DIY Cheap and Easy Paddle Board/kayak Stand

DIY Cheap and easy paddle board/kayak stand

Keeping your paddleboard (or kayak) out of the sun will prolong its life. So will keeping it off the ground. This paddleboard stand (for one or two boards) offers a strong, permanent, lightweight solution that requires a limited investment of time (less than an hour) and money (less than ten dollars), and can easily be custom-fitted to your situation.

The stand is made up of three components: hooks, stands, and supports. Once you have these, it is very simple to assemble and install the stands and to store your board safely in the shade. Or "boards", I should say--I will describe how to build a stand for two boards

Step 1: Hooks

I bought two metal "heavy duty double hanger hooks" with rubber sheathing at a dollar store. One pair per board is sufficient because you will be sawing each of these into two hooks. (To avoid the cutting step, buy two single utility hooks per board.) I hacksawed the double hooks at the points illustrated in the photo. Then I pressed the ends closed with a vise. I wanted to use two bolts on each hook, so I drilled one extra hole into each hook. Then I set them aside to work on the stands.

Step 2: Stands

The stands consist of a pair of cross-country skis I bought at the local thrift store. If you're building this in the summer, you could ask if they have any in storage if there aren't any on display. If they have a variety, you may be able to choose skis that coordinate colour-wise with your cabin. I suppose painting them could also be an option. The first step is to remove all of the binding hardware. Step two is to drill matching holes on both skis for the hooks. Consider how high off the ground you want the lower board to be, and how much of a gap you want between the two boards. Then, drill holes corresponding to the holes in your hooks. Once the drilling is finished, secure the hooks to the skis with nuts and bolts and washers and proceed to the final step.

Step 3: Supports

Basically, these are four blocks of wood: two blocks to support the base of the skis to prevent them from sinking into the ground and also to protect them a bit, and two blocks to fasten the tips of the skis to a convenient wall, railing, or post so they don't fall over or twist under the weight of the boards. I didn't want the skis to slide off the bottom boards, so I fashioned little brackets out of scraps to prevent that from happening. (It might have been quicker to use the leftover hook pieces.) I filed the corners of these blocks down to minimize stubbed/scraped toes. The top blocks were simply scraps, pre-drilled with two holes on each side for sufficiently long screws.

Step 4: Installation

There are three things to consider when you install the stands. First, find a spot that offers some shade. Second, decide how far apart to place the stands. There is quite a bit of leeway here, fortunately, but be careful not to place the skis too far apart or the middle of the bottom board may rest on the ground. Third, decide on the angle of the skis—how far out the ski bottoms should be so that there is no danger of the boards tipping off the stand. Again, there is a lot of leeway here, but once you figure out the angle of the first ski, take care to set the second ski at the same slant. Just eyeball it.

Once I figured out where I would put the skis, how far apart they'd be, and what angle they'd be at, I worked the two base pieces into the ground a bit so that they wouldn't shift around. I double-checked that both skis were at the same angle. Then I screwed the top blocks into the railing. And that was it. The skis were firmly secured to the cabin and the boards were soon nestled securely in the padded hooks.

I haven't actually made a stand for kayaks, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If kayaks are involved, though, you'll need bigger hooks and maybe downhill skis.