Re: [Paddlewise] portaging straps and yokes

I got around the portaging problem by modifying a canoe carrying yoke so
that it would work with our Kayaks.  Carrying our 60+ lb CD Squalls is now
easy.

How I did it:
- I started with a canoe yoke, the type that consists of a bent piece of
wood with two curved pads that bolt to it.
- I cut the ends off the yoke so that it was just a bit wider than the
kayak (about 25") and sealed the ends with epoxy.
- I obtained 2 foam blocks from a "strap a canoe to the top of your car
kit".  The blocks had keyhole slots already in them, designed to go on the
gunwhales of a canoe.
- I found the fore-aft balance point of the kayak by lifting it by the
cockpit combing with one finger on each side and marked the location.
- The balance point ended up closer to the front of the cockpit than the
back so I decided to carry the kayaks stern first.
- I shaved the blocks down on the outside only on keyhole side until the
round part of the keyhole locked onto the combing at the balance point. The
carving is to remove the foam that the deck just outside the cockpit
interferes with. 
- I coated the flat part of the blocks (the part facing up) and the ends of
the yoke with contact cement.
- After waiting until the glue was dry to the touch, I clipped the blocks
to the combing at the balance point and placed the yoke on the blocks.
- The blocks are now firmly glued to the yoke but this is for positioning
purposes only.  The yoke/glue/block assembly  will not support any weight
or strain. At this point I had a comfortable yoke that clipped to the
combing and was always located in the correct position due to the curvature
of the cockpit fitting the angle of the blocks in one place only.
- I got one of those ratcheting tiedowns made of 1" webbing, the continuous
loop kind not the 2 piece with hooks at the end kind. 
- The tiedown is formed into a loop which goes over one end of the yoke
sticking over the side, under the kayak, and over the other end of the yolk.
- I put a piece of 1/4" mini cell foam under the ratchet mechanisim to
protect the kayak and then use the ratchet to tichten the strap until both
boam blocks are compressed to about half of their original height.
- The yoke is now firmly attached to the kayak and the can be put on my
shoulders using any of the common canoe lifting techniques. My favorite is
to grab edge of combing, pull it onto my knee, shift my hands to the ends
of the yoke and throw it onto my shoulders using my knee to get the upward
motion started. This method requires technique and commitment more than it
does strength, not unlike doing  roll.

The foam blocks and the shoulder pads raise the kayak high enough that I
can easily see where I am going if I let the front (which is really the
stern) rise up just a bit.


Arlene and anyone else close by,
If you want to see the yoke, or even take my kayak for a jog down the lane
using it, please e-mail me directly.

Harold Kroeker
Winnipeg, MB







At 09:12 PM 12/15/98 -0600, you wrote:
>I am just wondering if you had a scanned image of this setup.  I would be
>very interested in anything that makes portaging easier.
>Arlene in Manitoba.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: dominique Berube <dberube_at_vdsagax.ca>
>
>>We would carry one kayak between the two of us. The kayaks were
>>not completely emptied and still weighted quit a bit, especially
>>when we had food for 20 days. Even completely emptied a 16'6"
>>Sealution is very hard to carry alone.
>>Our system was simple and basic but it did work out pretty well.
>>I think that for a 2 week trip it is perfect, not too much
>>weight. We each had a wide hip belt and a shoulder strap with a
>>clip (like the one on a backpack hip belt that can be tighten).
>>We would pass the shoulder strap under the hip belt so that it
>>would stay closer to our body and we would pass it on the
>>opposite shoulder with respect to the kayak. The strap would
>>pass under the kayak at a height so that the extended arm would
>>be able to lift the kayak and allow the shoulder to rest and
>>vice versa. At the back, I would pass the strap through the
>>carrying loop of the kayak so that the strap would not slip off
>>the back, and in the front Lise would pass the strap in the
>>front rope so that the strap would not slip forward. After a few
>>portages we realized that it was easier if we each carried the
>>kayak on opposite side, the weight distribution was better and I
>>had a better view of the trail ahead. A good padding on the
>>shoulder was necessary and a padding between the kayak and the
>>hip would have been nice. We managed to accomplish a 1.8 km
>>portage in that manner and we still had 16 days worth of food (a
>>hard 9 km of walking total!).  There is still room for
>>improvement and next time we go out we will probably modify a
>>thing or two...


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