PROJECT-A-PALOOZA!!! -- Kayak Racks + Update!

[Ray]

I posted some of these pictures in another thread before they were all done, but I finally got everything finished up this past weekend and had a test run on the boat. Hence, the "update". Starting with the re-hash of the other thread:

I had a local aluminum welder-guy bend some tubing into an approximate 'J' shape and then weld on some end-loops and a plate that I approximated (and measured) to be where I would want the rail attachment to be. They were about $100 for the four of them.






I also bought four Magma grill mounts on ebay and took off the grill parts.







I drilled some holes in the 'J' tube plates and some matching holes in the Magma grill mount plates.








Here are the grill mounts bolted to the 'J' tube plates.







The clamp of the grill mount wasn't going to be enough to keep the 'J' tube up at an angle for the kayaks, so I made some Starboard wedges to distribute the weight.










Here is the completed wedge mounted to one of the plates. Screw holes were tapped into the Magma grill mount plate.









I slid some pool noodles over the tubing for cushioning of the kayaks.








Here is a close up of one of the racks mounted to the rail.








And here is the set of four almost ready to go.






Lisa made some super Sunbrella covers for the pool noodles in a more appropriate color, with drawstring ends on them.






Finished racks







Testing complete!!







The Magma mounts work really well (albeit expensive - even on ebay!) and are pretty easy to put on and take off with the hex-head bolts/clamp.

All photos and some description also in my album.

Ray

 

[jkidd]

Nice work very clean job.

 

[Aurelia]

Nice work and those should give you years of service.

Greg

 

[Pat Anderson]

Great job, as usual...but this design would not work for me, since your kayak racks occupy the same space as my two solar panels. I need some other solution for the kayaks that puts them on the roof, and I need it before September for Lake Powell! And since I can neither design nor fabricate, it looks like either Yakima or Thule will be the solution!

 

[Sunbeam]

Nicely done and documented, as all your projects are :thup

I have a "just to satisfy my curiosity" question: What made you decide on making two, angled J-style racks instead of a single set of cross bars (like car roof racks) and attaching the kayaks to those?

One potential plus for straight racks (I think.... but it might not pan out in real life) is that one could still reach under the kayaks to the hand rails. On the other hand, maybe that isn't true in reality, and your racks put the kayaks in a position that is more tailored looking.

Anyway, just curious how/why you decided on the J approach.

(Kayaker from ye olden days of 2 x 4's and Quick-n-Easy gutter brackets )

 

[potter water]

Whether right or wrong for any particular user, that is a very neat job of engineering and construction. Well done.

 

[Ray]

Sunbeam,

A lot of it, well most of it, had to do with aesthetics, as you mention. I am a bit weird that way.

Secondarily, I guess:

1) I can put just one pair on for solo trips and have the other side of the cabintop free for other "stuff".
2) It makes tie-down very easy. The side-to-side movement effects are removed with the "J" shaped ends, so I just put a short webbing strap through the two scupper holes in each boat and lock them down to the handhold below.

Oh, hell, who am I trying to kid? They just look cool. No reason other than that.

R

 

[Sunbeam]

A lot of it, well most of it, had to do with aesthetics, as you mention. I am a bit weird that way.

Heh, I get it. The "2 x 4 plus Quick-n-Easy" roof rack days I mentioned? Well of course I had to use oak 1 x 4 (less clunky), Yakima gutter towers (kinda "fancy" at the time), and copper pipe uprights (standard was galvanized or black pipe). Basically didn't do the job much better, but looked nicer, slightly less wind resistance, and... I liked it

Good point, too, about half the roof being empty when you only have one kayak. Actually, I'm just mentally working out a rack myself, on which I want to put one solar panel, and then probably either one kayak or one SUP on the other side. Solar panel will still be shaded by kayak, but I figure when I'm underway the engine alternator is running, and when I'm at anchor for any length of time (when I could use the solar), the kayak will typically be off the boat, tied alongside (and it may be inflatable, so there would be the third option of deflating/stowing).

So, timely thread on your slick racks.

Sunbeam