I've been trying to figure out how to make a kayak cart on the cheap. My goal was to make a kayak cart that would make it down the deeply gullied dirt road from the Lake Eleanor trailhead in Yosemite National Park down to the lake. I took apart one of those jogger's child strollers that someone threw away, an abandoned luggage cart and looked all over the Google. But, a few months ago, I saw a golf club bag cart that looked promising. It's been sitting in the garage until this morning, when I pulled out some tools and had at it. (Click on any photo to make larger) |
The golf bag cart that I picked up at a garage sale was only about $7. It collapses and seemed strong enough for the weight of our kayaks and for some abuse. The first thing that had to go was the little plate deal where the golf club bag rested. A little hacksaw action and a little filing and that was dealt with. |
Then, I wanted to chop off the long handle and make it into a short kick-stand. I used a level on the cart in the driveway and used a measuring tape to see how long I needed to have the handle in order to make a level cart with it. I cut it at about 15" and used the old handle grip to make it look dandy. |
I added a little hook-and-loop thinger to keep the straps tidy and that is pretty much it. It seems to need some more support along the bottom of the kayak, but it holds on pretty well right now. I'm thinking maybe using part of a aluminum crutch, bent to match the bottom of the kayak. I'll update this post when I get a chance to run my new kayak cart around somewhere. |