Sherpak Kayak Roller Suction Mount – Review

In my never-ending quest to minimize boat-loading effort I bought THIS thing by Seattle Sports, the "Sherpak Boat Roller". A reasonable deal at $40.   It lacks sides, which can be reassuring if you’re loading a boat. (I added two short lengths of ½ PVC pipe with zip-ties and nylon accessory cord as a cross-member for strength – which…didn’t help actually).  

In Use - I've found the Sherpak Kayak Roller doesn't work well – suction cups have a tendency to come off at times, TOTAL nightmare when your boat is up-ended against your car. Plus my jerry-rigged sides did nothing to prevent the boat from sliding off the sides.

Maybe the K-Rack Kayak Loader from Australia (below) works better?  But think I’ll stay away from suction-cup mounted kayak loading systems for now.

Sherpak Kayak Roller with PVC side-brackets



Sherpak showing placement on my rear window.

 

From Sherpak Website - in action

K-Rack Kayak Loader from Australia

Foldable Kayak Cart - Modification to Prevent it Collapsing over Curbs !

Another in my line of El-Cheapo fixes for semi-functional kayaking gear.  A trip to Home Depot for $3 worth of supplies (short length of 1/2” PVC pipe and some #10 nuts/bolts) was all it took to solidify my collapsing kayak cart.  Many kayakers have one of these at some point I expect – a foldable kayak cart.  They work GREAT on flat surfaces, but if you have to go over a curb or some larger obstacles they are prone to collapsing – THUD, WHAM, you’re stopped dead in your tracks.  Rather than shelling out another $150 for a non-foldable cart (of which there are many), just adding a bar to stop this is easy. The top-tube of many foldable kayak carts already have pre-drilled holes (not sure why) so the only drilling I had to do was in the soft PVC pipe.

Easy Peasy.

 

1/2" PVC pipe and two bolts - stops kayak cart collapse

Underside

 

Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure to fill a Leaky Kayak Deck Fitting

Took delivery of a new Romany Kayak in 2008 only to find a leaky rear compartment – perhaps a cup or two of water would get in over the course of a several hour paddle. Like many small leaks, the origin was a mystery until I filled the rear hatch with water and moved the boat around – a small stream of water was trickling out of one of the deck fittings!  NDK makes boats with their own fittings and sometimes with the Valley Canoe Products deck fittings – mine had the NDK kind, which are covered below with a liberal amount of fiberglass and resin. So there was no visible cracks or openings above or below the fitting that I could see – so the reason for the leak was a complete mystery.  Speaking to my buddy Ira at Atlantic Kayak Tours, he mentioned a product known as "Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure". Before drilling out the fitting or doing a messy epoxy/gel-coat job, I thought I’d give this a try.

The stuff comes in a small bottle and has the consistency and appearance of skim milk – very watery.  I put maybe 5 or 6 drops of this stuff around the outside edge of the fitting – no more. To be honest, I had nearly zero expectations that this would work – but miraculously it did!  The liquid’s watery consistency flows easily into the cracks and seals them up.   Now 5 years later I can report that the hatch is still water tight and bone dry.  Far and away the easiest kayak repair I've ever done.

Of course any visible crack or hole in the kayak requires fiberglass/resin and a bigger job. But if you have a tiny, mysterious leak – I would try Captain Tolley’s first.

Oh No! Leak Identified at the Deck Fitting!

No apparent holes/cracks - a brand new boat

 

Captain Tolley's - THIS is the stuff

Easy Knee Tube for Under-Deck Kayak Bailing Pump

Something I made in 2008 for a new boat I was reluctant to modify in a substantial way - this knee tube is just for holding a bailing pump under the deck.  Got a fishing rod holder from West Marine, shaped the edges a bit so it would fit snug under the deck, then used 3M Dual-Lock Tape (same as used for the EZ Pass on your car) to secure it under the deck.  Works reasonably well and removable.

Requires that you roll some foam or duct tape around the pump so that it fits snug. Also, the fishing rod holder I used was a bit wider than some, got this one free of charge at West Marine in Norwalk because they were throwing out a fishing rod display rack. Some of the retail rod holders are too narrow - check before you buy.

Fishing Rod Holder and 3M Dual Lock

Dremel tool to Remove some of the Lip to fit beneath Deck




Pump with some foam/tape around it so it fits in Snug

El-Cheapo Knee Tube secured under Deck

My Paddling Videos

Links to all my YouTube Paddling Videos in One Place:

Downwind Run from Scotch Caps to Mamaroneck, NY

Scotch Caps Downwind Run

http://youtu.be/QMVeO3KEvnU
 

Paddling Jones Inlet – with Alan and Jerry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUAUiFuyttU

Kayaking the New “Old Inlet” – Fire Island, NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXHMbZyjJ5c

Breaking Out of Max Ebb Current – Moriches Inlet, NY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg3W5QW4t6Y

Clapotis by Fire Island Inlet – North Side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DARfWOXzfJg

Jones Inlet Inside – Sea Kayak Surfing the Swell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIOIf6Wvh18

Napatree Pre-Irene – Two Kayaks Riding Same Wave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFwRWJ-JAoo

Napatree Pre-Irene – Various Kayak Rides:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOHNgKPB6jw

Napatree Rock Slide – Pre-Irene Swell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWWXTHdA4r4

SKUK Coast Guard Rescue Demonstration – May 2007:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS17OuhnV7M

Blue Hill Falls 2007 – Paddling in the Current by the Bridge at Route 175:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOA5V7dWbUs

Orchard Beach to Huckleberry Island:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNKOVwgkOfc

Paddling from Point Lookout to Jones Inlet Breakwater - Jim, Alan, and Jerry

Got some good photos and videos with the GoPro.  Drove out to Point Lookout from Mamaroneck  with fellow sea kayakers Alan and Jerry.  As usual, no other kayakers out there. A mellow day until the wind picked up and some lumpy water by the breakwater where the ebb current started to flow. Then a LONG slog back - perhaps 2 hours after slack water the ebb is really booking past Point Lookout's marinas. Had to hug the shoreline to find eddies in order to make any progress. A great day on the water.  Photos below and link to YouTube video here:

VIDEO: Alan, Jerry and Jim Paddle Point Lookout to Jones Inlet

Alan, Jim, and Jerry - On the Way to Jones Inlet

Surfing the Ebb by the Jones Inlet Breakwater