Super Simple Canoe Garage Hoist

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.

(c) 2011 by Tom King

Yak on the Rack

Luggage Rack / Kayak Rack Conversion
 by Tom King

Canoes are easy to strap on your SUV’s luggage rack.  Flip them over and the gunwhales rest flat on top of the crossbars and it’s a simple matter of bungee cording the canoe down tight.  Kayaks have curved decks and curved bottoms, so they don’t strap down flat.  You want to create a padded cradle for the kayak to rest in.  Fortunately, it is really simple to make one your self in a few minutes.

What You’ll need

You’ll need two foam swim “noodles” – the kind with the hole down the middle.  You’ll also need a roll of duct tape, a sharp knife and 4 zip ties.

Step 1

Cut the two foam noodles to the width of the luggage rack on top of your truck.

Step 2

Mark a line down the center section leaving about a foot to a foot and a half on either end.  Use your knife to cut through the noodle to the center hole.  Cut along the marked line from the outside to the hole. Don’t cut more than halfway through the noodle. Stop at the end of the mark, leaving the two ends uncut for 12 to 18 inches from the end

Step 4
Wrap the ends of the noodles with duct tape to prevent the cut in the center from splitting down to the ends.

Step 5
Open up the noodle and wrap the open part over the luggage rack crossbar as shown.

Step 6
Zip tie the noodle in place as shown so that the center is down over the crosspar and the ends are curled up to form a padded cradle for the kayak.

Step 7
Now simply rest the hull of the kayak in the foam cradle and bungee cord it tight to the rack.

When you want to remove the cradles, simply clip the zip ties. You’ll zip tie it back in place next time you take the kayak out..

Have fun!

Tom
© 2009 Some rights reserved

Homemade Kayak Rack

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

1. Four 2x4 inch studs
2. Three 10 foot 2x4’s
3. 2 door hinges
4. Box of 3 inch wood screws for attaching the hinges
5. Eight 4 x 1/2 inch carriage bolts, washers and nuts.  
6. Two six foot 2x4’s
7.   6 3/8 or 1/2 inch screw-in eye bolts
8. A bucket of paint

 Tools:

1. Skil saw
2. Crescent wrench
3. 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.