Tag: <span>Boating Hacks</span>

Published August 28, 2023 by

Boating Hacks: A Kayak Work Stand

A Homebuilt Portable Kayak Work Stand
A Homebuilt Portable Kayak Work Stand

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

If you own one or more kayaks, eventually you’ll need to do some amount of cleaning and maintenance. I’ve found it’s a lot easier to work on my kayaks if they’re at chest height. So, a work stand becomes a useful kayak accessory.

I needed a work stand specifically suited for inflatable kayaks. Most commercial stands are two-piece units which are ideal for hard shells. Inflatables, not so much, as the kayak sags in the middle without proper support. I decided to design and build my own work stand.

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How-To On The Water

Boating Hacks kayak

Published July 27, 2022 by

Boating Hacks: A Kayak Light Mast

Inflatable kayak with light mast, floating on a lake
Kayak With Light Mast

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

My latest kayaking hack is a simple mast made of PVC piping, used to hold a safety light for nighttime kayaking. This mast can be assembled in about one hour, once you’ve collected all the pieces, and costs less than $30. It mounts in a fishing rod holder, which are fairly common on many recreational and fishing kayaks. As added bonus, this mast can also be used to display a flag or pennant, which may be useful to increase your visibility if you paddle in open water around lots of power boats.

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How-To On The Water

Boating Hacks kayaking

Published July 14, 2022 by

Boating Hacks: Sea Eagle Skeg Guard

Sea Eagle 370 On A Beach
Sea Eagle 370 on a Beach

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

I tend to enjoy tinkering with things, designing and building small gadgets just for the fun and challenge. With my Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak, I’ve slowly been coming up with minor improvements for both paddling, and for storing it between paddles.

The Sea Eagle kayaks include permanently attached skegs which help with tracking, and they are very effective if they are straight down from the bottom of the boat. However, they tend to get folded over while in storage and the “skeg guards” that Sea Eagle provides doesn’t provide much protection. I’ve designed a much improved skeg guard that can be made out of corrugated cardboard in a couple of hours times.

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How-To On The Water

Boating Hacks Sea Eagle Kayaks Skeg Protector

Published April 5, 2021 by

Boating Hacks: Sea Eagle Inflatable Kayaks

One Use for A Sea Eagle 370 Inflatable kayak

Winnie bought me a kayak as a birthday gift in July 2010. From my first paddle outing I was completely hooked on the relaxing sport of kayaking. Of course, one can never have just one kayak, just as one can never get by with one pair of shoes.

In the years since my first kayak, which I still have, Winnie and I have added two inflatable kayaks to our fleet. The first is a Sea Eagle 370, a 12-1/2 foot tandem kayak. The second is a Sea Eagle 330 ten-foot kayak. With use, I’ve come up with some minor modifications and useful accessories. So in this post I’m going to describe my favorite mods, conveniently known as “hacks,” along with useful accessories.

Continue…Boating Hacks: Sea Eagle Inflatable Kayaks

How-To On The Water

Boating Hacks Sea Eagle Kayaks