Kayak Waist Puller Design?

As I hit bit 60, I have been having shoulder pain, and my wife is very worried about pulling our kayak on the beach and uphill.
I got an idea from an old hand wagon and trying to design a kayak waist puller to avoid using my shoulders.
Hopefully, I will be using my waist to pull the kayak.
Your suggestions and ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

I like the looks of option 2 but i would use curved elbows on the ends to prevent the rope from chafing and I would put a steel pipe or wood dowel inside the push bar to add strength. 

Your waist puller idea reminded of this thread...power wheels, I always wanted one as a kid!
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=70447.msg797911#msg797911

Have seen guys use a good length of pool noodle with a rope threaded through it to haul their kayaks up hills like at shelter cove and looked good to me.  Can be thrown over the shoulder and across your torso or just around the waist? Not sure what works best, but thought I'd toss that out there.

Or what about a kite surfing harness?

I've thought about getting something like this: https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sled-harness

Your waist puller idea reminded of this thread...power wheels, I always wanted one as a kid!
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=70447.msg797911#msg797911

I wanna build one of these for carrying my AI up/down the slope at Rockaway. I don't think the Hot Wheels motor can handle that steep slope. Looked at some options but not decided on one.

I've thought about getting something like this: https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sled-harness

Great idea.
I might try these before DIY one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075333452/?coliid=I3HVXTG7CSCCZE&colid=2IP2SHYUKL6Z5&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2JXT5J1/?coliid=I1M08T1YS3ESW9&colid=2IP2SHYUKL6Z5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I have used a bicycle innertube tied to a rope to pull my yak to the clam beads at Lawson's Landing.  It worked very well.

Your waist puller idea reminded of this thread...power wheels, I always wanted one as a kid!
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=70447.msg797911#msg797911

I wanna build one of these for carrying my AI up/down the slope at Rockaway. I don't think the Hot Wheels motor can handle that steep slope. Looked at some options but not decided on one.

Unless the unit is small, I don't have much room to carry it in my Subaru Outback.

Paul

I wanna build one of these for carrying my AI up/down the slope at Rockaway. I don't think the Hot Wheels motor can handle that steep slope. Looked at some options but not decided on one.

When you come up with something that’ll handle an AI, be sure to post the details.

I have a couple suggestions from another universe of fishing - ice fishing, which is what I'm currently doing, because I live in Montana - and from hunting. 

I haul my ice fishing gear around on the ice, often for long distances.  I attach a long loop of 3/4" soft polypro rope to the front of the sled, stand inside the loop, and use it to pull the sled, as shown in the picture below.  This is simple and convenient, but a disadvantage of the loop of rope is that it rides at the level of the ball of my hip joint, i.e. at the point that the top of my thighs meet my hips, which isn't particularly comfortable, and I have to hold onto the rope lightly with my hands to keep the rope from sliding down. If I come to a steep downhill when getting to a lake, I lift the loop of rope over the sled, stand behind the sled, and use the loop to keep the sled from running away downhill.

When I'm hunting, I bring along a length of climbing accessory cord tied to a loop of 2" webbing.  When I shoot a game animal, I tie the accessory cord around the animal's neck, step into the loop of webbing, pull the loop up to my hips, a start dragging the animal towards my vehicle, which can be a huge amount of work, particularly if there isn't any snow on the ground to reduce the friction of the animal.  But a disadvantage of this system, like the rope which I use to pull my ice fishing sled, is that the loop of webbing rides at the level of my hip joint and can be pretty uncomfortable, particularly after a long haul.

I can improve the comfort of both of these setups by buckling a padded waistband from an old external frame pack around my waist, and clipping the ice fishing sled or the game animal to the waistband with a carabiner.  The waistband has three advantages: (a) it's padded, and thus more comfortable; (b) I can cinch it around my waist so it sits at the level of the top of my hips, which is a lot more comfortable than riding at the level of the ball of my hips; and (c) because I can cinch it around my waist, it doesn't tend to slide down, so I don't need to hold it up with my hands.

I launch my 12' Pro Angler 360 kayak from a lot of unimproved launch sites, some of them with steep gravel beaches.  It takes a lot of effort to pull that mini-bass-boat up from the shoreline, and the padded waistband really helps.  I have discovered (a) that I need a cart which is high enough so I don't drag the stern of the kayak on the ground when I'm pulling the kayak (I use a Wilderness Systems heavy duty kayak cart with beach wheels), (b) that the rope between the kayak and the waistband needs to be short enough so the bow of the kayak can't drop down onto the ground, (c) that the rope between the kayak and the waistband needs to be long enough so the bow of the kayak doesn't bang into the back of my legs when I walk, and (d) when going dowhill I need to be able to use my hands to hold the bow of the kayak against the back of my hips to hold back the kayak, or better, I need to be able to quickly detach myself from the hauling setup, go around to the back of the kayak, and walk it down the slope while hanging onto the stern.

I hope that these descriptions will help 123 engineering come up with a system for hauling his kayak.  I think that a padded waistband will be more comfortable than a rigid bar.  Another option is to buy a game hauling harness or deer dragging harness and use it to haul the kayak.

My dad uses a chainsaw winch to haul elk out of the bottom of canyons in central Oregon. 

Essentially, it is a chainsaw engine, but instead of a bar and chain, it has a spool of about 100' or so of 3/16" stainless cable.  Shackle the winch to a tree or rock, run the cable down to the animal, fire it up and let it do the work.  Rinse and repeat until you get it to the road. 

A bit noisy, but I bet there are electric options these days too.  Works a champ for elk, maybe overkill for a kayak. 


I think your yoke designs are probably the simplest bets.  For the section around your waist, you could just use a thick strap, and maybe pad it with a pool noodle.  Or, a thick piece of rope would work too. 

I've thought about getting something like this: https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sled-harness

I pull and push my yaks on slippery boat ramps. One thing I learned is let go and free myself instantly if I slip.  You dont want your yak running over you.

Or what about a kite surfing harness?

Or one of these, (pic below) they work pretty well. Weight distribution and balance are key. Also, securing thing so they don’t move in transit and upset the cart