Building a Yak Cart

Ok i don't know how many have successfully built a yak cart but my neighbor said pvc and this instantly popped in my head....i know my paint skills really suck but bare with me here

the colored black part is suppost to represent the kayak...and yes you could make the poles stick out as much as you wanted...so all you would need for this is an axle that you can slip pvc over and a bunch of T fittings.

What do you think? would it work ok?

here, before you go gluing your fingers and butt cheeks together or cutting off your sacred member while trying to carve up some pvc, look at the materials list and assembly instructions for the one listed at this link.

yep,other folks been there done that....this is a good'un

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/articles_view.asp?Kayak_Articles=38

btw, you're on the right track, but don't put tubing up your scupper holes... you might be swimming one day way earlier than you'd like.

i c nice ill look into that...i was only doing the scupper hole thing since that is the way hobie does it...so i figured it was ok

totally understand about the way hobie does it, and there are plenty carts out there that do the same thing,  but have seen tons of user input rebutting using your scuppers for anything other than what they are made for.

gosh, even these guys build scupper hole carts.and they have a huge following

http://www.paddleboy.com

so, basically it comes down to, ya pays your money and takes your chances, whether it's a factory built one or one you make yourself.

screw it i think i will just wait for another pay check and buy the wheeleez mini cart thingy lol...its more money but at least i know it is well built and won't break my kayak

look, i'm not trying to discourage you from building your own.. thats part of the fun of getting into this.. what i am trying to tell you is to not rush in, take your time and make an educated decision on this that will make you happy for a long time to come.. you know, just a little caution..

besides, building your own can be a great after work stress reliever. taking a 6.50 el cheapo storage crate and making it into my own "yak crate" with some pvc pipe, a strip of oak flooring, and some screws and other hardware was probably the best thing i could have done for myself last month. sure, i took a lot of excess time doing it, but at the end of each day, i wasnt as fruztrated and grumpy as i ususally am...sure the crate is ghetto chic, but's it's MY ghetto chic, ya know? ..

sometimes, it's better to wait and just buy..others, it's better to roll your own... you're the only one who can make that decision.. personally, looking at that parts list and the total cost vs. one from paddleboy or another vendor, i'd probly just buy one.

No personal experience with pvc carts, but I've heard some horror stories, over the years. I have one of these http://www.bizrate.com/boatskayaks_boatingequipment/products__keyword--seattle+canoe+kayak+cart.html

Not as nice as a wheeleez, but easy on the wallet, especially since it was a gift.

ya i here ya Richard i was just thinking the same thing though...for the price of materials vs. the price of buying a cart that i know works and all...its probably not worth it to me to make a cart

hopefully i will get setup enough to get on the water this weekend effectively...all i really need now is some sort of cold water clothing...but i haven't quite decided which route i wanna take on that yet

well I built mine from PVC....works great!   Since I have BROKEN off the scupper hole pieces!
 The rest of the PVC cart is in good shape. I broke the tubes off when we stacked an OK Drifter on top iof my P-13 with all our gear in both. Prolly held 200# for a half mile push up hill on a trail.
 I woulkd build my own again but without the scupper tubes for sure.
 My buddy is making his from a used "dolly" and it works great as well. My other buddy has the wheeleze mini-cart....thats the one I really want, lightweight, strong, breaks down to fit inside Yak. As soon as my Ghetto cart fails........................

I was in the same boat as  you for a while.  Planning on building a cart for my Big Game (jeebus christ that thing is a monster to move around), checking cost of PVC/other materials... getting sticker shock.... putting it off.... moving Big Game.... once again thinking I either needed a kayak cart or a small crane to move that sucker around.  I got the full size Roleez when I caught it on sale... pricey, but worth it IMO.  I take my boats down some pretty gnarly trails to get to trout lakes, and I can't imagine at PVC cart standing up to the abuse my Roleez has already.

The FedEx truck just dropped a full sized Wheeleez Kayak Beach Cart on my doorstep yesterday. Assembling it was a cinch, although I am concocting an "adapter cradle" to fit my Ultimate 12's hull better.
I have a tunnel hull, so i am making a cradle with a raised center to fit the tunnel.

I split a 6" diameter crab pot buoy lengthwise, and glued the two halves side by side in the center of a 24" wide X 18" long piece of 3/8" plywood. They fit the tunnel just right, and keep the  U-12 from wobbling. I will likely put some carpet strips along the outside of the buoys where the hulls rest. All this stuff was just sitting around my garage, so no additional costs so far. I plan to use big zipties to secure it to the top of the Wheeleez cart, although I may use some tubing clips, similar to those found on folding "TV trays."

 The Ultimate 12's tunnel hull has been said to not fit any existing production carts, but I didn't want to build a cart from scratch, and I can use this cart when i get my SOT next Spring (not in the cards for this year). Those new OK Tridents should be readily available to test paddle by then.

I got my cart on sale at $25 off the regular price. I did the math with the cost of the Wheeleez wheels (very expensive when purchased by themselves) and axels and cost of pvc tubing, connecters, and tie-down straps, and I would not have saved any money at all, but wasted a lot of my precious time, had I made it myself. Even at the regular price ($199 includes shipping) I would not have saved any money if I figured in my time at only 10% of my regular hourly pay.
I found the customer service to be excellent, in dealing with the folks at Wheeleez.

Of course, if you build one yourself and use the 4" wide "wheelbarrow wheels" you can get for dirt cheap at Harbor Freight, you can still save money. I have to deal with soft sandy beaches and gooey estuarine mud flats, and even two 4" tires will sink with any weight on the cart. IMHO, you can't beat the Wheeleez 7" wide low pressure tire for use on sand.

This cart looks primo for pulling anything across the sand or mud, and will save my old knees, which have been hollarin' at me lately for abusing them with too much heavy hauling (U-12 on shoulder). No more three trips lugging stuff up and down that 100 yd long beach trail just to launch, and three more trips when I get back. I can just wheel everything to the water's edge in one easy stroll.

Those big 11.5" X 7" low pressure polyurethane tires are awesome looking for the beach.
 
I have too much work and too many home improvement projects going on now that need dry weather, so I really have to manage my time to keep fishing. This is the best time of the year for fishing, and I'm kicking myself in the ass for not clearing up my slate and eliminating this work ahead of time. Ideally, I'd like to take the next 40 days off, and just go fishing. Ha! Dream on!

Well, i ended up hacking an old surfing wetsuit for padding on the hull cradle I made. I stapled it down, with the "sharkskin" (smooth finished neoprene) side up, and its actually a little bit "grippy" on the hull, which keeps my U-12 from sliding. It was easy to attach the cradle to the cart, as the frame's tubing was already pre-drilled for an accessory attachment, and those holes just happened to be in the "right place" (where I would have drilled them). I already had some stainless bolts w/wingnuts that were (miraculously) exactly the right size for what I needed, and I used those to attach the cradle to the cart.

The finished product makes an otherwise nice looking cart look really ghetto, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
I put my Ultimate 12 on it, lashed it all down tight, and it fits well, feels solid, and works great!

My knees are happy and will be thanking me!

Some where on this site is a picture of a cart I made out of steel. It weighs about 9 pounds but it will literaly haul a small car. I have strapped the yak to it and hauled it over rocks and logs. simple pattern and can be (should be ) made with aluminum. It only cost me $20. good coat of paint and it will last for ever.