Yakima Kayak Saddle

thingiverse

This is a makeshift Yakima Kayak/Canoe saddle substitute. The box originally came with four, but last summer, I brought home only one missing. Unable to find a way to obtain just one, I decided to create something that would work in its place. The STL's are slightly irregular because I initially modeled it very much like the actual saddle, which has at least four separate parts where the clamping mechanism is attached to the bottom of the saddle. I printed the first design and connected the parts together with epoxy. Afterwards, I discovered some strength flaws and measurement errors. When I made those changes, I simply connected the mesh of the base to the top to create one solid piece. It's much stronger this way, and there's no concern about the glued pieces coming apart. Anyone wanting this design can easily make the necessary repairs. My slicer (IdeaMaker) corrected my Saddle STL as it wasn't perfect. For this design, I used a 140mm M6 screw and nut – you'll actually need 170mm. The nut slides into a slot in the bottom of the clamp part (use ThingiView to see it). The rest is easy to figure out. I might also add an M6 washer between the knob and saddle housing. I modeled a small hole into the saddle itself, which could potentially become a locker, but I'm not sure about that yet. The knob has an extra hole for what I imagine might be a locking screw, but I didn't model a matching screw hole in the saddle, and no locking screws came with the original. On my print, the holes were slightly too small, so initially, I had to screw the M6 all the way through it and then work it back and forth a few times until I could "saw" loose enough interior plastic to allow it to slide through. That wasn't difficult, and you might not have that problem. You may decide to use a different screw size, but if you change the size of the holes, make sure you do so in all three pieces and consider the nut slot in the clamp. I haven't mounted my kayak to it yet; I'll let you know how it goes. I printed the one shown with PLA, and the play in the saddle is rugged and nice. ABS would be better. Of course, how well it will withstand bouncing down the road remains unknown yet.