Re: [Paddlewise] no wheels

You can approximate the concept of a yoke in soft material that will
roll up.  One basic configuration involves having an adjustable strap
that goes around the bottom of the upside down boat which is attached to
a padded strap that will rest on your shoulders for portaging with your
head slightly in the cockpit area.

I got the idea from something that Eric Stiller used with Klepper
singles (his father was US distributor for the company and he worked in
the NY store).  His yoke took advantage of the fact that you could
secure just about anything to the coaming because of the groove that ran
on the inner side of the coaming.  (That groove is meant to hold the hem
bead from the tuckunder spraydeck and the spraydeck stayed put when the
sponsons were inflated and kayak deck pressed against the spraydeck hem
and coaming.)  His yoke was made of a piece of hypalon about six to
eight inches wide of a length long enough to span the cockpit opening
from groove to groove with a bit of give.  It was suprisingly
comfortable even though not padded.

With a hardshell you could replicate Eric's device by using a strap
around the bottom of the upside down boat to that padded shoulder yoke
portion.  I wonder if some of those after market padded backbands might
work for the yoke part.  They do have straps on each side that are meant
to attach the backband to the sides of the seat supports.  These could
be modified or extended.

Another possibility instead of a strap going around the bottom of the
upside down boat is to cinch a strap tightly around the perimeter of the
coaming where your skirt normally attaches.  It would be quite snug and
not get loose as might be a problem with a strap around the bottom of
the boat.  To that strap you would add the flexible yoke, possibly a
seatband as described above.

The beauty of such an arrangement is that it is quite small to store
away and cheap especially if it is possible your backband may already by
adaptable to this arrangement and serve double duty as a portage yoke.

Anyway, just a thought from the wonderful world of folding kayaks where
many paddlers are tinkerers and modification-minded because they are
constantly working with parts and pieces of their boats during
assembly...the process seems to stir the innovative juices for some
reason more so than with hardshells. 

ralph diaz
    

Eskape Sea Kayaking wrote:
> 
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Phares Heindl [mailto:pmheindl_at_afo.net]
> > >
> > > I am wondering if there is an alternative to using wheels on
> > > the beach.
> > >
> > > That says I am asking if anyone knows any device to aid in
> > > carrying the
> > > kayak other than wheels.
> 
> Check out the Kayak Yoke by Voyageurs North Productions,
> tkasten_at_wolv.tds.net or if you have a collection of old Sea Kayaker
> Magazines, it was written up in the June 1999 on page 58. It is a wooden
> yoke that locks onto the coaming and has padded shoulder cradles for you to
> balance the kayak overhead. It is a comfortable carry but the standard size
> doesn't fit all kayaks. Real nice folks make them and they will work with
> you on size configurations.
> Jan
> 

-- 
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Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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