Finally finished my mobile kayak rack

[willf650]

I've been working on a storage rack on wheels for a couple weeks. Mainly just an hour here and there when I'm not busy doing other things. I was going to make a rack which stored the kayaks on their bottom right side up but figured it would be over 3' wide and only fit two boats at a reasonable height to lift them up.




I decided to store them on their sides so I could keep the rack 4' wide and store 4 boats. The upper rack is high but still at a reasonable height to lift a yak up. It is on 8" swivel casters so I can wheel it right out onto the drive way and the yard as well provided the ground isn't saturated. I still want to pick up some trailer bunk carpeting to wrap the bunks in to prevent scratches and make it easier to slide the kayaks.

Now I just need to decide to throw my canoe in that 4th spot or get another kayak.


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[tufnik]

Cool. You sure are a yak/canoe kinda guy. I have only two yaks, but you gave me an idea to make yak/equipment storage better in my already crammed garage. Thanks for posting.

[Mark]

Nice job. I like how you angled the struts.

I completed my own mobile rack for two yaks last month and it has given me much needed space in my cramped garage.

[willf650]

I rebuilt my rack due to the hulls denting on my two sit on tops. I know in years past with my sit in kayaks the prefered method to store them was on their side. I can't recommend that for a sit on top after this experience as they weigh so much more their hulls eventually dent. It doesn't help the fact that the pro angler is over 100#.

I salvaged the wood and made a more conventional 3 kayak rack. I spaced all the bunks for the largest yak, the Pro Angler, so theoretically you can change the rails around to fit any kayak the future might bring. The bunks are on threaded rods so they can be moved in elevation and position by adjusting the nuts or drilling new 3/8" holes in the cross bars.












The only down fall now is it only holds three kayaks and the top bunk is pretty high. I'd be hard pressed to get a kayak over 70-80 pounds up there by myself.

A benefit is it is slightly slimmer and allows me to mount stuff on the sides.

[Cowpokey]

I like V2 a lot better. I wondered if the hulls would dent from the small area of support on the sides of each hull on V1.

[willf650]

I like V2 a lot better. I wondered if the hulls would dent from the small area of support on the sides of each hull on V1.

V2 was a lot easier to build. There was a fair amount of braced intersecting joints and cross bracing in V1 in order to get the free standing arms to not sag or flex when you have a couple hundred pounds on them. V1 actually used a lot more wood. You can't see any of the diagonal bracing it had with the kayaks on it.

[Mark]

Very nice job.

Since April I've had my two boats on a mobile wooden rack that uses 1.5 inch PVC pipes placed perpendicular to the hull every 15 inches, not parallel like yours.

I had some concern about them denting or warping the hulls but so far I've seen none of that. They flex to cradle the hulls.

PVC has been quite beneficial to us kayakers for a variety of uses.

[Cowpokey]

V2 was a lot easier to build. There was a fair amount of braced intersecting joints and cross bracing in V1 in order to get the free standing arms to not sag or flex when you have a couple hundred pounds on them. V1 actually used a lot more wood. You can't see any of the diagonal bracing it had with the kayaks on it.

V1 was sexy, though...you get credit for that.