PVC Kayak Cart

This is one of those make it up as you go projects. The exact dimensions are going to depend on how sturdy you want to make the cart, how heavy it will be, how heavy the boat is and what kind of weight the wheels you buy can support.

The good news is that it's pretty easy to do once you've got your head around the idea. I show the cart with a single handle. If you feel more secure with two handles, go right ahead. Put two elbows at the top of the handles to tie them together with a cross piece. For transport, you might want to avoid gluing the handles into the joints at either end and drill a hole through them the size of a nice long cotter pin or keeper. That way you can pull the handle off so the whole thing stores relatively flatly in the back of your car.

Good luck!

(c) 2015 by Tom King

The materials are pretty easy to come by. The main one thing have to worry about is the wheels.

1. Pair of wheels. The hardware store probably has some of these in the lawn and garden section to replace garden cart wheels and such.
2. Axle - just a steel rod the size of the holes in the wheels and the width of the pipe through which the axle runs.
3. Two bushings - anything metal or very hard plastic that fits perfectly between the axle pipe and the axle itself. You can probably find something that will work in the hardware store. You may even find some bearings that will work nicely. One for either end of the axle pipe. A lot of wheels already come with built in bearings, which is nice.
4. PVC pipe. Check the diagram and figure out what size you want to use. If you've got a heavy boat you may want to build your cart of larger or thicker pipe. Print off the drawing and take it with you to the hardware store.
5. PVC cement and cleaner. Again the hardware guy can fix you up with what you'll need and show you how to use it.
6. Foam fun noodles - the kind with the hole in the center. These serve as padding and create enough friction to keep the boat from sliding around.
7. Duct tape and zip ties to hold the foam noodles in place.

That's pretty much it.

If you make the handles removable so it will fit in your trunk, you can drill holes through the joint with the handles connected and insert a keeper pin to hold the handle in place instead of gluing the handle on. Then you can just pull the pin, remove the handles and store everything flat in the back of your car or truck.