HARKEN Hoister Heavy Cargo Carrier Overhead Garage Storage 4-Point Hoist System for 145lb Carriers, Boxes, Kayaks, Canoes (145lb max load,10ft.Ceiling), Model 7803

I tried to find a way to contact the seller but amazon seems to be blocking that i purchased 2 of these on one order one came configured with 5:1 ratio and the other configured with 7:1 ratio

best done with two people but works very well to hold two kayaks (stacked) and their trailers

We recently purchased a Hobie Oasis twin (2016 model) kayak with Mirage drive. This is a wonderful kayak, but it is heavy and pretty big for a kayak. It weighs over 100 pounds and is about 14' long. Further, our main kayak carrying vehicle is a 2006 Honda Odyssey van, which is pretty tall in our modest two car garage. Because of the height of the cross beams in the garage (about 9') we needed to lift the heavy kayak as close to the beams as possible. After searching and sifting through the many options on Amazon and other places online, i settled on the Harken four point hoisters as the way to go. They work for my purpose in several ways: 1. Sufficient weight capacity and pulley reduction to make lifting and storing over 110 pounds of kayak a safe and reasonable task. 2. The four point pulley system gets the kayak as close to the beams in my garage as possible - I only lose a couple inches of space between the beams and the top of the kayak. 3. The system comes in various sizes in both weight capacity and height from the floor. I did puzzle over the very high price relative to other hoist systems, but ended up deciding that the ready-to-use kit was the way to go, especially after seeing users with almost exactly my needs praising it. I have to say, it is worth it me since, although I am a pretty handy guy, I can't see myself gathering the hardware that goes into this kit. This is especially true of the "organizer" and the main pulley that has the locking cam in it. All the pieces are of high quality and the unit is well thought out. I have included a photo of the opened, but still boxed, kit. The unit is not for the un-handy to install. If you struggle with IKEA furniture, for instance, you are gonna fail with this even though the instructions are better. I found the instructions to be good enough for me, but even then, had to take a few minutes to make sure I understood them a couple of times. All that said, it installed fine, works well, and I have attached a photo with the kayak hoisted to the beams in our garage. We've used it several times and it's great. If you have an expensive, heavy kayak or canoe like ours, do to hesitate to get the Harken Hoister. It's the best.

Installing was not bad and just a few adjustments to have the perfect height for Thule Box. Fits high enough for garage door to open with ease. Recommended for the right price.

It seems like a lot of money for a relatively small box of materials but its worth it. The quality of the components and the design are superior. My install was a little easier than most because I was working with exposed beams and I did not need mounting boards but any install would be relatively easy. The instructions are excellent with one small exception. The diagram for tying the double figure eight knot is incomprehensible. I found a very good diagram on line and was then able to do it. The Harken folks should change the diagram. Other than that , instructions were good. Once I had everything ready to go , it hoisted my canoe perfectly first time. As it will hang for several months I didn't want to rely just on the hoist holding so I installed a secondary set of fixed straps but that may be an unnecessary precaution. Great product. Highly recommend.