DIY Kayak Storage

Here’s a simple kayak storage system I put together last Sunday. I used about 20 yards of webbing and four nylon buckles, all of which I bought at REI. We have only 29 inches of space for kayak storage along one wall in our over-crowded garage, so a more complicated rack was out of the question.

I melted the ends of the webbing with a small lighter to keep them from fraying. It’s usually a good idea to seal any holes in webbing the same way, but I didn’t bother in this case, since the minimal stress on the straps isn’t too likely to cause the holes to widen. Sewing the buckles on was easy and quick; I’ve used webbing and buckles for a ton of projects in the past.

The larger kayak (on the bottom) weighs 55 pounds; the smaller one just 35. The combined weight is no problem for either the webbing or the buckles, but each kayak is resting in its own loop just to be sure.

I attached the straps to the ceiling studs; two screws (each with a washer) anchor the longer set of straps. The shorter straps are anchored, with just one screw and washer, midway between the screws for the longer straps. I drilled pilot holes in the overhead 2x4s before attaching the straps, and made holes in the webbing by pushing screws through it before assembling things.

I put vertical 2x4s strategically to keep the kayaks from hitting the cinder block wall. That probably wasn’t necessary: As it turns out, slipping the boats in and out without hitting the wall isn’t any problem.

Assembly took about a fifteen minutes or so, and was so satisfying. More storage, and I didn’t even have to clean the garage! Whooo hoo!

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