Hi.  The last picture under "Sea Wolf Project" in my gallery shows how I store my boats, hung from the garage ceiling.  I use the rope/ratchet available at Home Depot.  The other strap extends the rig so I can reach it, to the the eye screwed into a 2X6" in the vaulted ceiling.  http://gallery.me.com/jermcmanus  Good Luck.  Jer, mtsailor

the Harken product is good but VERY expensive - as Jer advises, stores like Home Depot/ Lowes/ etc will sell a similar and equally effective alternative at less than half the cost.   But if you can afford Harken, it's top gear!

W

You should be able to make this work. Rated for 50 lb, but I think I'd get two, one for bow, one for stern. Maybe replace the line provided

http://www.amazon.com/Racor-PBH-1R-Ceiling-Mounted-Bike-Lift/dp/B00006JBL3/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1252324741&sr=8-2

That's sooo cool!  I'm thinking 50 lbs should be perfect (as my  yak should weigh in at about 46!).

 Sweet, thanks for sharing,

Larry

There's a reason I suggested using 2; the aren't the best quality, so I would add an extra safety factor. One place actually speced 20 kg.

I'd hate to feel responsible for your boat, or whoever might be underneath.

I go as low tech as a person can get.  I use those rubber coated hooks one screws into the joist.  I assist the raising of the yak by lifting one end f the yak and pulling on the rope.  Goes up easy.  Tie off and do the other end.

I installed eye bolts through some reinforcement boards between the trusses in my living room ceiling.  This provides a very solid hold.  2 webbed straps keep the kayaks in place. We feed a rope through each of the eye hooks to form a sling at each end and simply hoist the kayaks up to the ceiling each fall.  Requires 2 people to hoist in place.  Takes about 5 minutes for each kayak.

Those kayaks look good against your cieling Chris. However, even if I had a wood cieling I doubt my wife would let the craft inside.

BTW I had fun at the Sacramento show yesterday and had a number of comments/questions about my Wood Duck.

This particular system: http://www.prohoists.com/Canoe_or_Kayak_Garage_Storage_Lift-_ladder appears to be nothing more than the lift system thak I use to hoist my bikes up in my garage, with just a couple straps to go around the boat itself.  I have seen the bike systems for under $20 now and am certain you could make your own straps.  That was my plan, once I get the WD12 fininshed....

Regarding the Racor bike hoists, I thought I'd chime in since I have two of a similar product holding up the bikes in my garage (by Rad Cycle Products.  It's a similar price, so probably similar quality).  As Garland said, they aren't the best quality: the rope is cheap plastic stuff that is starting to fray with little use, and most of the pulleys are slightly off-angle.  I don't quite think it will just plain fail, but I'd hesitate to trust it with a nice kayak.

As far as using two for added security: unless I'm not understanding how they'd be attached, I don't see how the second one makes the setup safer.  If the one on the bow gives way, then having the stern separately attached simply ensures that only one end of your boat is smashed into the ground.

If it were me, I'd probably either get the more expensive hoist, or (more likely) build my own system as others here have described.

Chris J,

 I don't really have much to contribute to this thread, but I wanted to say that your kayaks look beautiful, doubly so in with the audacity to display them almost as an art installation in your own living room. I know musicians who do similar things with their instruments (and take one or two down to play often) and I've often seen fake or unusable nautical instruments used, but this, real boats, displayed and stored as such, is awesome.

 Thanks :) 

-- James

Reducing the load on each by using one bow and one stern should make it less likely there would be a failure. I'd feel better, especially with the load so close to capacity.

Jerry,

I was looking at your kayak pictures and I was wondering where did you get that skeg setup.  I'm building a redfish stripper and was thinking of building my own, but that is a really nice setup.

 chris

http://www.superiorkayaks.com/superiorkayaks2009_007.htm

The skeg I put in my Sea Wolf is listed on Superior Kayak's web site.  Ecxellent product!

Good luck.  Jer