DIY Kayak Rack

To build a storage rack for Better Farm's fleet of four kayaks and two canoes, we upcycled previously discarded items we found on the property: leftover 4x4s from building the garden fence, scrap 2x4s, and miscellaneous decking screws found in the tool shed.

The design plan was simple. We decided to stand four 4x4s up with four cross-beams. Four shorter pieces of wood were used to connect the whole structure together.

Materials:

Four 4x4 posts, at least 6 feet long
Four 2x4 boards, cut to 11 feet
Four 2x4 boards, cut to 3 feet
Decking Screws (3 inches)
Drill
Tape measure
Pencil
A friend to help stand the structure up 

Instructions:
1. Measure up 8 inches from the bottoms of your 4x4s and draw a line. Lay one 2x4 across two of your 4x4s (flush against the line), making sure there are 3.5 feet between the 4x4s. Repeat on second set of 4x4s. This will be your bottom shelf for your boats.

 

2. Measure up 2.5' from top of 2x4 and draw another line on your 4x4s. Screw another 2x4 to your 4x4s, flush against the line. The structure should look like a tic tac toe board:

3. With the help of a friend, stand the two structures up facing each other (2x4s on the outside of the 4x4s). Connect the two structures with your your shorter, 3' 2x4s. Screw the shorter boards to the insides of the 4x4s:

4. Fill the rack!

Got a great DIY project you'd like to share? Send it to us at info@betterfarm.org.

Inspiration Station: DIY plastic bottle kayak

Forget signal flares and coconut radios. Next time you're stranded on a desert island (which will inevitably have washed-ashore trash on its beaches), utilize the empty plastic bottles around you and save yourself.

This kayak, built for a recycled boat race, is significantly cheaper than the ones featured at your local outdoors store, a great conversation piece, and a wonderful study in recycling. Learn how to make your own

here.

Many thanks to Ali Carter for tipping us off to this DIY plastic bottle kayak

.

Better Kayaking: Millsite Lake

One of the nicest parts about the Thousand Islands region is, go figure, the water. With a kayak and paddle you have an almost infinite number of locations to choose from, including the St. Lawrence River itself.

Fred and I headed out a couple of days ago for my inaugural ride of the season. We decided to pay a visit to Millsite Lake, which is just two miles down the road from Better Farm. We hit the water around 9:30 a.m., just after I discovered a whole nest of pink, newborn baby mice in my kayak. Nice.

Take it in, folks: