How to Make Your Own Pulley System for Kayak Storage

If you have limited storage space but also have sea or touring kayaks, use a series of carabiners and pulleys to hoist the boats up and close to a garage or storage shed ceiling. Using these devices is known as mechanical advantage. If you have a single kayak, use a 2-to-1 ratio; double sea kayaks are best served using a 4-to-1 ratio. The ratio is the amount of pull to the amount of rope. For example, if you run a 2-to-1 ratio, you gain 1 foot of advantage for every 2 feet of rope pulled.

Things You'll Need

  • Step ladder
  • Four to eight carabiners
  • Aluminum mounting ferrules
  • Two to four pulleys
  • 7mm to 9mm static cord
  • Cutting tool
  • Lighter
  • Deck cleat
  • Power drill
  • Wood screws
  • 3-inch nylon webbing straps
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Instructions

    • 1

      Position a step ladder just to the side of a garage or storage shed rafter. If you do not have exposed rafters, use a stud finder to locate them on the ceiling.

    • 2

      Drill a set of aluminum mounting ferrules to the rafter, one each for the front and rear end of the kayak. Be sure to have the length of your kayak prior to setting the mounts.

    • 3

      Hang a single pulley on one ferrule if you are running a 2-to-1 system, or place two pulleys per ferrule, running down from each other, if you are running a 4-to-1 system. Clip the pulleys to the ferrules using a carabiner for each pulley.

    • 4

      Thread the static line through the each side section of pulleys. Use any diameter of line as long as it is not below 7mm. If using a 4-to-1 ratio let the static line droop to the center of the two sets of pulleys. If running a 2-to-1 ratio let the rope fall to the inside of the pulleys.

    • 5

      Wrap the ends of the line to a set of 3-inch nylon webbing. Attach a carabiner to the webbing and clip one pulley to each carabiner. Run the static line through the pulleys and back up to the ceiling pulleys.

    • 6

      Screw the deck cleat, vertically, to a wall to the side of the kayak pulley system. Position it so it is in the middle of the kayak length.

    • 7

      Slide the 3-inch webbing saddles under the kayak hull when ready to haul the kayak up to store. Pull down on the rope ends coming out from the pulleys. When the kayak is near the ceiling, coil wrap the line around the deck cleat to lock the kayak in the high up position.