Kayak storage

[duane]

Just bought two Duralite Pungo 120's. (Q: How do you get your spouse to agree to buy a kayak? A: Buy her one too!) My storage plan is to hang them on end in an unheated garage. Do you suppose the cold will harm the Duralite?

Thanks.

 

[Jay H]

No, my plastic Dagger stays outside. Just keep the mice and other critters from making a home in the cockpit... I.e.if you have a cockpit cover, you can use it or just improvise with some string and some tarp material.

Keep it out of the sun for UV damage in the summertime...

Jay

 

[Rick]

Cold won't harm the polyethelene (which I believe is a unbranded form of Duralight). Ditto on no sunlight.

I hang mine upside down in the Garage, using 2 tubular webbing straps and a pulley system (one fore and one aft of the cockpit). I don't know the pros or cons of hanging them on end, except that it might be a lot of stress and could pull a kayak eyebolt out.

 

[Jay H]

I would lift a kayak (especially a longer touring one) by straps around the cockpit. A kayak with bulkheads is going to be the strongest in the middle by the cockpit and not at the ends. (Just like on my thule carrier, I put the cradles straddling the cockpit.

Jay

 

[peakbagger]

Hanging them is about the best as it doesnt impose pressure points on the hull that would occur if it was stored flat. I have seen several plastic boats that have acquired dents from being stored horizontally on two by fours.

Then again all my wood strippers are piled up randomly in the attic of my garage with no issue but I think epoxy over wood has less cold flow potential.

 

[Remix]

The Wilderness Systems manual for my poly boat suggests that strapping for hanging or roof-topping should coincide with the bulkhead walls.

I cant really really see how this helps, though, because the bulkhead walls are very flexible and have a partial cut to prevent hull deflection from tearing the wall.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I don't think that hanging vertically would cause any problems. Many stores store and/or display kayaks this way, with some of the weight still put on the bottom point. If hanging horizontally, use straps (not thin line or rope) to support the kayak as mentioned in other posts - just ahead and behind of the cockpit, in order to provide support where most of the weight is. I highly advise you to cover the cockpit WHENEVER you're not using the boat - year round - in order to keep out mice during the winter, and prevent wasps, bees, and spiders from making a home inside during the warmer months when it's in storage between uses.