New Revo' 13-Locks and Storage

[gafisherman]

Hey all, I am new to the forum, and really learning a lot from everyone's posts. I just picked up a new Revo' 13 from Easton Cycle and Sport. Ryan was very helpful and I can't wait to get out on the water, and hopefully fishing with some of you!

I would like some advice on a couple things:

1. I want to be able to lock my yak to my car. I have the Yakima QTowers and Mako Saddles on a Hyundai Sonata. What would you all recommend using to lock up my boat when it is on my car? Bike lock? Lasso Security Cable http://kayakfishinggear.com/303aeros...1-1-1-1-1.aspx

2. I want to store my kayak in my garage. I am planning on making some PVC stands for working/rigging up my yak, but when I want to store it in the garage, what would you all suggest?

Wall mounts?
Ceiling Hoist?
Or building a stand to store the kayak?

I have an ok size garage, 1 1/2 cars, but I do have an extra fridge and cabinets in there now.

I appreciate any and all thoughts, opinions, and advice!

Thanks!

[JKay]

For a lock, I use a simple 6' coiled bike cable with keyed lock. I looked for the thickest coated wire I could find. I also have the Lasso cable and it's not nearly as convenient to use. Since the Revo has the mirage drive opening, you don't need the Lasso feature. I only use the Lasso now when I'm traveling with 2 boats or just my DII. I started out with the Mako saddles, but quickly found it much easier to load/unload the boat while putting it directly on the bars (upside down). Getting the kayak up, over and into the saddles proved to be a PIA after a while. I bought some bar pads from Austin Kayak and the Mako saddles went into my spare parts bin. Now it's very easy to snatch, press and load the kayak in two easy motions.

If you have the ceiling space and plan to have only one boat, I'd personally lean towards the ceiling hoist. You can build something very simple and sturdy for not too much money and the boat will be out of the way. If you consider a rack, here's a rolling rack project that I did about three years ago and posted on a couple other sites. Some changes that I've made since then:

I made slings for all three bunks. I keep a Revo, Kaskazi DII and Ocean Kayak P-13 on this rack. All three kayaks are kept hull down in the slings. I know some folks advised hull up on the bunks, but I've never had a single issue with oil canning and it's much more convenient this way. Anyone hanging a kayak from a hoist would have a similar arrangement. The other boats are relegated to an A-frame rack on the side yard.

Here's a day project that might help free up some floor space in the garage. Good for burning a snowy day! We have a single car garage and were constantly stumbling over both the kayaks. I didn't really want to store them outside; we live in NJ...I didn't want these kayaks boosted

I wanted a rack that could hold up to 3 kayaks, but be able to get them all out of the way if needed. I found some other similar designs on the web, but adapted some of the better features to make something that would work best for me. A trip to the Home Depot got me the wood, hardware and misc supplies needed.

Overall outside dimensions are 72" x 39". The inside width dimensions were dictated by the fattest boat (OK Malibu 2XL).

I wanted to be able to slide the kayaks onto the crosspieces or bunks, so I used black foam pipe insulation and covered them with indoor/outdoor carpet. I wrapped the carpet around the top and sides and secured it to the bottom of the 2x4's with staples all the way across. You'll need a staple gun for this.





The OK sits directly on the bunks. I don't really worry about creating permanent dents in the bottom of this boat. They're built like tanks and because of the bottom design, not likely to get damaged. I was a little more concerned about storing the Revo in the same fashion. I decided to create a sling. I bought some 4" wide winch strap material from online. I doubled over the material on the one side and screwed it to the 2x4 using fender washers and screws. You can easily poke holes in the material using a pencil soldering iron. On the other side I installed a d-ring and secured it using a small bolt, nut and lock washer. This side gets hung on the hooks. When I want to use the boat, I unhook both D-rings from the hooks, ease the boat onto the bunks, and slide the Revo out.



I used these corner brackets that I picked up at HD to secure all the cross piece bunks to the uprights and horizontal long pieces. They save a bunch of time and worked out pretty well.



I got some heavy duty rolling casters from Harbor Freight. I made sure that they had real ball bearings and could handle quite a bit of weight. I screwed in short pieces of 2x4's to the bottom so that I could get some long screws into the bottom to mount the wheels on.



I've had the rack in use for several months and it's working out great for us. When I want to get something off the shelf in back of it, it's fairly easy to roll it out of the way. I can roll it right out into the driveway if I want to clean the garage. Make sure that you have some wheel chocks ready. You don't want to be chasing your rack and yaks down the driveway.

Sorry for the varying size of the pictures. Couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the first shot the same size as some of the others.

[Redfish12]

Great advice there! I have a glacik rack that I picked up for pretty cheap. It has two bunks that I keep my Revos face down on. Works well since I am renting my place and didn't want to make something permanent. As for locks, I use the same thing JKay does, thick plastic coated steel cable with a keyed lock.

[YaknBadBuoy]

I'm new to the forum too, and find all this information valuable.

For now I use a plastic coated cable and a key lock too. As they try removing the yak, the car alarm should sound. If they continue, hopefully the thief will be in a panic, make a mistake, and my 125lb plus Pro Angler will knock some sense into them as it falls on them.
Currently, I have my yak sitting on a tarp covered mattress until I can build a stand. I just know not to leave my yak plugged into the wheel cart to avoid deformations or even worse cracks. The mattress also doubles for a place to sleep if my wife kicks me to the garage...... I could have a couch, TV, and refrigerator all within reach (as I digress)

Congrats on the new Revo !

[J.A. Veil]

For any of you who are planning to build indoor or outdoor storage racks and are more concerned about functionality than sharp appearance, I may have some free lumber for you. Our deck is about 30 years old and is clearly weathered, but with the exception of a staircase, it is all structurally sound. Over the next few months, I am having it rebuilt. To the extent that the decking board can be salvaged and reused for storage racks or other projects, you are welcome to have the wood. It is pressure treated lumber. All the decking boards are 2x6 (not the 5/4" thickness) and varying lengths up to 14'. There also are nearly 100 2x2 railing pickets.

I don't have a start date yet for the job, but would need to know in advance who wants used wood, what sizes and how many pieces you want. I can make sure that those boards are set aside before the contractor hauls it away. You would need to pick it up in Annapolis.

[YaknBadBuoy]

I would certainly be interested in any reclaimed wood from your deck. Let me know when the demolition has a date, and I'll be over. If you are doing the demolition yourself, I could also offer you a hand.

[gafisherman]

JKay,

Thanks for the great advice and awesome pictures! I really like your idea a lot and I might replicate your cart, because I really like it. I'm thinking about it, but not 100% sure yet.

I like the idea of the bike chain. I'll use that for my Revo too!

Where did you get the winch strap material from?

Thanks so much!

[JKay]

gafisherman,

You're welcome! Here's where I got the winch strap from:

http://www.talcospecialties.com/Winch-Strap-4-inch.aspx

I think I got the T-430FH. You're going to want to cut the hook off of it anyway, so the model is not that important. The hook is massive and heavy, so I decided not to even try to use it. Let me know if you go in this direction. I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.