Great video! We did a similar thing. We live near a famous kayak/snorkel spot that fills up on the weekends. They wont let cars in but bikes can get in. We like to use their kayak launch, so we made a kayak towbar for each of our bikes.
Terrific video, thank you for this great content. Not only do I love the simplicity of your design but I love that you talked about the couple of troubleshooting processes that you went through and what you changed to significantly improve the outcome. Thank you for sharing this and taking the time to explain the nuances of why the design is the way it is. Hope you're channel continues to grow
Its gonna depend on your setup. My stem is just 1 inch in diameter, so I was able to use 1 1/2 inch ID inner pipe and 2 inch ID outer pipe. They fit together nicely. If your stem is bigger, you'll need to size up. As for lenth, it just needs to be long enough to clear the back wheel when turning and braking. I used 38 inches for the inner pipe. The outer pipe just reinforces the inner one and the most critical point is near the stem, so just over 1/2 the way to the end of the inner pipe is fine. Start long and cut back till the kayak just clears the wheel in all conditions is the safe way to go. Extra length makes it harder to ride the bike.
Hi. Me too, tried to buy a dumb stick but this idea saved me a few bob. I got a new kayak for my birthday and live 10 mins on bike to sea. But the council have put parking meters all along the road. 5 quid . Happy days!
I marked center on both sides then drilled a small pilot hole on both sides from the outside, then just used a 1 inch drill bit to connect the two pilots. It's not perfect but it doesn't have to be to work. You can work the bit around to open up the holes as needed as the pvc cuts pretty easy with the drill bit. The 20 deg is also just whatever angle your stem makes with the verticle. You really can just put the pipe next to stem horizontally and mark approximate hole centers on upper and lower side of pipe and it will work. I made the holes fairly snug to also help keep the pipe from wanting to push to the side under braking. Dont lube it...you want the friction there for same reason.
Taillight seems to be obstructed like this with the boom and kayak in the way. Doesn't seem to show much to anyone driving up behind you. Nice and simple boom setup though.
You could probably fix a temporary reflector or something to the back end of the kayak if you were worried about safety. Or even just drape a hi-vis vest over the back.
The pivot is the fact that I used one hole thru the seat post so the pvc can turn. Since the seat post is at like a 20-degree angle, it will tend to fall back to center (rearward). Pro: the rotation lets the bike absorb trailer sway and makes it more stable pedaling. Con: in braking, it can "jack up," and the nose of the trailer can go to the side. To combat this, I also made a version where the larger outer tube was longer and went all the way to the front stem of the bike. Then I cut a notch for the stem so the outer pvc couldn't rotate at all. This stops any jacking and keeps things straight, but the trailer will sway the bike a bit and make it appear you've had a few pints. Hope this makes sense.
Ah thanks, yeah I'm a bit worried about the braking. After quite some research I think I'm going to use the WeeRide bike hitch instead, with a perforated steel bar or maybe wood.
I started with a long thin bit to get location and angle right, then upsized a few times to make it correct size. You can put the larger bit in straight at first then slowley angle it to come out other hole. The sides of the bit will cut into the relatively soft pvc and cut the angled hole. Hope that makes sense.
Great video! We did a similar thing. We live near a famous kayak/snorkel spot that fills up on the weekends. They wont let cars in but bikes can get in. We like to use their kayak launch, so we made a kayak towbar for each of our bikes.
Nice Bill, thank you for this! I like the idea of using 2 pvc pipes for strength, and appreciate the homemade trailer.
Terrific video, thank you for this great content. Not only do I love the simplicity of your design but I love that you talked about the couple of troubleshooting processes that you went through and what you changed to significantly improve the outcome. Thank you for sharing this and taking the time to explain the nuances of why the design is the way it is. Hope you're channel continues to grow
Great and easy! I love that! i will us my actual kayak wheals!
Muito bom!!! Simples e funcional... 👏👏👏
How long is the center piece of PVC ?
nice job what size and lengths were the pipes ? Thank you
Its gonna depend on your setup. My stem is just 1 inch in diameter, so I was able to use 1 1/2 inch ID inner pipe and 2 inch ID outer pipe. They fit together nicely. If your stem is bigger, you'll need to size up. As for lenth, it just needs to be long enough to clear the back wheel when turning and braking. I used 38 inches for the inner pipe. The outer pipe just reinforces the inner one and the most critical point is near the stem, so just over 1/2 the way to the end of the inner pipe is fine. Start long and cut back till the kayak just clears the wheel in all conditions is the safe way to go. Extra length makes it harder to ride the bike.
@@billmonroe7328 thank you very much smooth sailing
That really good. I was trying yo buy a dumb stick here in the UK but can't find a dealer so I'm gonna do what u done. Thanks.
Hi. Me too, tried to buy a dumb stick but this idea saved me a few bob. I got a new kayak for my birthday and live 10 mins on bike to sea. But the council have put parking meters all along the road. 5 quid . Happy days!
Yep me too 😏 had no luck either so this is my back up plan
is the piping just pvc waste pipe?
No need to reinvent the wheel. Perfect!
How did you drill a 1 inch hole on a 20 degree angle on a pipe?????
I marked center on both sides then drilled a small pilot hole on both sides from the outside, then just used a 1 inch drill bit to connect the two pilots. It's not perfect but it doesn't have to be to work. You can work the bit around to open up the holes as needed as the pvc cuts pretty easy with the drill bit. The 20 deg is also just whatever angle your stem makes with the verticle. You really can just put the pipe next to stem horizontally and mark approximate hole centers on upper and lower side of pipe and it will work. I made the holes fairly snug to also help keep the pipe from wanting to push to the side under braking. Dont lube it...you want the friction there for same reason.
Taillight seems to be obstructed like this with the boom and kayak in the way. Doesn't seem to show much to anyone driving up behind you. Nice and simple boom setup though.
You could probably fix a temporary reflector or something to the back end of the kayak if you were worried about safety. Or even just drape a hi-vis vest over the back.
Tanks 👍🏽👍🏽
Wait so does it pivot where it is attached to the bike? If yes, is that good? If no, why not, did you make it that way and how?
The pivot is the fact that I used one hole thru the seat post so the pvc can turn. Since the seat post is at like a 20-degree angle, it will tend to fall back to center (rearward). Pro: the rotation lets the bike absorb trailer sway and makes it more stable pedaling. Con: in braking, it can "jack up," and the nose of the trailer can go to the side. To combat this, I also made a version where the larger outer tube was longer and went all the way to the front stem of the bike. Then I cut a notch for the stem so the outer pvc couldn't rotate at all. This stops any jacking and keeps things straight, but the trailer will sway the bike a bit and make it appear you've had a few pints. Hope this makes sense.
Ah thanks, yeah I'm a bit worried about the braking. After quite some research I think I'm going to use the WeeRide bike hitch instead, with a perforated steel bar or maybe wood.
Could this hold 130lb kayak?
The cart certainly could, but I think it would make the bike swerve around a bit.
How did you drill the hole in the PVC?
I started with a long thin bit to get location and angle right, then upsized a few times to make it correct size. You can put the larger bit in straight at first then slowley angle it to come out other hole. The sides of the bit will cut into the relatively soft pvc and cut the angled hole. Hope that makes sense.
The moment I realised why the product was called The Dumb Stick I had to wonder if I could make one myself, and yes it seems very possible
Im looking to make this but what kind and size tires are those?
They are a 10 inch run flat. You can get them at Tractor Supply Company.
@@billmonroe7328 ok thanks
LOWES is terrible place to shop. Especially for plumbing & water treatment.