Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge  

Go Back   Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge > Kayak Fishing Forum - Message Board > General Kayak Fishing Discussion
Home Forum Online Store Information LJ Webcam Gallery Register FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-09-2008, 09:52 PM   #1
Aussieonyak
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1
How I made loading a kayak onto a sedan easy for $20

Hi - I'm new to kayaking and loving my new Hobie revolution. I'm not tall and lifting my kayak onto the roof of my sedan can be real tricky so I figured there had to be a better way without spending a lot of money - and there was! I decided that the rather expensive(but very good) wheeleze that I bought to carry the kayak across sand may also help me to load the kayak - here's how i did it.

First I needed a way to mount the wheels so that they would be in the perfect position for loading onto the roof - in my case the trunk of my sedan was a good option (it could also be a good option to use the hood). But how to protect the paintwork? I decided rubber suction cups but where could I get them cheaply? A trip to Home depot got me all the parts - belive it or not I used 3 sink plungers, a pvc T junction and 2 worm clips from plumbing. The pictures tell most of the story - FIRST the parts:


next a close up of the sophisticated suction cup system :


Now a close up of the T bar and worm clips - these were needed to attach a 3rd "leg" to wheeleze that could be easily pulled apart.



some slight modifications to the parts were needed to make it all work . The two Rubber suction cups for the wheeleze have a rubber thread to attach the wooden handles - you may need to remove some of the rubber thread on the inside using a thin sharp knife to get a nice fit on the wheel struts.

The next modification involved the PVC T junction - cut a slot in the side that does not have the junction (see photo) - this is needed to get it onto the wheeleze cross bar as it is welded in place.



The T junction after cutting with a hacksaw:


The T Bar is going to be used to house the handle end of the third plunger so that the wheeleze will have 3 suction cups on the trunk in a triangle formation for stability. Attach the T Bar to the wheels using the two s/steel worm clamps:



The new device is now ready to use but needs bracing to stop it from sliding around because these suction cups weren't really made for this job.

The final result - loader in place. I found the best bracing was obtained by using 3 or 4 straps with rubber coated hooks (Home depot $9.95 for set of 4) to hold the frame in place1 or 2 straps forward, hooked on the rear bar of the roof rack and the other two straps to the towing hook under the back of the car - you may get away with one forward and one rear strap.








I think you get the idea - it was cheap and easy to make - under $20 including straps - It took after 15 minutes to make - and it does not interfere with the normal usage of the wheeleze and there is nothing that will rust. I use bungee cord to keep the T junction centered on the bar - there is probably an easier way to do that.
With this arrangement I just lift the front edge of the kayak onto the wheeleze and push from behind - it is so easy to do. I like to carry the kayak upside down on the rack so once it is on there I flip it but that is not necessary.

hope some of you find this interesting and helpful.

Happy yakking
__________________
A Boat can be considered a hole in the water where you throw money.
Aussieonyak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2008, 10:42 PM   #2
dgax65
Guerro Grande
 
dgax65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 629
Ingenious. Very nice work.
__________________
Douglas Gaxiola
Team No Fish- Amateur Staff
dgax65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2008, 10:44 PM   #3
steveooo
Senior Member
 
steveooo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,921
Holy Carp! Maybe one of the best uses of 3 plungers that I have ever seen.
steveooo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2008, 11:40 PM   #4
Rusty
Senior Member
 
Rusty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: LJ
Posts: 201
You got skillz !!!
Rusty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 04:54 AM   #5
bajadog
I eats what I kills
 
bajadog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: San Diego
Posts: 393
Very clever.
__________________
Please release bill-fish.
bajadog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 07:51 AM   #6
Handymansd
Ancient Member
 
Handymansd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: On The Water
Posts: 935
Nice original thinking and application! It has been awhile since I have seen such an original idea! I wonder if I can spin off your idea to get my yak on top of my truck?
__________________
All men are equal before fish.
-Herbert Hoover

Handymansd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 08:14 AM   #7
lamb
Senior Member
 
lamb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,568
Creative innovation at is best!

Thanks for sharing.
__________________
[------------------------
<)))< ....b-a-a-a-a
lamb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 08:26 AM   #8
forefrazier
Senior Member
 
forefrazier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: OC
Posts: 397
Pretty cool! What are you going to do with the left over plunger handles though?

1. Cord up a handle and a gaff hook....Cheapo Calcutta Gaffs x3
2. Tie them all together and use it as a fish bat for your next 'butt that gets OOC.
forefrazier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 09:18 AM   #9
MalibuJohnny
Senior Member
 
MalibuJohnny's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lahina (I Wish)
Posts: 272
What a brilliant IDEA…

__________________
Malibu Johnny
must catch fish
MalibuJohnny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 02:56 PM   #10
mc08066
Member
 
mc08066's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 51
Sedan

Shoot, I wish I had seen this before I scratched up my truck area. Thanks for sharing, I will definitely need to get 3 pluggers.
Thanks
Jimmy

Malibujohnny funny toilet cleaner.
mc08066 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2008, 03:12 PM   #11
nmbrinkman
Work Sucks!
 
nmbrinkman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 559
"Go go gadget kayak rollers!"
nmbrinkman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2008, 08:58 AM   #12
Lord Matthew34
Mad Yakker
 
Lord Matthew34's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: La Mesa
Posts: 38
Great idea!! I work at Dixieline if anybody wants a deal on plungers
Lord Matthew34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2008, 09:46 PM   #13
dorf
Senior Member
 
dorf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: San Diego
Posts: 279
Multi tasking at it's finest.
__________________
Don't try to confuse me with facts! I hereby reject your reality and submit my own.
dorf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
© 2002 Big Water's Edge. All rights reserved.