Do-It-Yourself PVC Canoe & Kayak Cart

A kayak has an end toggle at the bow and stern, and a canoe has a carrying handle at each end. Two paddlers, one at each end, can use the toggles or handles to carry the the boat to the shore. On longer carries or when you're alone, using a canoe or kayak cart makes transporting the canoe less strenuous, and because the cart carries the weight, you can load the kayak or canoe at the car and let the cart carry the gear's weight. Commercial carts cost anywhere from $80 to $200. To save money, make a cart from PVC. (See Reference 1)

Things You'll Need

  • 6 1-inch PVC T-joint
  • 2 1-inch PVC pipe, 2 feet long
  • PVC cement
  • 2 1-inch PVC pipe, 2 inches long
  • 6 1-inch PVC pipe, 8 inches long
  • 1 3/8-inch all thread steel rod, 36 inches long
  • 4 1-inch washers
  • 2 12-inch inflatable wheels
  • 2 3/8-inch lock nuts
  • Saw
  • Cam buckle strap
  • 2 1-inch deck strews
  • 2 3/8-inch washers
  • Screw gun
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make the axle holder by gluing a PVC T-joint to each end of a 2-foot PVC pipe. The split of the T-joint becomes the uprights.

    • 2

      Glue a 2-inch PVC piece into each T-joint upright.

    • 3

      Glue a T-joint onto the 2-inch PVC piece and run a 2-foot PVC pipe parallel to the axle holder between the T-joints. This creates a reinforcement beam just above the axle. When finished, you should have a part that looks like a rectangle.

    • 4

      Glue an 8-inch piece of PVC to the upright.

    • 5

      Glue a T-joint to the top of the 8-inch PVC piece so that the open ends on the joint are perpendicular to the uprights and the axle.

    • 6

      Create the boat supports by gluing an 8-inch PVC pipe into each opening on the last T-joint you used. The boat's hull rests on these supports.

    • 7

      Thread a 36-inch piece of the steel rod through the axle holder. The rod becomes the cart's axle.

    • 8

      Assemble the wheels by placing a 1-inch washer on each side of the axle, and then place the wheels on the axle. Finish by putting another washer on each side of the axle against each wheel. Place nuts on each side, and then tighten the nuts until the wheels press against the inner washers.

    • 9

      Saw off the extra steel rod on each side of the cart.

    • 10

      Find the center of a cam buckle strap and center it between the two boat supports. Attach it to each support with a washer and 1-inch deck screw.

    • 11

      Place the canoe or kayak centered on the cart. Wrap the cam buckle strap around the boat and tighten it. Move the boat around by pulling it with the bow toggle or handle.