ChaosDave wrote:
cheers guys i will get a stainless steel bolt without thread all the way and a couple of washers to stop to much rubbing.
Now i'm trying to build a hoist for my hobie and i don't want to keep the kayak the right way up. I was thinking i might use a heavy duty tarpaulin as a sling so the weight is evenly distributed has anyone tried this. i'm not sure how much weight they are designed to take i might contact some of the companies that make them to see if they can support the weight. Otherwise i might try bobs idea with the pool noodles.
Hi Dave,
I rigged up a hoist system (motorized, even) to store my boats up in the rafters of my garage. The lifting is done using 1/8 inch steel cable, with a loop & a D-ring at the lifting end. The cable doesn't go around the boats! The boats are suspended by 2 inch wide nylon hoisting slings that I picked up at a Harbor Freight hardware store.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44847
Same place I got the hoist, as well.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40765
The one pictured is a 440 lb hoist, while mine is only a 220 lb unit. Looks like they don't stock the lighter one any more.
I suspend the boats upside down, with the slings positioned immediately in front of the forward crossbar, and immediately behind the aft crossbar. This works great for storing, and I can roll the boat in the sling to put it right side up if I want to bring it down to work on it. I also have some smaller velcro straps that I use to lash the amas to the D-rings so they rest on top of the boats when they are hoisted to storage position.
I don't have the boats stored for the winter yet, as we're still using them (see my thread about the 2nd Annual New Years Day Adventure Island Polar Bear Sail). I'll probably be storing them in the next couple weeks though, since this winter looks like it's going to be a snowy one. Won't get too much sailing done when the snow is deep. I'll try take a few photos of the rig when I bring the boats in. In case you're wondering, no, I do not have that much overhead clearance that I have the hoist above the boats when they're stored. The hoist is actually mounted on the wall near ground level, with cables run up the wall and through pulleys to the lifting points overhead. I have it configured such that I can use the same hoist to lift either of the two boats. I wanted the motor because I have a bad shoulder, and I figured I wouldn't always have someone around to assist And with the motorized hoist, I can stop the lift at any point if I need to reposition or work on something. A bonus is that, as you might well imagine, having an overhead hoist, even a light duty one (220 lb single line pull), has come in pretty handy on a couple of occasions.
Let me know if you'd like additional information. I may still have the diagrams I drew up when I was designing the thing.
Happy Sailing,
- Jim L
I called my dealer and he said he will order me a new one ASAP and reckons i should just be able to use a nut and bolt for the moment, can anyone see a problem with this?
It's great for paddling and peddling - can't say I've tried it this way with sail 