garage as it’s getting a little out of hand. Hanging my Kayaks would be a big help and I was trying to hang some ropes, looped up, so I can slide both ends of the kayak into them.
But even simpler would be if I could just hang them from their carry handles. I can rig something up easily enough. But I’m wondering if it would be a problem on the handles to have them supporting the boat for extended periods of time. I’d think it should be ok, since they are made for carrying the boat, but figured it can’t hurt to ask to see if anyone has done something similar, etc.
Thanks
Oz
No
It puts a lot of stress on the deck and doesn’t support the hull at all
If you’ve got a plastic boat over time the hull can change shape
Why not run loops under the yak about a third of the way from each end
Or support it by storing cockpit side down on two by fours hung by a pulley system. We did that for years
No
Do not suspend the boat by the “carry handles.” No matter what kind of boat you have, that is the wrong way to store it. Your boat might actually have handles, but most kayaks have toggle handles attached to looped lines. The primary purpose of these are to have something to hold onto if you leave the cockpit while in the water. Some people do use them to carry the boat and in some cases they might actually be sturdy enough for that, but I would never trust them for that purpose.
You would be doing your boat a favor to store it on a proper bracket unit, or if you must hang it, be sure that the rope loops have something like a pool noodle threaded on the rope to spread the load over a larger surface than the bare rope. A wide nylon sling would be even better.
$25
You can get one of these for $25.
http://www.amazon.com/RAD-Sportz-Kayak-Hoist-125-Pound/dp/B001EUL2DO
Worth it, in my opinion. Super easy to install.
don’t
It’s best to support a kayak closer to the cockpit and preferably under the bulkheads, if the boat has them. Supporting from the ends puts too much stress on the whole boat and the grab handles are not designed for that anyway. Foam pool noodles threaded over rope or webbing are ideal. The problem with webbing alone is that the loops hang limp when the kayak is not in them and also grab it too snugly when the boat is hanging. I use pool noodles, and the loops stay open so I can easily thread the kayak in and out of them up in the ceiling. You can even create a cradle for the kayak by stringing pool noodles or PVC pipe laterally between the two hanging loops. This doesn’t add substantially to supporting it but it does keep the loops stably spaced making it easier to slide the boat through from one end.
I also tie off several spaced loops into the rope of the hanger slings and use open hooks in the rafters that the loops slip over. That way I can lower the slings to a height that allows me to load or remove the kayak more easily. Once I have the kayak in the slings, I stand on a ladder and lift the sling rope to hook the next loop to the hook, moving from the stern end to the bow end alternately until I have the last loop in the ropes on the hooks and the boat as snug to the ceiling as it can go.
Not sure if that explanation is clear. Maybe next time I do this I will take photos of the set-up. It’s cheap to do and has worked really well for me.
Another "No"
I have plastic yaks and composite ones, and I would never do that.
I wouldn’t even do it with our little nine foot long ones
jack L
No
Just adding to the chorus. Bow and stern handles are intended landing and loading but not for long term storage.
Here’s an idea
– Last Updated: Jul-29-16 11:25 PM EST –
Sliding your kayak into pre-hung loops is a pain, as you've already discovered. Hanging it from the handles is easy, but a bad idea as everyone is saying. So how about this? Use the handles to quickly get the boat hung where you want it, and then once it's there, put proper carry straps into position and then disconnect the handles from the rafters. That way, you can hang it the right way, but without the struggle of getting the boat onto the straps. The usual way of dealing with that problem is with a hoisting system, but those are complicated to build, while getting the boat into position using the handles is as simple as lifting first one end and then the other.
Murohy’s Law
– Last Updated: Jul-30-16 2:54 AM EST –
is balanced using 2 wide loop material loop cradles under bulkheads.
Using the end carries even the thru hull holes connected with pvc piping for a brief carry gives a very good view of failure's horizons.
Hanging the hull from ends n walking away ...
storage
Thanks for all the great feedback guys. I won’t be using the handles for extended storage. But there’s some really good ideas here, I’ll see what works best for me.
Thanks
Oz
Made my own
Using an eye-bolt, six small pulleys, two biners and a cleat from Home Depot for just a little more than that and no nylon pulleys like the bad reviews on that unit complain about.
Of course mine is hanging in my bedroom because it’s a small apartment, but it gets the job done.
Going with the loop method
– Last Updated: Aug-04-16 8:18 PM EST –
Determine where you want to have the loops wrapped with pool noodles and simply take rope that determined length, connecting each end of rope to each loop . This way when you feed kayak through one loop the other is waiting at it's tied position and not moving around. Now was that complicated guys ! It's all in the details right ?
I did it once.
I had an old 13-foot rotomolded PE kayak that hung from the grab handles at the ends in my garage for 20 years. Here’s what happened:
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=chat&tid=1896814
CargoLoc Wall Mount
– Last Updated: Aug-05-16 4:01 PM EST –
I have three kayaks and purchased these: CargoLoc Wall Mount Kayak Storage System.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13157720&page=1
I'd post a picture to show you them hanging on the wall of my garage, but don't see that option to do so.
come on man
Hold out for a better story! 