Kayak Hoist Construction:
All parts are from Sears Hardware. The rope is what they call "anchor" rope and is 3/8 inch. (It needs to be long enough so that when you hook up to the kayak on the ground, you can still easily reach the loose end to pull the kayak up with). The pulley wheels are also 3/8 inch. (NOTE: for kayaks greater than 50 lbs., it would be better to have larger diameter pulleys (about 2 1/2 inch) than what is shown (about 1 1/2 inch).
Hoist one side at a time; about 2 feet per side until the kayak reaches the top. A 50 lb. kayak is manageable but a 55 lb. kayak is a little work - mostly because I positioned the cleats too high so I can't get good leverage. I think that above 55 lbs, I might use thicker rope, which means larger pulleys (1/2 inch) or, perhaps, just larger diameter pulleys would do the job.
It took less than 2 hours to construct the system - per kayak.
(Click on the links, below, to see construction details)
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