Hanging a Canoe in a Garage

Measure the distance between the front and rear thwarts of the canoe you want to hang. Use the stud-finder device to locate the ceiling joists. Find joists approximately the same distance as that between the thwarts.

Mark and predrill holes for the screw eyes so they are just a few inches wider than the beam of the boat and directly above the front and rear thwarts of the canoe. You'll have two screw eyes at the front and rear of the boat. You will likely have to adjust the distance to be sure you are drilling into a joist.

Screw the eyes securely into the ceiling and position the canoe beneath the eyes.

Remove the strap and hook ends of the ratcheting-down straps. You won’t use the ratchet, but they're relatively cheap, so you can afford to throw them away.

Hook the strap hooks to one of the forward and one of the aft eyes. Make a loop hanging down, push each strap through a PVC pipe and then thread the loose ends of the straps through the opposite eyes. Position the pipe at the bottom of the loop to set the canoe onto.

Find a wall stud at the front and back of the canoe and predrill a hole about 5 feet above the floor for the wall hooks. Screw the wall hooks in tight with the hook down.

Lift one end of the boat through the strap loop and pull the gunwales up onto the pipe on the front strap. Hoist the canoe end about halfway up to the ceiling. Steady the canoe so the strap slips through the pipe and doesn’t flip the boat. Don’t go any higher than halfway up. Tie the free end of the strap to the nearest wall hook.

Lift the rear of the boat and slip the rear strap loop and set the gunwales down on the PVC pipe. Pull the loose end of the strap and raise the rear of the boat to the ceiling. You will have to steady the boat to allow the strap to slide through the PVC pipes under the gunwales to prevent the boat from rolling over. Secure the strap to the nearest wall hook.

Pull the front of the boat up even with the aft end by pulling the strap to raise the boat. Steady the canoe to prevent rolling and tie the strap off to the wall hook to secure it.