Clever Me

The problem with scupper carts is that they always seem to need a third hand to set up, and that hand is usually attached to someone else, in which case you don't really need a scupper cart, do you? Newer models have a built-in kickstand that looks so useful, it got me thinking. For twelve dollar's worth of plumbing parts at Home Depot, I made this.

First, I cut a 1/4-inch slot out of the back side of the plastic tee. Then I cut a rubber drain union in two pieces which fit tightly between the tee and the cart tube. The hose clamps are the rest of the union, and can be adjusted to set the friction for holding the angle. The arm is a foot of schedule-40, not glued in, so I can pop it off when not in use. It is tied on to keep from losing it.

This old scupper cart has seen a lot of use, and this is a yuge improvement. Yuge, I tell you, yuge.

Update

Works great! You can sight the cart through the scupper holes to line it up. Fold the arm up before you go to keep it from hitting the ground.


This is a cable-lock I made, about 12 feet long. It is just 3/16" coated steel cable from the hardware store, with crimp ferrules, and a big steel ring in one end. The ferrules fit through the scupper holes on the boat, but the steel ring does not. Together with any padlock, this will secure the boat (or several) to your truck, roof rack, a tree, or anything else that is handy. You can take this cable with you, it will give you peace of mind if you leave the boat unattended to go exploring on land.

The object is not to stop a determined thief - you can't do that. It is to stop someone from casually taking your boat with their bare hands. Don't lock the boat by the handles - they are easily cut with a pocket knife and cheap to replace. Run the cable through a scupper hole, and a thief would have to destroy the boat to steal it. If your boat doesn't have scupper holes, you can probably find someplace to thread the cable though, or make a suitable hole in the seat.

You can find a cable like this all set to go on Amazon for under 20 bucks. Where I used a steel ring, you could use a second padlock.

Printed from njkayak.net