Home Made Kayak Hoist

[tampacannon]

Perfect! Ive been looking at other setups and this looks like the easiest and most straightforward! Great setup great explanation!

[10000Monkeys]

Excellent, exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks for uploading.

[gitargr8]

Does this lift both sides of the boat evenly? I'm trying to duplicate your setup, and the side with the pulley attached to the boat lifts much more than the side where the rope is tied. I'm thinking of putting a pulley on that side as well and tying off to the upper bracket.

[MrCraigsimo]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............

[gnagnola22]

really fast system!!....good night!

[calspeed1]

Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[LLuE88]

Good job, if you plan on having the kayak suspended there for several years of disuse, I think you will find that the sun will kill the material kayak structure from the direct sun rays. For the sake of the kayak it would be much better under the cover [up against the exposed joists] of the door walkway. It appears that there is ample room, may mot be as appealing though?

regards,

[whispershadow]

@LLuE88 That's a good point, but I have treated the bottom of the kayak with a product designed to prevent the material from breaking down. I make sure to reapply it every summer, and during the winter, well we don't get much sun in the winter in Maine, so its a moot point, but if we did, it would be a simple matter of re-applying it before the winter, too.

[DPhams]

Nice Hoist !

[davidshilts]

What about wind beating it against the house?

[brooksofmaine]

@davidshilts I haven't run into that problem because my back yard is pretty sheltered. If you were having issues though, I'd imagine that you could easily pad the house with a foam block to prevent any banging around.

[tuffnuff1]

I'm giving your system a try but I am running into a bit of a problem. Only one side of the kayak is lifting up. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot.

[whispershadow]

@tuffnuff1 I know this problem. It stems from the fact that the rope goes through the pulleys in a series and typically the friction of the first pulleys means that side will get pulled up first. I find that once the first side has reached the top, the other side will rise too. However if the angle is too steep, the kayak could slip out. What we do is hold down on the end thats rising first and force the opposite side to rise.

I know of a fix thats more complex, too, if you want to know.

[mikaila31]

Its best to store the boat on its side to prevent warping. I hang my 10ft kayak in the garage, using a very similar system. Basically just the rollers, rope, and a few other parts. If you want to go cheaper, instead of the winch you can use a tie off. Two hooks facing opposite ways. Then raise and lower the boat by hand. You may need gloves depending on your rope and kayaks weight.

[mcfarlandhb]

Great video! Thx for the info.  I'll add that you used the best rope, nylon. Poly will degrade in the sun and over time could break. Thanks again.

[dennisdanner01]

Great job. thanks for sharing

[GulfCoastGirl5]

Well done.. .Bravo!!!

[whispershadow]

hello watchers,

Just wanted to give an update. The hoist has been tested by its first maine winter and passed with flying colors. Up here we had howling winds, feet of snow, and ice up the wazoo. the kayak stayed up the whole time and remains undamaged.

hooray!

hope yours went well and, if anyone wants to post a video response I'd love to see yours and your customizations!

best,

Ian

[tuffnuff1]

@whispershadow

Hi there. I'm giving your system a try but I am running into a bit of a problem. Only one side of the kayak is lifting up. Any suggestions?

Thanks a lot.

[spinnur]

It looks great for lifting but my question is what it's like for lowering as typically the winches are free to spin in the opposite direction and I would be concerned about it dropping while the handle spins. What's your experience?

[whispershadow]

I've found that, with your hand on the winch, its safe. the resistance from the pulleys, eyebolt and winch itself also decrease the wight. by no means would you want to just let it free spin but with control its fairly safe. Also, the ratchet can be raised just slightly so that the wheel can spin the other way, but if you let go of the ratchet lever it clicks back in and stops the kayak.

[spinnur]

Thank you for the response!!

[PGBartlett2000]

This is terrific! It looks much better than anything I've been looking at buying. Would be helpful to know where to buy the materials.

[whispershadow]

sure! I got the brackets at the Home Depot, the pulleys at my local hardware store (could get them at home depot i think), the ratchet I got at a marine store (its actually a "trailer winch")

oh and the rope is simple nylon braided from the same local hardware store.

make sure you get heavy duty, enough parts to support the weight of your kayak (the first brackets we bought were to weak and bent)

bet

-Ian

[PGBartlett2000]

Just what I needed -- thanks for the reply!

[brooksofmaine]

I watched a a six-year old boy raise the kayak easily with the hoist.