God has apparently decided I am NOT going to be wealthy. As a result, I've discovered that I can make things, fix things and invent junk that a wealthier man wouldn't even bother to make, fix or invent. In case you're in the same boat as me, I created this site to share the "wealth" of experience God has given me as a shade tree mechanic, fix-it guy and back porch inventor.
Here's a simple way to hang a canoe in your garage.
1. Screw 4 screw eyes to the ceiling joists above where you want to hang the canoe. Space each pair of eyes about two to three feet apart and each pair should be directly over the the thwarts nearest the ends of the canoe as shown. Screw a pair of flag cleats to the wall near the front and rear eyes for tying off the ropes.
2. Tie a large hook and eye to the ends of four 16-foot long half-inch nylon ropes or climbing ropes.
3. Hook the first pair of hooks just behind the canoe's front thwart toward the center.
4. Pull the two ropes together to raise the front of the canoe about halfway to the ceiling and tie the ropes off.
5. Now, hook the aft section of the canoe aft of the rear thwarts on either side of the hull just behind the thwarts toward the center. Lift the rear of the canoe all the way to the ceiling and tie it off.
6. Now raise the forward section of the boat till it's even with the aft section and tie the ropes off.
7. Reverse the process to lower it. Resist the urge to drop or raise the first end all the way to the ceiling or floor as it can slip from the hooks and hurt you. It's even safer if you work with two people at once and raise or lower the ends of the canoe together.
This thing will carry canoes, kayaks, ladders and lumber as advertised. It will also haul pipe or posts and gives you something to tie bottles of welding gas or oxygen to so that it doesn't fall over. Here's what you need to build it.
Materials:
4 pressure-treated 12 foot 2 by 6 boards
4 pressure-treated 8 foot 2 by 6 boards
Box of-3-1/2 inch long galvanized screws
8 half-inch carriage bolts, 4 inches long with nuts and lock washers
Carpet strips, 6 inches wide the width of the pickup bed
8 half inch lag bolts, 4 inches long
3/8 inch eye screws
Tools:
Sawhorses
2 spring clamps
Staple gun and 1-1/2 inch staples
Tape measure
Carpenter Speed Square
Pencil
Bungee cords
Drill and drill bits
Circular saw
Ratcheting tie-down straps, 12+ feet long
How to Make It
First measure the inside dimensions of the pickup bed. Measure the narrowest distances of the length and width of the inside of the bed so that final assembly can be lifted in and out of the truck bed. If the bed has wheel wells in it, the lower side boards will be mounted above them.
Cut four 2 x 6s the length of the bed and four the width of the bed. measure the height from the bed of the pickup to the top of the cab. Add 12 inches and cut 4 boards that length to act as uprights. Assemble the ends first.
Lay out two legs and clamp a 2 x 6 cross member (width of the bed) so the top edges are 4 inches below the top of the legs. Drill half inch holes and bolt the cross members in place with the carriage bolts, nuts toward the inside of the frame. Note the cross members will be oriented toward the inside of the bed.
Clamp the second cross member in place at the bottom of the legs and bolt it in place. Repeat with the other legs to make two rectangles.
Set the legs up with the cross members toward the inside of the truck bed. Clamp the long side boards to the sides of the legs at the top, even with the cross members. Drill a half inch hole through the side boards into the ends of the cross member. Be careful not to drill into the carriage bolts. Lag bolt the side boards to the sides of the legs.
Lag bolt the second side board to the side of the legs so the bottom of the board is a half inch higher than the top of the wheel well. Repeat on the opposite side.
Add screws at every joint to stiffen the frame and strengthen the attachment. Wrap carpet strips across the top of the cross members to pad the frame when carrying things. Staple the carpet strips at the bottom to hold them in place.
Drill and attach eye screws to the front and back of the end frames at the top to act as tie-downs. When you need to use it, simply lift the frame into the back of the truck, attach bungee cords or ratcheting tie-downs between the eye bolts and the truck bed to hold the frame in place.
Now, you're ready go. It allows you to carry long or bulky things without them sticking out the back or resting on the cab. When you're done with it, you can get a helper, drop the tailgate and lift it out.
It takes only a couple of hours to cut out and assemble the pieces.
Chris Wheaton sent me a photograph of the rack he built from these plans. As you can see from the picture, the frame is sturdy and leaves plenty of room underneath for paddles, life jackets, camping and fishing gear. Thanks for sending these along, Chris.
Tom
Very solid work by Chris Wheaton
Note the hooks on the inside of the legs for fishing poles and paddles.
Chris wrote this comment about his version of this wooden canoe/ladder rack shown above.
This thing is rock solid, I could probably park my
truck on top of this thing to be honest. And I added in some hooks and whatnot,
we use this to hang our gear after a day of smallie fishing. I bring it deer
hunting too as we hang deer from it, just slide it to the end of the
tailgate. Could not be happier with it and was 1/10 of the
price of a ladder rack and serves so many purposes. Thanks again! - Chris
Scott sent me the pictures below with this note, "Thanks for the great plans. Built this over Memorial Day weekend.
Very happy with the results - though it is HEAVY! That's okay, I'd
rather err on the side of over-built anyhow."
Here's what his project looks like:
Scott screwed some eyebolts into the frame for holding his bungees.
In a pinch you could nest a couple of kayaks up there too.
Very nice work there, Scott. Thanks for sharing. It certainly is not a light frame, but if you're hauling boats, you want everything to be solid - especially if you'll be using this around kids, which is where this came from. You could haul a couple of boats, tents and a ton of gear for a youth campout with this rig and the boats help keep the water off your gear if it rains.
Love the pictures guys. Thanks for sending them. - Tom
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Got this idea from Michael P. Nobrega in Otter River, MA:
Hi Tom,
Thanks again for the truck rack design; I had lots of fun building it this weekend for my new F-150. I made a few design modifications in order to make it portable for one man to handle.
My design is a knock-apart system and it requires no tools to install or remove the rack. The rack system consists of six pieces which can be effortlessly assembled/disassembled. The front and rear frames are one-piece rectangular assemblies while the four side rails detach easily. I
used 1/2" threaded bar through the uprights with a nylon locknut/washer
on the outboard side and a wingnut/lock washer on the inboard side. I
added 2" PVC pipe to the top of the front and rear frames to make
loading and unloading a breeze. Just bore the pipe and screw with 3-1/2"
exterior decking screws.
This system carried several construction staging planks without making a squeak!
See photos attached.
Warmest regards,
Mike
Notice the padding on the top rails. They are easy to make with a good sharp knife and some of those open cell foam "noodles" the kids play with in the pool - just cut a channel in one and slip it over the edge of the board.
You can see how the wingnuts let you to remove the long boards leaving just the two end frames to lift in and out. It's quick with the wingnuts. You can store the whole thing against a wall in the garage and assemble it in minutes when you need it.
Here's a closeup of the wingnuts. A long drill, but doable with a long bit.
Here's the lower long support member wingnutted (is that even a word) into place. - Great idea, Mike!
Here's a version built by Kevin Leroy Froese that maintains stability by raising the lower lengthwise supports above the wheel wells. Looks great! Kevin is using the rack to carry his fishing boat.
This past week Keith Taylor sent me pictures and a really excellent video of his own version of this same canoe rack. Keith added some metal brackets to his truck to hold the up rights and built the whole thing with 2x4's and lag bolts. It allows him room to load up his ATV under the rack with canoes on top. He adds some width to the crossmembers so that the rack will carry two canoes side by side. The whole thing can be disassembled for storage and reassembled for carrying the boats. Here's the very watchable video Keith sent me of his very clever adaptation. Enjoy...
Have you got a canoe you want to carry to the lake and only have your sedan to carry it on. No roof rack? So how do you haul your canoe without buying an expensive strap on canoe rack? Easy Peasy. Everything you need is down at Wal-Mart and won't cost more than twenty or thirty bucks.
Here's what you need to pick up:
Three Styrofoam swim "noodles" - the kind with the hole in the middle as shown at the right.
Two racheting tie-down Straps
Here are the tools you need:
1 hunting knife or sharp butcher knife
Tape measure
What else you need:
Canoe with a rope loop at the the bow and stern
Your car
Here's how to do this:
This canoe "rack" doesn't attach to your car, won't scratch your paint and hooks up in less than ten minutes.
Here are the steps:
1. Lay the canoe on the grass right side up as shown.
2. Measure the length of the gunwales (the edge of the canoe) between the thwarts.
3. Split the two Styrofoam noodles lengthwise down one side so that you cut halfway through the noodle as shown at the right.
4. Cut the noodles to fit between the stern thwart and the center thwart and between the bow thwart and the center thwart.
5. Spread the noodle sections apart and slip them over the the gunwales. This creates a secure Styrofoam padding on the gunwales where they will touch the roof of the car. Wipe the noodles to make sure there is no sand on them. Attached, the noodles look like the picture below.
6. Clean any dirt off the top of the car. Sand between the noodles and the cartop can scratch the finish.
7. Flip the canoe over and set it on top of the car with the bow and stern extending equally over the front and back of the car (not the passenger cabin).
8. Run the ratchet tie-down through the rope loop and hook the end hooks under the bumper in front. There are two towing loops under the frame in front that are used in the manufacturing process. They are perfect for attaching the ratchet straps.
9. Tighten the straps lightly Do the same thing in the back of the car with the second ratchet strap as shown at the right.
10. Split the third Styrofoam noodle and wrap it around the ratchet straps anywhere it touches the car hood or bumpers to protect the car.
11. Tighten each ratchet strap a little at a time till the canoe is pulled down tight on top of the car's cabin and the canoe rides level.
You don't need a center strap. The 4 point tie-down you've created is very secure and gives you pressure from 4 directions that keeps the canoe from sliding.
Now wasn't that fun (and cheap). See you on the river.
How to Build a Shelf-Style Canoe Rack
Introduction
An easy way to store your canoe is to build a canoe shelf on an empty wall either inside or outside the garage, tool shed or other handy structure. It takes just a few simple tools, some shelf brackets, padding and a pair of two by fours. A canoe shelf keeps your boat up off the ground and allows you to store the boat without a lot of bending of your back and knees.
Materials:
2 large metal shelf brackets at least 18 inches wide
2 pressure-treated two by fours, 4 feet long
A bag of 2 inch galvanized screws
2 pieces of thick pile carpet 8 inches wide by 28 inches
Drill and bits
Saw
Stud-finder
Stapler and 1-1/2 inch staples
Step 1
Find a wall with cleared space long enough for your canoe. If you have an 18-foot canoe, you’ll need a wall with at least 22 linear feet of open space. Remember you need room for the folks carrying the canoe to get around the ends to hoist it up onto the rack.
Step 2.
Find two wall studs to screw into. They should be about a third of the length of the canoe from either end. If you have an 18-foot long canoe, position the shelf brackets about 4 to 6 feet from the ends (no less than 4 feet). If the shelf is on an outside wall this keeps the sun from heating a composite or plastic boat and making it sag in the middle.
Step 3
Screw the shelf brackets to the wall so the top of the bracket is 3 ½ inches below where you want the gunwales of the canoe to rest. Back the screw heads with washers. Use 3 ½ inch galvanized screws and predrill the holes. You can make the rack high so the boat will be up out of your way – if it’s, say, inside a garage or shed. Just remember, you’ll have to lift the boat up onto the shelf. Don’t make it so high so that racking the boat is difficult. You can make the shelf waist height and avoid lifting altogether. This is great for an outside rack and saves on the old bones if you’re not 22 anymore.
Step 4 Measure the beam of the canoe amidships. This is the width from gunwale to gunwale at the center. Add two or three inches to this measure and cut your two by fours this length.
Step 5
Set the two by four’s on edge on top of the shelf brackets. Predrill the holes from underneath and up through the shelf brackets. Use 2 inch galvanized screws backed with washers and screw the boards into place.
Step 6
Cut out the carpet pieces so they are 8 inches wide and about two inches shorter than the two by fours are long. Lay the carpet strips over the top of the two by fours and staple them into place.
Step 7 Screw large eyelet screws (1 inch or more wide across the eye) into the ends of the two by fours. Screw a second pair of eyes in the face of the two by fours on the sides of the boards facing the bow and stern of the canoe (away from the center of the rack). Place those two up close to the wall. This gives you a pair of handy hook up points to which you can attach bungee cords or tie-down straps. You’ll thank me later.
Tips:
Don’t paint pressure treated lumber. Leave it the natural color.
If you can get plastic astro-turf style carpet, use that. Regular carpet will eventually rot. Artificial grass will last longer, tolerates being wet and protects just as well.
Keep metal brackets and screw heads painted to reduce rusting and this setup will last nearly forever.
You can bungee lifejackets and paddles up underneath the canoe for easy storage and transport, so that everything is together.
Warning:
If you forget to tie your boat down, a good windstorm can leave your boat in the branches of a nearby tree or you can push it off onto the garage floor when you’re dragging tools around the garage. A friend of mine dented his aluminum canoe while trying to pull an electric cord loose.
Make sure you have plenty of room for loading and unloading your canoe safely from the rack. Keep obstructions out from under foot. Dropping a boat on your toe can be painful.
Rogelio Hernandez of Kennesaw, Georgia sent me the picture below of the canoe shelf that he built. He could only find an 18 inch wide shelf bracket, but the weight limit was more than adequate, so he re-engineered the design a bit. He screwed the 2x4s to the top of the shelf bracket, making them long enough to support the width of his very nice-looking Mad River canoe and then added a 2x4 brace out to the end of the support arms. The shelf brackets each have a 600 pound weight limit which would support the canoe fine even with the leverage on it from the extended support arms, but like me Rogelio is more comfortable over-engineering stuff. Frankly, if I had a nice Mad River like his, I'd do the same. It's a neat way to support the overhanging arms and, as a bonus, you can screw hooks to the wooden supports for hanging lifejackets and other canoe equipment.
Note how the shelf allows room for the cars to park up close to the back garage wall AND places the canoe at a perfect height for lifting. No bending over to hoist the canoe up off the floor. Allows you to keep your back straight while loading and unloading the boat. Also, there are no dark places underneath the boat where rats, cats and the odd chihuahua can hide or collect things. Crisp, clean and neat. Good job Rogelio and thanks for sending the picture.
This easy to build canoe and kayak rack is simple to build and use, though it does take up a little more space than some of the other designs I've posted here. It's pretty easy to build:
1. Dig 4 post holes. Each pair to which you will bolt a cross member should be as wide apart as you want the rack to be (3 feet times the number of canoes you have). Put the pairs about 9 or 10 feet apart. That's half to two-thirds the length of most canoes and kayaks and supports well enough so that summer heat doesn't cause the boats to sag and distort the hulls. Use treated posts. They should stick up about 2 to 3 feet depending on your comfort level and be treated. Pour concrete around them to set the posts.
2. Lag bolt a 2x12 pressure treated cross member to the posts as shown in the picture. Pad the cross member to protect the boat. I like to buy used fire hose from local volunteer fire departments and screw it on top of the cross members n accordion pleats. The pleats keep the canoes from sliding around on the rack.
3. The canoes sit upside down on the cross members. You can mix canoes and kayaks. If you get more canoes than you planned you can nest them and get more canoes on the rack.
4. To make tie-down easier, screw some eyelets to the face of the cross members to create attachment points for bungee cords. Tying down the canoes prevents them from taking flight in a wind storm.
If you need a quick rack for kayaks or canoes, here's a simple homemade “A” frame Yak Rack that you can screw together in a couple of hours with some simple tools and a few bucks worth of lumber, screws, bolts and hinges.
Materials
Four 2x4 inch studs
Three 10 foot 2x4’s
2 door hinges
Box of 3 inch wood screws for attaching the hinges
Eight 4 x 1/2 inch carriage bolts, washers and nuts.
Two six foot 2x4’s
6 3/8 or 1/2 inch screw-in eye bolts
A bucket of paint
Tools:
Skil saw
Crescent wrench
Drill with bits.
Lay two 2x4 studs end to end and attach them with a door hinge. Repeat with the other pair of 2x4’s. Turn the hinges down and lift the legs from the center and stand them legs up in an upside down V.
Step 2
Drill a ½ inch hole in either end of one of the legs of each hinged leg support. Drill a matching hole in the 10 foot 2x4 and bolt it to the same side legs of each “V”. Do the same thing with the other two 10 foot long 2x4’s. Attach them about 2 or 3 feet above the ground.
Step 3
Attach the two six foot cross members across the A-frame on top of the lower lengthwise supports. Attach half inch screw in eye bolts to each end of the cross members. Eye bolts are handy for strapping down the boats with bungee cords. Attach another pair of screw in eye bolts to the ends of the top lengthwise cross member.
Step 4
Paint the frame something earthy and let it dry. Strap the kayak or canoe in place as shown in the picture.
