I just bought this to get my Tsunami 12 w/rudder out of the way. If you are not trying to lift 200 lbs this thing is awesome. Plenty sturdy enough to lift kayak. I installed it under the ceiling of a 10 x 12 pavillion for want of a better word for this small pole barn. Since it the ceiling is 1/2 inch plywood I was tempted to just screw it right to the plywood but that is nailed in place instead of screwed. Instead I used 3" deck screws to fasten 1x4 oak, pre-drilling the holes, and screwing into the collar ties of the roof rafters. The collar ties were on 2ft centers so I used (2) 26" sections. Oak between 2 collar ties is plenty to hold this weight and the 4ft in between does nothing so why waste the wood. I used the oak because that was what I had. If I had had 2x4s handy I would have used those. The lag screws which came with it are the correct length for using 2x4 material. I put the whole thing up by myself and it was simple, perhaps because I used the 26" boards instead of 6ft plus boards. I screwed I pre-drilled holes so that the pulley brackets were 6ft apart and screwed those up with lags ( bought shorter lags which were threaded all the way to the head because I used 3/4 oak. I wanted the threads to engage the oak not just the plywood behind it).
After that simply attached to pulleys with the through bolts provided. Since the ceiling of the pavillion is pretty high, I ran the rope through as one piece, going through the pulleys as instructions describe but then threaded the bitter end back up through the brake and pulleys to knot it through the hole. I wanted to make sure there was wnough rope for the main system before cutting it. I then pulled 6ft of rope clear from the back pulley, cutting it with a rope cutting soldering iron. I used this 6ft to make the restrictor between the pulleys. The only issue I had was despite pre-drilling the first hole for the cleat, then screw snapped off at the head using an 18 volt Ryobi impact gun ( which I use for virtually every screw I put in anything). I used some Stainless panhead screws I had to put the cleat up.
The brake is excellent and makes it much easier to cleat off because you don't have hold up the weight of the kayak while cleating off as well as uncleating. You do have release one rope at a time to bring the kayak down until there is some space between it and the ceiling so you can pull the line downand a little toward the other pulley so the brake stays released. When it's up tight against the ceiling it won't release both lines at the same time. Pull on one line to keep the brake off while letting out the other line to lower one end of the kayak, Reverse the process with the other line. When it's got a couple feet of clearance you can lower both ends at once. The only concern I have is that the brake essentially pinches the lines against the pulleys so I wonder how this will wear the lines over time. The line seems to be decent woven nylon line so chafe may nerver be an issue.
I may get a few more of these to hang other things things like a tadpole trike. Well made for what it's designed to do, in my opinion. The only problem I could possibly anticipate anyone having with this is if they try to lift too much weight. It's for a kayak not an engine block.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 10.83 x 8.44 x 3.93 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 2.79 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 12 x 12 x 6 inches |
| Brand Name | RAD Sportz |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Warranty Description | No warranty |
| Model Name | Rad Sportz Kayak Hoist with 125lb Capacity |
| Color | Black |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Trademark Global |
| Part Number | 83-DT5002 |
| Included Components | Canoe Hoists |
| Size | 1 Pack |
| Sport Type | Cycling, Outdoor Lifestyle |
