No question that storing kayaks can take a considerable amount of room. Some homeowners have enough space to build a rack and have their canoe and kayak sitting where they can grab them.
However, not every kayaking fan has this luxury of space. Thus, storing it somewhere is essential.
Many sporting fans ask whether they can keep their kayak outside, and while they are resistant to water, too much sun exposure and rain would have a detrimental effect on your kayak.
One of the best and simplest solutions is to build a kayak hoist, so you can raise your kayak out of the way.
You’ll find this hoist a great DIY idea. It is great to hang from the garage ceiling because you would get all your garage floor space to do other things.
It may appear challenging to make a pulley system for lifting. Although, it’s far easier than you think to lift a canoe, kayak, and other vessels of this nature using a simple pulley system for kayak storage.
How Do You Make a Kayak Hanger?
If you have space, you can use hanger ideas rather than a pulley system. However, these ideas use more materials and eat into your garage storage space.
You can have various kinds, affecting how you make one yourself.
Kayak Racks
A kayak rack is freestanding, and you can purchase them with large, shaped hooks that you sit your kayak canoe or small boat onto. The advantage of a storage rack is you can move them if you need to.
It would help to have strong PVC tubing or timber; you can fabricate them into the stand shape.
Wall Mounted
If you opt for wall-hanging options, you can place these at any height you wish. In most cases, they will be fabricated hooks you screw to your wall. You will find they come with foam over the metal and straps to hold them in position, much like a bike hanger.
The downsides are that you may need two people to put them on the hooks, much like you need for the floor rack. Also, make sure you have secure mounting points in your walls. Something you may need a stud finder for.
Outside Storage
Some kayakers make an A-frame rack and then cover it with tarpaulin to make a kayak tent. While convenient, your kayak has no protection against cold weather or theft.
How Do You Set Up a Simple Pulley System
If you decide to use a kayak pulley system, there are a few things to consider.
You’ll need a stud finder to check your ceiling.
Your ceiling needs to be heavy-duty to support your kayak pulley system and the weight of your canoe/ kayak.
You need some strong climbing rope, 4 large eyehooks, a cleat, 5 small pulleys, and two carabiners, along with two heavy-duty boat straps.
You may see other information that uses fewer pulleys, yet using this version, you only require one rope, and you don’t need to drill into your kayak.
How Do You Build a Kayak Pulley
Using other ideas, you can use two pulleys at either end of your kayak. Either set lifts, and one pulley acts as a termination point.
Once you have made it in the following method, extra pulleys are an easy-to-use gear system, making the hoist more effective.
Below are the rough steps you need to have the best and easiest ideas to get good DIY canoe/ kayak storage in your garage.
- Find the ideal location in your garage ceiling where you have solid beams to screw your eye hooks. If you have beams, you can use a chain to fasten around and use strong carabiners as alternatives to connect each hook to the hoist pulley.
- Measure your kayak to where you will hook your boat straps around your kayak or bike.
- In your ceiling, measure either side of the strap to where you will fix each eye hook.
- Level with the eyehooks, and find a secure position to fasten your cleat, which will be your locking mechanism on the end furthest from the hook with no pulley.
- Fasten a short piece of rope to the first three eye hooks and securely to three pulleys. (The first three pulleys hanging from the ceiling)
- Take the other two pulleys and fasten the same short rope or chain to your two carabiners.
- Tie one end of your rope to the hook that doesn’t have a pulley.
- Take one of the loose pulleys you made, and feed the rope through.
- Feed the rope through the single pulley toward one end and the first pulley on the other end.
- Connect the remaining loose pulley, feed the rope’s end through the final pulley, and tie the end to your cleat.
- The carabiners should hang, so all you want to do is fasten your bootstraps. Could you make sure they are good and secure?
- Next, get your carabiners and hook them to your straps before you begin lifting.
Once you hoist up toward your ceiling in your garage, your yak rises horizontally, and you can secure the rope around the cleat or your locking mechanism when your vessel is by your ceiling.
You want to learn a couple of good knots. The last thing you want is your DIY kayak garage storage undoing and falling on the floor after your hard work.
How Do You Install a Pulley On a Kayak?
You will find this hook method works well inside your garage for lifting things out of the way. Before long, you’ll see this hoist can lift your bike and ladders using the same ropes, and it is self-leveling.
If you have a heavy canoe or kayak, then there’s no reason to struggle to hang your kayak on a wall rack or use one of the other kayak hanging ideas.
