Kayak Garage storage in AZ winter&summer

Happy Holidays to all! I have an entry kayak, Trophy 126 by Future Beach, am a beginner to this sport and have enjoyed winter fishing in my kayak and summer lake paddles. Have a 3 car garage, and just got warned using a wench and hanging it with pulleys to the ceiling in our hot weather by the front and end straps is NOT a good idea.



I just remodeled to have a drive thru garage and would have thought hanging it from the ceiling would be ideal for me…



Any suggestions if I like to use it 2-3 times a month and want it off the ground? thanks PS I’m in Az and don’t have a heated or a/c in garage.

Harken Hoist

– Last Updated: Dec-03-11 12:43 PM EST –

Get the 4 point model designed for 90 Lbs. Be sure the automatic doors are not in the way. Be sure to get the one designed to lift the distance or height you need to lift in your garage. They are a little expensive - but they work very well. Set boat in straps on its side and place straps at bulkheads or of no bulkheads about one third of way in from each end. Should be fine. Read the instructions on line to be sure it will work in your particular garage.



Do you own some basic tools?
If you have a drill, a few wrenches and a bit of imagination you can build a better hoist than can be bought. After all, you’ll need those same tools to install a pre-built hoist.



Here are some photos showing the basic system I use for canoes…



http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/563649911waQmyp



… and here’s the type of sling I used when I built a similar hoist for a friend’s kayak…



http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/563255890kAauZP



I keep intending to post better photos of the lifting system, but there’s really nothing to illustrate. All you do is attach main pulleys for lifting, and at any locations where the rope must go around a corner for some reason. The biggest problem is finding decent pulleys that can actually tolerate the load they are supposedly designed for. Hardware-store pulleys can’t even come close to tolerating their design load when used over and over again because the pulley axle is only a flimsy hollow rivet. You can buy better pulleys from specialty shops online, but even in tiny sizes they cost a fortune, so I just put up with the fact that one needs to replace the original axle in your basic hardware-store pulley with something better. Just be sure to grease it when you put it back together and all will be fine. You’ll also need some swivels so that the pulleys will self-align on any tricky corners.

Nylon Straps
Hoist systems are fine but it’s very easy to just mount some simple Eye bolts in the rafters and use tie down straps sold in any hardware store. I store three boats above the car with this system. Standing the kayak on one end and leaning it in a corner is also good enough if you have a high enough ceiling.

"…just got warned using a wench…"
Is this some sort of conflict with rules in your residential development?

Be very careful of oil canning
You can make some straps with wide nylon webbing to cradle the hull and suspend the hull from the ceiling as others have suggested. The problem is how hot garages get in Arizona. I lived in Tucson and my garage easily got up to 120 F. A neighbor had a plastic kayak stored on the floor and the boat hull deformed. So give the kayak plenty of ventilation and don’t put any force on the hull except for it’s own weight or you hull likely will oil can.

For what its worth -

– Last Updated: Dec-10-11 12:39 PM EST –

My kayak deformed slightly sitting on its bottom in my garage in 50 degree weather in Vermont. Put a bit of a dent in the bottom. I was able to restore it to its perfect original shape with some gentle heat (hot water) and pressure but it was a bit of a scare. Since I have had it hanging in straps on its side I have not had any problems. It does get hot here as well - but obviously not for such an extended period of time as it does n Arizona.

Agree
It’s quite easy to “hoist” a kayak simply by supporting one end and pulling the strap through the buckle or cam. Letting it down is just as easy—you support it with one hand and release the buckly gently a bit at a time.



Some notes of caution:



If your garage has a finished ceiling, be SURE you’re screwing the hook into a solid wood beam, not just the drywall. I made that mistake last week and the hook pulled out of the ceiling with the kayak.



Wrap the strap around the bulkheads, not the ends.



Cover the cockpit to discourage insects and mice.



That’s it. Should cost you about $1.00 for the hooks.

What I got
Took some long cam straps and nailed two to the rafters, one nail at each end of each strap so they form a U. My strap are long enough that I can lower them to chest high, load the boat through the straps, then tighten the straps and raise it up out of the way. You want to store the kayak on it’s side with straps at the bulkheads or near the combing. You can also store it upside doen with the straps at the coaming. Never hang it by the carry handles.

Mine are outdoors uinder a tin roof in South MS. 100 degrees plus doesn’t hurt them

“just got warned using a wench”
>>Is this some sort of conflict with rules in your residential development?



More likely the wench herself complained. If he’d used a winch, on the other hand …