Commercial kayak storage rack design
 

I'm slated to build a kayak rack for a local resort and while we've
come up with a simple design that should be workable, I thought I'd
ask for ideas from anyone who's already thought this out. The rack
would need to store 30 or so boats of various styles. The current
plan is just a simple 20' long x 8' deep stand of 4x4's with
galvanized pipe crossbars to create bins. The pipes would be covered
with short cuts of pvc piping to give a roller effect as the kayaks
were being slid on/off the rack.
I am a carpenter and I have the building sense needed to make this
work well, I'm just looking for design tips that would be useful/fun
to incorporate.

Pics of existing systems would be great too!

Thanks,
John

One thing to keep in mind is the sun. Plastic boats that sit in the sun
in warm weather tend to deform. The good news is they'll pop back to
shape easy enough.

But you have to notice the deformation and rotate the yak so that spot
warms up and you just pop it back into shape.

With a rack of 30 boats, you may not notice one deforming. So I'd make
sure each yak is resting on it's strongest points. Maybe use some simple
foam blocks to evenly distribute the weight.

--
Matt Langenfeld
JEM Watercraft
http://www.jemwatercraft.com/


John/Charleston wrote:
I'm slated to build a kayak rack for a local resort and while we've
come up with a simple design that should be workable, I thought I'd
ask for ideas from anyone who's already thought this out. The rack
would need to store 30 or so boats of various styles. The current
plan is just a simple 20' long x 8' deep stand of 4x4's with
galvanized pipe crossbars to create bins. The pipes would be covered
with short cuts of pvc piping to give a roller effect as the kayaks
were being slid on/off the rack.
I am a carpenter and I have the building sense needed to make this
work well, I'm just looking for design tips that would be useful/fun
to incorporate.

Pics of existing systems would be great too!

Thanks,
John

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 08:29:43 -0400, John/Charleston
wrote:

I'm slated to build a kayak rack for a local resort and while we've
come up with a simple design that should be workable, I thought I'd
ask for ideas from anyone who's already thought this out. The rack
would need to store 30 or so boats of various styles. The current
plan is just a simple 20' long x 8' deep stand of 4x4's with
galvanized pipe crossbars to create bins. The pipes would be covered
with short cuts of pvc piping to give a roller effect as the kayaks
were being slid on/off the rack.
I am a carpenter and I have the building sense needed to make this
work well, I'm just looking for design tips that would be useful/fun
to incorporate.

Pics of existing systems would be great too!

Many larger shops which sell them have various storage racks, usually
made inhouse. Visit a few for ideas. REI shops have something I think
is made centrally, probably closer to what you want.

Most I have seen allow for side access to remove boats, not so much
end access. However, they do need to keep the boats in "like new"
condition.

I would look at 3 racks, 5 boats high on each side. Do not plan on
anything requiring a ladder to pull a boat, even if you do have the
vertical space. 5 is as high as even tall people can do, and 4 might
be better.

Some shops suspend the boats using the grab loops at each end, or some
sort of sling. If they also sell climbing gear, some of these setups
are marvelously complex.

You might also consider enough of a roof to shade them from UV or
filling with rainwater.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Thanks for the replies...The other day I was able to look over the
local county park's rack (they run kayak classes/tours too) and it's
almost identical to what we'd designed. The boats will be stored on
edge or possibly upside down so warping probably won't be a problem.

Not only do I get paid well for this, but I get to take one of their
used boats home too. woo woo!

Morning, i have a similar project, could i see some photos of either design, thanks Adventuresark.com