would like to hang boats from the ceiling in the garage. Would like DIY supension system for the boats.
Suggestions, links would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance.
cg
cheap and easy
Bike/ladder srew-in J/L hooks,put grabloops on hook
OR add a lenght of rope/webbing SLING, put sling around boat,hang sling from hook
fig8R about $5[?] per boat
A search might have …
– Last Updated: Nov-05-09 12:05 PM EST –
... revealed a few posts on this subject.
Here's how I store my kayaks (3 of them) in a regular 2 car garage:
http://www.pbase.com/kocho/image/116952845
Materials (per kayak):
- 2 sections of 1-1/2" or so wide belt by whatever length you need (or a piece of belt around the kayak and section or two of rope to make it cheaper)
- 2 eye hooks, screwed into studs on the ceiling
- 2 S-hooks, tied to one end of the belt (the other end of the belt is tied to the eys-hook permanently)
Since I am tall enough to touch the ceiling in my garage, it is a snap to load/unload the kayaks: just park my car with the rack installed and ready under the kayak, unhook each end and lower 4" or so to the rack. Since I am holding with my hand only one end of the kayak (while the other is levered over the suspension or the car rack), I need to support by lifting about 1/3 the weight of the kayak for only a few inches, so it does not require Herculean strength.
The garage door slides inwards above the kayaks and stops just aft of the rear loop. My cars fit under either kayak with a roof rack mounted and I can drive through the door in and out with the kayaks strapped on the rack. Could not be easier...
The kayaks can be hung in any orientation - I keep them either sideways or horisontal (hull-down) and it probably does not matter much for composite boats, but on plastic it may be better to store them sideways.
Of course, if your ceiling is much higher than 8 feet or so, you would probably need some sort of extension to lower the loops to a manageable level. And if you are the unlucky owner of a tall truck/SUV/van, then you probably also need some sort of mechanism to raise/lower the boats higher than you can comfrotably reach alsone or with a step-stool.
Storing kayak or canoe
I use this for an 80 lb. touring canoe, so it’s probably overkill for a kayak, but variations are easy to do. I hang it 10 ft. off the floor from the rafters. This is the set up for each end. A 2 X 2” piece of wood is covered with old carpet. A line is tied around one end, and a single-sheave block run onto the line. The line is laid over the top of the canoe and tied to the other end of the stick with some slack, and an overhand knot is then tied in the middle of the line to create a loop with the block in the middle. The lines are then adjusted for the strap to be snug around the canoe with the block centered. This is the only time you need to make these adjustments. In the future, just slid the straps on an off the ends of the canoe. A line is tied to the rafter and a block is fastened to the rafter with a heavy S-hook. The free end of the line goes down, through the block on the canoe strap, back up and through the block on the rafter, across and through a block anchored near the wall, and down to a cleat. This gives good mechanical advantage and allows the canoe to be lowered onto sawhorses in a second for transferring to the car. In another garage, the orientation allowed me to lower it right onto the top of the car or truck.
NEVER store by grabloops
You really shouldn’t even carry by grabloops. All the stress is concentrated at the ends of the boat, leaving the entire length of the hull unsupported. If you hang a plastic boat all winter by the grabloops, you may find in the spring that it has developed some pretty extreme rocker 
To store, use the widest straps you can find and position them at the bulkheads if possible. Best way to store kayaks is on their sides; next best is upside down. Sides are the most rigid, decks are more rigid than hulls.
Least stressful way to carry a kayak by the bow & stern is to cradle the hull with the hand nearest the boat and use the far hand on the grabloop as backup. This way’s actually easier for me because I can set the end I’m carrying on my hip and let my skeleton take a lot of the weight.
Double kayak hangars
http://www.riversidecartop.com/accessories.html
Try the Riverside company. They make a double kayak hangar with a loop buckle system that works very well. I hang my two kayaks in the garage. Leave the rear adjustable loop open for loading and unloading by yourself. It’s only 25 bucks or so. Works great.