A guide to making a
Canoe Trolley
I'd decided to copy the basic idea that I'd seen on another thread, which was the white plastic pipe trolley but I didn't think it would be strong enough for my canoe. So I set about finding a way to make it stronger without increasing it's bulk. I decided to use 25mm pipe instead of 20mm as I'd hatched a plan that would work in 25mm.
So first I used poly weld to glue all the joints that needed to be fixed and cut a hole through the pool noodle, so it would slide over the pipe.
The next picture shows the mock up of one of the uprights which has the stub axle at the bottom pointing to the right (Note the collar of the "T" piece has been reduced so that the wheels will ride a bit closer to the frame).
I then slid 20mm pipe into the 25mm pipe which left 0.5mm gap all the way round, this would add strength from the inside.
I then added epoxy to the "T" piece fittings which would be filled to the top and the little inspection covers replaced.
I needed some joints to pull apart so they could be disassembled easily for stowage in the canoe.
So I made some plugs to fit and covered them with plastic bag so that after the resin had set they would pull out leaving a resin socket inside the fitting. Below you can see what I mean,the first pour was only half filled just so I could see if it would work.
Which it did
So now I was ready to finish the pour into the two uprights, the two "T" fittings with the inspection covers on have already been filled with resin and the other two needed to be topped up.
The pipes that are stood up are ready to have pure resin injected in between the two pipes (0.5mm gap)
The black plastic bungs, that are in the ends of some of the pipes, I got from solway dory who has supplied the sail for my canoe and was happy to send me some extra bungs for the trolley project (for a small fee).
The pipe that holds the two uprights together (the cross member) needed a "T" fitting in the middle for a kick stand but as this would need to rotate and not allow the trolley to fall apart it caused me some brain ache.
To get around this I covered the part of the inner pipe that went through the fitting with hot candle wax and also sealed the pipe off as it leaves the fitting with hot wax. Then filled it with resin.
The pneumatic wheels have a roller bearing in them which has a 20mm hole in the centre so this fits on the 20mm pipe a treat. I then pushed a piece of 15mm square soft wood down the stub axles and poured resin down the sides, then drilled the axles and put in a retaining clip to hold the wheels on. I still need to add a couple of retaining clips through the cross member fitting.
The whole thing breaks down in to 6 pieces.
2x canoe supports ( the pieces with the pool noodle on)
2x uprights (the wheels can be removed if need be)
1x cross member
1x kick stand
Regards Steve
This article was originally posted on our Forum HERE.