Kayaks and Airstreams

[nilesrob]

Originally Posted by Lynn S.

My husband and I are kayakers and we just recently bought an Air Stream to further indulge the habit! We're interested in finding like-minded folks.

We're planning a trip to the South Carolina / Georgia coast in the late fall for camping, kayaking and fun! If anyone out there wants to join us, please do.

We'll be at the following campgrounds on these dates:

Huntington Beach SP, SC: October 23 - 26
Skidaway Island SP, GA: October 26 - 29
Crooked River SP, GA: October 29 - 31.

We'll be paddling unless the weather turns rotten or the tides aren't favorable. We're not hard-core paddlers. We're just in it for the fun!

Lynn

Chances of paddling look somewhat diminished based on shoulder surgery later this summer, but for what it is worth here is a post from a trip I made to Little Tybee Island - beautiful area the coast of GA/SC. Watch the tides, bring a map and enjoy!

Little Tybee Island (GA) – April 2014 | travelwiththeslowskys

[nilesrob]

Another reference point for anyone interested in paddling and visiting the Georgia coast... a post from a trip I took in 2013.

Altamaha River Trip – March 2013 | travelwiththeslowskys

[ZBoater]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Just sold my Carolina 14 the other day because I didn't like it. It had ZERO rocker and you almost had to get out and physically turn the thing to get it to change directions.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to replace it with, and having trouble finding something the size I want (sit inside touring above 14', and capable of carrying 325-350lbs) with a large enough cockpit for me to get into. I'm 6', 220lbs.

Any suggestions?

Santee 126 SPORT - Hurricane Kayaks - Lightweight Kayaks for Fishing and RecreationHurricane Kayaks – Lightweight Kayaks for Fishing and Recreation

[Rich W]

The wife and I just got a Jackson Big Tuna kayak. We have the Malone Saddle-Up rooftop carriers and they work quite well. I found some YouTube videos for the Big Tuna and my 4Runner, very happy about that.

What I'm not finding is a definite "proper" method of storing my kayak. Jackson (and some other manufacturers) say the best way is to store it vertically, that it puts less stress on the kayak. Well, the Big Tuna is 14' long and the garage ceiling is only 10', so that's out.

Hanging from the ceiling is supposed to be the worst way, but that's if you hook up the bow and stern. I haven't seen anyone make a cradle that suspends and holds the kayak. I was thinking about doing that but wanted an opinion.

I also thought about making a cradle on the floor, multiple supports, and sliding the kayak into that. But storing it flat or upside down is supposed to be bad too, although no mention about supporting it in a cradle.

Finally, the best alternate method is to store it off the floor, on its side, bottom against the wall and side in the cradle, supported by foam.

For now, because i have to leave for a week, I'm going to put it on the side, bottom against a wooden rack and put some memory foam under the side to provide a cushion.

I'd love to hear if any of you have a large fishing kayak and how you've supported it in storage. I'd also like to know if there are any stories of bad support strategies. Thanks for your help

[nickcrowhurst]

You could use a tarp material to make a hammock for it, and sling the hammock from the roof, using one of the many systems to raise kayaks in that way: Kayak and Canoe Hoist | Ceiling Rack - StoreYourBoard.com
Nick

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by nickcrowhurst

You could use a tarp material to make a hammock for it, and sling the hammock from the roof, using one of the many systems to raise kayaks in that way: Kayak and Canoe Hoist | Ceiling Rack - StoreYourBoard.com
Nick

I think I'm going to need some kind of hoist. I got some web straps from Lowe's today and it took most of the afternoon to drill and hang them. These straps have to be done one by one; very slow. They are 1.5" wide and using 4 of them seems to do a nice job of supporting.

Thanks for the link, when I get back from an upcoming trip I'll have a project to get it stored with something more permanent.

[paiceman]

I use large tie down straps from the trucking industry, can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. I fasten to the bottom of our deck and slip the boats in them as a cradle. Hang there year round. Been that way for about five years, don't see any issues, but I do have cockpit covers for all the boats to keep stuff and animals out.

[DaveFL]

Originally Posted by richw46

Well, the Big Tuna is 14' long and the garage ceiling is only 10', so that's out.

I haven't seen anyone make a cradle that suspends and holds the kayak. I was thinking about doing that but wanted an opinion.

Thanks for your help

I made two cradles, covered the runners with outdoor carpets, one in in the back of the pickup and the other is suspended with a pulley system that I can lift it by myself. I can lower it to the level of the pickup bed and slide it.

Using runners that support the flat area of the bottom has to be the best way not to deform the yak when stored for a long time.

Besides length from open garage door you will use up about 4 ft of your air space, I am less than 6ft so it works for me

[indy]

Jackson Cuda 12 new to me june 2015

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

I made two cradles, covered the runners with outdoor carpets, one in in the back of the pickup and the other is suspended with a pulley system that I can lift it by myself. I can lower it to the level of the pickup bed and slide it.

Using runners that support the flat area of the bottom has to be the best way not to deform the yak when stored for a long time.

Besides length from open garage door you will use up about 4 ft of your air space, I am less than 6ft so it works for me

Thanks, Dave. Can you snap a picture of the garage setup and post it here?

I'm thinking of 3 different approaches.
1 - What you did, build a cradle for the kayak to lay on its bottom, use a hoist on the 4 corners to raise it up to the ceiling (I have 10' ceiling in the garage).
2 - Make a sling system to hang it with bottom against the garage wall. Use a pulley system to raise and lower it. The wall it needs to go on is either exactly as long as the kayak or just short of it. It's going to be close.
3 - Make a cradle so the kayak lays on its side or bottom, the cradle is on wheels to let it roll underneath a storage area. I'd have to take the kayak out the garage side door and bring it around to the front. This would be a pain in the winter, getting ready for the Florida trip.

I'd like to do option #1 but everything I've read says that letting it lay on its bottom is the worst position. The second best is on its side.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by paiceman

I use large tie down straps from the trucking industry, can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. I fasten to the bottom of our deck and slip the boats in them as a cradle. Hang there year round. Been that way for about five years, don't see any issues, but I do have cockpit covers for all the boats to keep stuff and animals out.

Thanks, that's what I did yesterday. I got those yellow straps (see above picture) from Lowes. They're 16' long and 1.5" wide, $19 per set of 2. It's supporting it quite nicely but it's a pain to raise and lower. I need some kind of lifting system. I'm thinking of something like those chain pulleys for garage doors.

[samb]

I use a boat trailer winch for a canoe hoist in my barn. The winch is fastened to the wall/post. I have two cables attached to the winch drum which lead parallel up to the ceiling to two pulleys. From there the two cables split to two more pulleys on the ceiling spaced apart to support the canoe closer to the ends. The ends of the cables are fastened to horizontal bars that support the canoe upside down.
I can load and unload the canoe from my pickup by just turning the winch handle.
Should work fine for a kayak, also.

Sam

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by samb

I use a boat trailer winch for a canoe hoist in my barn. The winch is fastened to the wall/post. I have two cables attached to the winch drum which lead parallel up to the ceiling to two pulleys. From there the two cables split to two more pulleys on the ceiling spaced apart to support the canoe closer to the ends. The ends of the cables are fastened to horizontal bars that support the canoe upside down.
I can load and unload the canoe from my pickup by just turning the winch handle.
Should work fine for a kayak, also.

Sam

The dealer said rotomolded kayaks cannot be stored by connections at the bow and stern. The plastic will bend and warp. They said the best way is to store on its end but I don't have the room. The boat crank might still be doable, however, if I can make some kind of cradle. Thanks for the tip, definitely cheaper than some of the other things I've looked at.

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by richw46

The dealer said rotomolded kayaks cannot be stored by connections at the bow and stern. The plastic will bend and warp. They said the best way is to store on its end but I don't have the room. The boat crank might still be doable, however, if I can make some kind of cradle. Thanks for the tip, definitely cheaper than some of the other things I've looked at.

I have stored my first two Wilderness System kayaks from straps anchored to the garage wall, this has worked well for 15 years. Pain to load - they're stacked one above the other. The new WS Aspires are hanging from the ceiling, hooked to bow and stern. Having been in the plastics industry, I agree with the warning not to hang this way! These kayaks are short and very rigid so I've not experienced any miss-shaping of the hulls after a couple of years, but I will convert my system to straps holding the hulls. Better for the long run.

Thanks for the reminder!

[KiraR]

Yay Kayakers!!! I am debating whether to pile my 14' kayak on to the truck for our 10 month journey. It's a shame to put it into storage!!!

Your kayaks are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wood...sigh, so beautiful! Thanks for sharing and starting this thread!

Kira

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by KiraR

Yay Kayakers!!! I am debating whether to pile my 14' kayak on to the truck for our 10 month journey. It's a shame to put it into storage!!!

Your kayaks are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wood...sigh, so beautiful! Thanks for sharing and starting this thread!

Kira

We got ours to take on the road with us since we can't take the bass boat. Our last trip was to Florida for a month, surrounded by water and no boat. We rented a canoe but it's not the same. I've gone just 35 miles with it on the roof of the SUV but it seems pretty stable. We intend on trying it out locally several times then take off this fall.

[Danattherock]

Over last 20 years, have found storing my kayaks flat on ground and out of direct sunlight is best. Sun will be the biggest issue that leads to warping, especially if you got pressure points. Flat on ground, or improvised shelf or table is my suggestion. Saw online a while back some nice fold down wood cradles for garage walls. About $150, but very nice stuff with wood and seatbelt strap material. Above all else, keep out of sun. We wipe ours down yearly with Aerospace 303 as well. Overtime, it matters. We have a 20 year old Tandem WS, two 10 year old WS Pungos, and two new Nucanoes. All are in very good shape. Just take some basic precaution to avoid hull warpage and UV damage.



Dan

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Over last 20 years, have found storing my kayaks flat on ground and out of direct sunlight is best. Sun will be the biggest issue that leads to warping, especially if you got pressure points. Flat on ground, or improvised shelf or table is my suggestion. Saw online a while back some nice fold down wood cradles for garage walls. About $150, but very nice stuff with wood and seatbelt strap material. Above all else, keep out of sun. We wipe ours down yearly with Aerospace 303 as well. Overtime, it matters. We have a 20 year old Tandem WS, two 10 year old WS Pungos, and two new Nucanoes. All are in very good shape. Just take some basic precaution to avoid hull warpage and UV damage.
Dan

Thanks, Dan, we are storing it inside the attached garage. Wall space is really limited because of the length of ours; 14'. I have a large wall on one side but that's where the bass boat is parked and I'd have to move the boat out (a pain) or bring the kayak over the top of the bass boat (bigger pain). On the third side is my storage shelf, which is where it's hanging now. Somehow, I'm going to suspend it on its edge from the ceiling or some kind of contraption offset from the wall.

Thanks for the tip on the 303, added to my shopping cart.

[nilesrob]

Originally Posted by KiraR

Yay Kayakers!!! I am debating whether to pile my 14' kayak on to the truck for our 10 month journey. It's a shame to put it into storage!!!

Your kayaks are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wood...sigh, so beautiful! Thanks for sharing and starting this thread!

Kira

A 10 month trip and you're thinking you might not bring your kayak? Yikes! Having said that, we took a 3 month trip ourselves and for various reasons our boats never got wet. At a minimum, what's it going to hurt to bring them???

[carver 1]

Not a kayak, but darn safe and easy to transport. Our Porta Bote. When folded up, only 4" thick and 55 #. And if you happen to have a 3.5 HP OB + lots of fun.

>>ron<<