Kayak stand- Easily holds well in excess of 100# of kayak and gear. Folds up flat for storage, and makes cleaning, rigging and storing the boat easy. It also provides a place to store your paddles and other gear beneath. It is made out of 1.25 " sched 40 pvc, and 1/4" nylon chord, with 2-4" x 1/4" bolts, 6 washers and 2 lock nuts. I chose to make mine with the following dimensions. Horiz bars 42/38" x 2, Vert bars 32/28" x 2. You'll need about 24' of PVC and 8-90 deg elbows. Whatever size you choose, the inside arms should be 4" shorter to allow it to fold in on itself. I chose to string 2 chords across the base, and 3 across the top. Do not glue pieces together, use small wood screws. It is extremely stable.
Next up is the Rocket Launcher.
I chose to use my rear flush mount on my off-cast side. I have a wide kayak that is extremely stable. This might not work for all as it might offset the balance on yours, but I have tested this out on several trips and have had no issues, even been able to stand with it. Being off to the side, it also makes for easy access to the rear well without having to reach between the rods.
It is made of all 1.25" pvc, check for fit on the insert part to ensure it fits your particular rod holder. I chose to make a 3 rod holder with a center spot that doubles as a 4th rod holder or stake out stick holder. The two side arms are adjustable up and down and the center back one is adjustable sideways. I can remove 1 of the arms and attach it to a 3/4" PVC anchor with adapter and use as a beach rod holder for wading with live bait. I carry it in my center hold and when I'm wading, I can throw my artificials and stake out a live bait on a rod.
Last but not least, probably the most useful, is the stake out stick. I chose to make mine 3' plus the length of the nail. You can choose to make it whatever length you want, but if it's the only one you carry, I might choose more in the 5' range. I also have a 7' Stick it anchor pin that cost $90 before I saw how to make these. My stake out stick is made of 3/4" sched 40 PVC, with a T and caps with a built in camera mount. I also added a 7" gutter nail at the bottom. I drilled a slightly smaller hole than the nail in a cap, hammered the nail through then filled the cap over the nail with gorilla glue, then stuck the main shaft in. Let it dry over night, then added a wood dowel in the main shaft with more glue on the top before I secured the top. The nail really increases the ability to get into hard bottom, and holds surprisingly well with only the nail and bottom cap in the bottom. This stores perfectly in the center tube on my rocket launcher, weighs less than 2 lbs, and is buoyant enough that the handle floats on the surface.
Here's my boat with the rocket launcher and the stake out stick through one of my scuppers. You can see how it sits in the water and how you can access the rear well. You can see the 7' stick it anchor pin mounted on the left side of the boat.
So thanks again P-F for the great ideas, and hope that this gives some useful ideas. All the items above were made in about 2 hrs, and cost less than the $80 Stick it pin I was sold when I bought my yak. Hope this saves you some time and money. Post your ideas, you never know when someone might take your creation, and tweak it into something even more useful. Paddlers are a creative bunch, they have to be with the limited amount of space and weight they can haul.
I haven't made one yet, but I would say a Kayak cart is next for me to make, but I haven't been stuck on a bar yet at low tide, I'm sure when it happens, I'll be making one the next day.
Tight lines and glassy water!
John.
