I needed a better solution for quick and easy lowering and raising the kayaks (isn't that why your reading this?) . I have 10'6" ceiling in my garage and thought this would be a great tool to add to my overall garage organization but make my kayaks more accessible. 1. Out of the box, the instructions are terrible (which most other reviews share- haven't been changed as of DEC 15, 2016.. Hah. Pretty sure the only reason they included them were for all the legal disclaimers, etc. That said, we live in a day and age where YouTube will tell you anything you need to know about anything. If you do a search of RAD kayak hoist, the first video is 4 minutes and will walk you through it. So the instructions, well- toss them aside and get going. 2. Check your ceiling joist to find out which direction they run.. Of course my floor joists didn't run the right way and I had to add a 2x4. Not a big deal, but if you don't have the tools on hand, it can add a day or 2 to the install. (you will need your own 2x4, lag bolts, washers, tape measure, drill, and drill bit.) the instructions do tell you what to buy if you need to get them to install the hoist. But I already knew this, and my board was already put up prior to the item arriving. 3. Item was very well packaged, and all tools/bolts etc. We're accounted for. That said I've heard some reviews about not knowing what bolt/screw went where. It's easy. You get 4 wood lag screws (hex head) for attaching the 2 brackets (without the pulleys) to the 2x4 or joist. 4 bolts to attach the pulley mount to the brackets. And then 2 basic Phillips head wood screws to attach the cleat to the wall. 4. The threading of the rope through the pulley is the most confusing part of the install, but refer back to #1 above. Watch the video and your good to go! 5. Once everything was attached and assembled, I was impressed with how easy it was to raise and lower the kayak. (one handed for 60lb kayak) The brake works as designed, and gives me greater peace of mind knowing the cleat and brake will keep the item from falling.. ****READ THIS IF YOU SKIPPED ABOVE IF YOUR WORRIED ABOUT THE 1 STAR REVIEWS**** 6. THE only reason I couldn't give this item 5 stars is because of the straps that attach your kayak to the hooks of the pulley.. I've read many 1 star reviews about the straps failing(breaking) or completely sliding off the end of the kayak. I can say, from inspection the straps appear well made. I'm not certain how they would fail, but like all things - sometimes a little user TLC can go a long way. However, I did experience the straps sliding issue. It was a nuisance at best, and added to the overall frustration of my process. It was also difficult to get the hooks to sit in tight to the kayak, to keep the straps in place and not slide toward the end of the Kayak. It's not how it was designed (I know, reference pic 1 to see how much space it adds between the kayak and pulley. ***GAME OF INCHES*** After having successfully attached the strap where I felt they wouldn't slide off (that'll do I said to myself) , I easily raised the kayak to the ceiling. Now- here was the most frustrating part for me. I prefer to place my kayaks above the garage doors, because above them is a lot of wasted space. My old system used regular lashing straps (set of 2 on amazon is only $8)and eye bolts to raise my kayaks to the ceiling prior to using the hoist with no clearance issues. But a lot of shoulder problems from having to push up the kayak, and pull on the strap simultaneously. ... The issue: the 2x4 added wasted space to the overall distance between the ceiling and kayak...and also the hooks that connect to the straps also added about 4-6 inches from the flex in the hooks. ***see photos. The first photo shows how low the kayak hangs when hooked to the straps. You can see there's a lot of space between the pulley and the hooks and the kayak. I knew it would be close, and I was right. It hung about 3 inches too low and my garage door would ride along the bottom of my kayaks on the way up. Obviously not what I wanted. ***MY STRAP SOLUTION *** Looking at the kayak, I believed if I could get the kayak to raise 4 inches higher, I would achieve clearance and allow the garage door to freely raise and lower. I used the original lashing straps ($8 on amazon) which had hooks. This solved two problems. The first being, when this strap is cinched.... it's tight. And it doesn't move on the listing kayak. Second, when you press the hooks out flat and connect them to the eyelets of the strap not only is it secure, but it also keeps the hooks flat against my Kayak. Successfully decreasing the total space about 4", and thus hanging high enough above my garage door to allow it to freely move up and down without rubbing or bumping. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase as long as the pulleys themselves don't fail. Overall I'd say 3 stars, because hey, the product works. It could be improved (RAD FEEL FREE TO ADD THESE lashing STRAPS AND PAY ME An INTELLECTUAL FEE FOR SOLVING YOUR BIGGEST Problem) But, In the end I placed 4 stars because of the price. It was the best price I could find. Most of you won't be foolish to try and hang above your garage doors, but the straps are a bit frustrating and could be improved. I put pictures of the lashing straps hooks I use if you want to upgrade. I got them also from Amazon. They have a 300 lb safe working load. (over kill, but again. Peace of mind) Hope this helps someone solve there concerns about strap breaking or clearance issues if you too are playing the game of inches!!! Total time on project? 2 nights or 4 hrs.. And 1 day waiting for the AHAAAAAA moment and 5 minute fix to my problem. Hope it helps.
