How to Hang a Kayak From the Rafters

Keeping your kayak indoors helps to protect it from being damaged by UV and extremes of temperature, but storing it this way can take up much-needed space. This problem can be solved by hanging your kayak from the rafters, keeping the floor space under it clear. However, there are better and worse ways to do this; a few simple mistakes can cost you time and potentially damage your kayak. Using a flexible approach to kayak storage also allows you to change your storage solution to accommodate new purchases.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 rafter hooks large enough to hook over your rafters (the kind with square hooks on each end and no screw thread)
  • 2 lengths of metal pipe the same width as the kayak
  • Strong rope narrow enough to fit through the pipe
  • Old sheets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hook the rafter hooks over the rafters, making four corners of a rectangle the same width and two-thirds the length of the kayak.

    • 2

      Tie a length of rope around one of the hooks, thread the rope through the pipe and tie a secure loop at the other end. Leave about 3 feet of rope between the knot or loop and each end of the pipe. Modify this depending on how high you want to hang your kayak and how large it is.

    • 3

      Repeat step 2, tying the rope to the hook farthest from the hook you have already tied rope to.

    • 4

      Make a trapeze by slipping the loop over the hook widthwise across from the hook the rope is tied to. Do the same with the other rope and center the lengths of pipe on the ropes.

    • 5

      Lay out the sheets underneath the trapezes and lay the kayak upside down on top of the sheets. Lift one end of the kayak and push it between the ropes of one of the trapezes. Lay the end of the kayak onto the metal tube and use it as a fulcrum to lift the other end of the kayak up and slide it into place.