Kayak Rack

This isn’t fine woodworking by any stretch of the imagination. Before my spouse would consent to my buying a kayak (another addiction of mine which began 2 years ago) I had to have a place to store it. This required cleaning out part of the garage, and building a rack. Our garage has a very low ceiling, I’m 5’6” and can touch the ceiling without too much effort, so hanging it from the ceiling was not really an option.

This was my solution. The frame is 2X4 pine – standard HD stuff. The shelf is 1/4 pine. It’s provided storage not only for the kayak (which is strapped to the car ready for an early morning paddle tomorrow) but also for other sports equipment. The frame is secured with lag screws. If you look closely you might see the stretcher which runs parallel to the shelf boards. The shelf boards are screwed to it rather than to the frame. The edges of the upper section are padded with pieces of old mattress pads, covered with pieces from an old vinyl tablecloth. Stair runner carpet acts as padding on the long sides.

The hooks on the right side were cut with my scroll saw (could have used the jig saw but the scroll saw was right there) and hold the paddle when it’s not in use. The hooks on the left side, which are holding the ladder, are store bought ladder hooks.

-- Chelle http://artsgranddaughter.blogspot.com