Up, Up and Away

Bottom of the shelf is six feet one inch off the ground, making it the perfect height.

A couple more turns of the winch on the right and
this kayak will be up and in position.

Hai's ocean-going kayak is a beast. Unlike an ordinary kayak, it is broader, heavier and accommodates two with lots of fishing gear. It's 14 feet long so if you want to use the garage for anything else, it poses a problem. The solution is to raise it over the hoods of the cars, but that's not easy when there's only one man to lift it.
Today we put final touches on a lifting system that uses a standard trailer winch to help hoist the Hobie into the wooden dock lagged into the I-beam joists overhead. It is going to take some practice and finesse, but it's now easily tucked neatly out of the way making it possible to use the garage for other things: like a wood shop.