: My approach will be to laminate 2 or 3 layers of 18oz X 2"
: wide PVC cloth, cover it with 1/2" closed cell foam, and
: then a single layer of PVC as
: a replaceable cover. That would make it quite similar to the
: Burnham slings. The 8ft X 2" X 3" aluminum shaft is
: available from various aluminum vendors,
: though a laminated wood shaft should work also.

: For the cradles, I'd prefer to go the hardwood route, or possibly
: plywood. I've drawn up a couple of possible solutions,
: though your lamination idea should be a good alternative. (See pic)

: I've always preferred slings to foam as kayak holders in my shop.
: The use of slings for cartopping offer a flexible hull or deck
: conforming shape for rounded or hard chine kayaks that seems very
: secure / stable at high speeds. The wide spans possible between
: slings adds greatly to overall stablity.

: I like alternate solutions, and this appears to be a good one. It
: seems odd that this has been mostly a racing shell application.

: Plus, it's pretty cool looking :) ... Tom

Everyone seems to like slings in the shop, for me they allow the boat to move around too much when you're working on it, so I just use minicell canoe supports, relatively cheap and effective and fit the plastic saw horses too.

Bill H.