Portage Cart for Canoes and Kayaks
by Lorddrake in Outside > Boats
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Portage Cart for Canoes and Kayaks
I have a large canoe (approx 17 feet long and 4 feet wide at the middle) and more often than not I am the only one physically able to move it (at least until the wee ones get bigger MUH HAHAhahahaha).
It probably weighs close to 100 lbs empty. I can pick it up and carry it but it is really awkward due to its size. add in the paddles, trolling motor and battery, fishing gear, etc etc. and it gets tough to portage without risking damage to the bottom.
This instructable is geared towards making a cart to handle my canoe. For a Kayak or smaller canoe you could scale it back to 3/4 inch PVC to make it lighter and smaller.
It probably weighs close to 100 lbs empty. I can pick it up and carry it but it is really awkward due to its size. add in the paddles, trolling motor and battery, fishing gear, etc etc. and it gets tough to portage without risking damage to the bottom.
This instructable is geared towards making a cart to handle my canoe. For a Kayak or smaller canoe you could scale it back to 3/4 inch PVC to make it lighter and smaller.
Tools Needed
-fine toothed saw, or PVC pipe cutter
I originally started with the Hacksaw but it was taking forever. I switched to the miter saw and it made the cuts drastically faster and the cleanup of the cut ends was not to bad.
I Do not recommend using any type of powered saw to cut the pipe
-utility knife or file to remove any burrs from the PVC after cutting it
-Drill and assorted bits ranging up to a 1/2 inch bit
-PVC Primer
-PVC cement
-rubber Mallet (not pictured)
-Hot glue gun and glue sticks
-Fine grit Sand Paper or 00 Steel wool to rough up the PVC surface before painting
-Spray paint designed for plastic
I originally started with the Hacksaw but it was taking forever. I switched to the miter saw and it made the cuts drastically faster and the cleanup of the cut ends was not to bad.
I Do not recommend using any type of powered saw to cut the pipe
-utility knife or file to remove any burrs from the PVC after cutting it
-Drill and assorted bits ranging up to a 1/2 inch bit
-PVC Primer
-PVC cement
-rubber Mallet (not pictured)
-Hot glue gun and glue sticks
-Fine grit Sand Paper or 00 Steel wool to rough up the PVC surface before painting
-Spray paint designed for plastic
Gathering Parts
- (2) 10 inch solid tires
- (1) 10 foot section of 1.5 inch PVC pipe
- (4) 1.5 inch Tee connector
- (2) 1.5 inch clean-out plug
- (2) 1.5 inch female adapter
- (4) 1.5 inch end cap
- (2) 1/2-13 x 4 Hex cap screw
- (4) 1/2-13 hex nut
- (6) 1/2 hardened flat washer
- (1) 10 foot section of 1.5 inch PVC pipe
- (4) 1.5 inch Tee connector
- (2) 1.5 inch clean-out plug
- (2) 1.5 inch female adapter
- (4) 1.5 inch end cap
- (2) 1/2-13 x 4 Hex cap screw
- (4) 1/2-13 hex nut
- (6) 1/2 hardened flat washer
Measure Twice, Cut Once
If you are using a ratcheting PVC pipe cutter realize that the cut is not going to be straight so you will need to square the cut for maximum hold when you cement it
decide what the dimensions of your cart are going to be before you start cutting.
remember to take into account not only the length of the adapters you are using but also the amount of the pipe that fits inside the adapter when you cut you pipes to length.
A good rule of thumb is that whatever the diameter of your pipe is, that is roughly how deep the pipe will seat into the adapter. But that is not always the case. The female adapter will only seat .75 inch of pipe, not 1.5 inches.
decide what the dimensions of your cart are going to be before you start cutting.
remember to take into account not only the length of the adapters you are using but also the amount of the pipe that fits inside the adapter when you cut you pipes to length.
A good rule of thumb is that whatever the diameter of your pipe is, that is roughly how deep the pipe will seat into the adapter. But that is not always the case. The female adapter will only seat .75 inch of pipe, not 1.5 inches.
Wheel Assembly
Originally the reason I chose to assemble the wheels this way instead of using a single axle through the body of the cart is that the home improvement store i went to did not have a threaded rod shorter than 5 feet.
A nice side effect of building it this way is that if I need to use a different set of wheels (for instance: Fat pneumatic tire for crossing sand ), I can take off the entire assembly and screw on a new set of wheels to the cart.
Use a straight edge and draw lines from corner to corner diagonally. Where the lines intersect is the center of the square.
Start with a small bit and work your way up progressively until you Drill a 1/2 inch hole into the square of each of the clean-out plugs.
The smaller the increments you increase the bits by the smoother the drilling process will be. If you try to jump up too much at once you will gouge out too big of a piece and it will jam up possibly shattering your clean-out plug
Assemble the Wheel assembly
Bolt
Washer
Wheel (apply grease to the bolt at this point if you opt to use it)
Washer
Clean-out plug
Hot glue filler ( to help waterproof the assembly)
Washer
Nut
Nut
I added teflon tape to the threads for smoother mounting.
A nice side effect of building it this way is that if I need to use a different set of wheels (for instance: Fat pneumatic tire for crossing sand ), I can take off the entire assembly and screw on a new set of wheels to the cart.
Use a straight edge and draw lines from corner to corner diagonally. Where the lines intersect is the center of the square.
Start with a small bit and work your way up progressively until you Drill a 1/2 inch hole into the square of each of the clean-out plugs.
The smaller the increments you increase the bits by the smoother the drilling process will be. If you try to jump up too much at once you will gouge out too big of a piece and it will jam up possibly shattering your clean-out plug
Assemble the Wheel assembly
Bolt
Washer
Wheel (apply grease to the bolt at this point if you opt to use it)
Washer
Clean-out plug
Hot glue filler ( to help waterproof the assembly)
Washer
Nut
Nut
I added teflon tape to the threads for smoother mounting.
Body Assembly
Dry fit all parts to make sure no adjustments need to be made.
once you are satisfied pull it all apart and start to prime and cement it together.
When working with smaller length parts it Helps to have a rubber mallet to get the part fully seated before the cement fuses the parts together.
(yes that is a tub buried in my back yard ... no I didn't put it there)
once you are satisfied pull it all apart and start to prime and cement it together.
When working with smaller length parts it Helps to have a rubber mallet to get the part fully seated before the cement fuses the parts together.
(yes that is a tub buried in my back yard ... no I didn't put it there)
Time to Make It Puuuuuurty
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rough up the PVC with the steel wool or sandpaper
apply paint.
another perk of the detachable wheels .. easy to hang up the assembled parts for painting.
apply paint.
another perk of the detachable wheels .. easy to hang up the assembled parts for painting.
Finishing Touches
A pool noodle added to the construction serves two purposes.
1) it makes a nice padding
2) it offers an added degree of floatation should your cart find a way out of the boat (thanks kids)
I was fortunate to find a pool noodle with and 1.5 inch inner bore so i didn't have to cut it to attach it to the cart.
A few bungee cords ( not pictured) to keep the cart firmly attached to the bottom of you canoe or kayak and you are good to go.
1) it makes a nice padding
2) it offers an added degree of floatation should your cart find a way out of the boat (thanks kids)
I was fortunate to find a pool noodle with and 1.5 inch inner bore so i didn't have to cut it to attach it to the cart.
A few bungee cords ( not pictured) to keep the cart firmly attached to the bottom of you canoe or kayak and you are good to go.