DIY Kayak Cart

Some of the places I like to fish are a good bit off the road, so I have to carry my kayak a good ways. I’ve wanted a kayak cart for a while, so today I figured, why not try to make one?

I don’t know how well this will hold up in the long run, I’ll update after I’ve used it a bit, but it lasted a few trips around the yard just fine.

I wanted something that wouldn’t take up much room in my car, so I figured, just screw some training wheels onto a block of wood, then use the tie down straps from my car carrier to strap the kayak to the wood.

That didn’t work, because it just kept flopping over. I needed some arms to go down the hull of the kayak to keep it in place, but I didn’t want to add some permanently because then it would take up a lot more room. So, I figured, I need my paddles whenever I go… why not use those?

So I drilled some holes in the wood, and my paddles just slide into the holes. Viola!

I ended up cutting an old patio porch railing spindle in half, and screwed the training wheels onto that, then screwed those onto the block of wood. That way, I am not relying on screws going into the end grain of a chunk of wood.

When my daughter gets older and isn’t using her balance bike any more, I’ll steal those wheels and use them instead, because they are a good bit bigger. But for now – this works just fine.

UPDATE: It doesn’t work. The wheels are much too small, and strapping it down is a pain. If I have to carry it any sort of distance, it’s easier to just balance the kayak on my head and carry my gear.

Sept. 10, 2019