TexasKayakFisherman.com

Just got done hanging my yaks from the ceiling of my garage. I used the "bicycle pulleys" sold by harbor freight. ($6.99)
I used 2x6 lumber on the inside for reinforcement inbetween my ceilings rafters. then, I screwed the pulleys onto the 2x6s.

Yes I know.. my yaks are dirty. that's what what I'm doing now.. cleaning them.

one last pic

Niiiice! Can you get your vehicle under them so you can drop them right on top?

Great idea! Went ahead and installed one but one of the pulleys said not to exceed 44 pounds and the instructions said max weight of 50 pounds. Did yours say this? I just put another rope underneath the yak to hold most of the weight instead of the pulleys holding most of it. Thanks for the idea. Worked great.

I'm not sure hanging it from the handles is that great of an idea either: you've got to be putting a lot of stress on a point that really ought to be just intermittent usage... I have mine on the ceiling of my shop as well, but I got some wide strapping and made slings to go under the yak (much like a boat sling set up you see on bay houses) that is placed right under the scuppers, which should be the strongest part of the yak.. Might bear calling the manufacturer, or asking some of the experts on TKF about it..

LIke dwilliams says, use some slings. When you lift your yaks waist high flip them over so they're hull side up as not to put undo stress on the hulls. Check with your yak dealer.

I paddle an Ocean Kayak, and they say... "Kayaks should be stored on edge, upside down, standing, or hanging horizontally. When hanging a boat, run straps around the boat near the cockpit (the strongest part of the boat). Hanging your kayak in slings or webbing is ideal and will prolong the life of the boat. A word of caution - using the scupper holes may cause distortion and hanging from the toggle handles may put undue strain on them. Storing the boat bottom side down may also cause distortion. Kayak storage systems are available from your dealer."

Nice job!

If you become concerned about hanging the yaks from the handles, just move your pulleys in toward each other a bit and run a section of rope with a loop at each end and with a little padding on it through each set of scuppers(one front, one rear), and hoist from the loops. You'll be able to snug the yaks right up against the ceiling using these rope slings, too.

Upgrading to a bit thicker rope will keep the rope on the pulleys, too.

FM

I hang my tarpon 160 and 140 from the ceiling in my garage, I bought the kayak hoist (two ropes) for one and the bicycle hoist for the other. I suspend my yaks not from the handles but from straps looped under the hulls about 3 ft in from the ends so they don't bow or warp.
The kayak hoist is way better to lift because it lifts both ends evenly, the bike hoist lifts only one pulley at a time and I have to manually even the yak out as I go up.

I store mine out side in the shade. The cans under the gussets have moth ball in to keep the critters away.

On it's side to show carpet gunnel rests on.

You have more pics? I'm running out of room in my garage for all my kayaks.

Great installation on the hoists but I agree with the aforementioned. Don't know where you live, but the pressure from gravity on the center will remain constant. It's cold now, but as the temperature increases, the plastic becomes more flexible. So, if the handles don't come off and your yak falls, there is also a likelihood of it folding at the most center point between the two lift points.

There are a lot of great alternatives. The best one I have seen so far actually uses 2" pvc made into a rectangle shape with the width of the scupper holes on the yak. The hoists were connected to the corners of the pvc rectangle and lifted at that point. The flex of the pvc will contour itself with the yak.

That PVC scupper hole idea does not work, and I can tell you from experience. The weight of the kayak will force the pressure point of the kayak to dent. You really need a wide strap or the wide foam blocks if you are laying on its hull. Or you can flip it upside down and sit on 2x4 woods.

Hey eclipse, here is how I store my boats. It might work for you.
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=172253

Here's my version. I decided to have independent control of the height of the back and front of the kayak since it was important that the back of my kayak be higher than the front to make sure my car fits underneath it. Still used just one rope, but just routed it so both ends of the rope are on the ceiling. Costed only a few dollars more for the extra parts.

Overview shot Closeup of front hangar Closeup of rear hangar

a couple more shots to round it out

Front hangar backed away a little bit Front hangar closeup looking at other side of joist

Just finished my latest project of hanging the Kayak from the ceiling in the Carport. I purchased the system from Dick's Sporting Goods, it features independent control of the bow and stern. It has one rope and the straps. The rope is big enough that you don't have to replace it. Kayak is stored right side up because was getting ready to leave. Truck parks under it and it is easy to load. Cost was $24.95. Took about 20 minutes to install.

Nice setup. You mention that the kayak is stored right-side up. Should it be stored this way or are you implying that it should not normally be stored right-side up?

According to the Manuf. they recommend that you store it upside down. I was also told to transport mine since it travels great distances upside down also. I tow a fifth wheel RV with the truck and the yak goes on the front.

This hoist system just went on sale at Cabela's for $63. and is rated for 120 lbs. Has worked well for me so far.
It's item #1BD-02-1624.

Here's mine:





I'm lazy, I got a winch!

Some rope and a few pullys from the big box store is all you need.

I finished mine yesterday. I previously used a pulley system used to dress deer in the field to hoist up each of my Pescador and Tarpon 160. These worked well for the past year, but those kayaks were recently sold to get an Outback and PA. The PA is a big girl and I did not feel the single pulley system was strong enough.

Old "deer" system:


New lazyman's system:


Pulleys:


Hoist:


Video - In action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xcuITMx ... r_embedded" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Total cost was about $200, the hoist was 1/2 of that. The hoist does have a safety stop to prevent it ripping the pulleys off the rafters and damaging my autos when the yaks are fully up. I also attached 4 straps at each corner to support the whole system which is used when the kayaks are all the way up. Most of the tension is removed from the hoist pulleys after attaching the straps. The hoist is only used to raise and lower the yaks, not to suspend them during storage.

I still need to center the hoist with the cable angle to even wrapping on the spool. This will be done this weekend.

Bass Pro Shop $29.99
http://www.basspro.com/Attwood-Kayak-an ... 717/190777

I hang my 14 ft Native Manta Ray in the garage from straps hull side down. I read that it would be better on the hull to hang it upside down.
However, I have the Humminbird FF transducer mounted using the "Humminbird grease in the well" method and I am concerned that the heat in the garage plus gravity will cause the grease to run out of the well.
Has anyone had experience leaving their kayak upside down with the grease running out?