Add-ons made a luggage cart multi-purpose
Issue 126: May/June 2019
A handcart is handy to have aboard a boat. We wanted one that could adapt to carrying a variety of items, support a considerable payload, and be easy to stow. Our solution was to repurpose a common two-wheeled metal luggage cart with a telescoping handle and a fold-down base.
Starting with a simple luggage cart
For lashing items to the cart, we tied a 48-inch length of 3⁄16-inch-diameter line to each of the cart’s uprights, and we added a removable 10- x 10- x 17-inch-high soft bag to hold loose items. A bigger bag would have fit, but this size has proven adequate for our use. By sewing an additional panel onto the outside back of the bag, we formed a sleeve sized to slide over the cart’s handle and uprights. This holds the bag securely in place on the cart but makes it easily removable.
Jill and Rudy added lashing lines and a canvas bag to make it more useful.
Although any hefty material can be used, we made our bag from 8-ounce cotton duck. After sewing it together, we coated it with wood preservative to improve its longevity. For carrying handles, we spliced ¼-inch rope into hand- sewn eyelets in the top hem on two opposite sides of the bag. Knotted rope run through metal grommets could be a workable alternative.
The plywood base provides some rigidity for the bag and supports it on the cart.
To keep the bottom of the bag from sagging, we made a base of 3⁄8-inch plywood and drilled 1⁄8-inch holes 2 inches apart around its perimeter and 3⁄8 inch from the edges. After applying a couple of coats of varnish to protect the base, we hand-sewed it to the bag’s outside bottom with #9 twine, though any fairly hefty thread could work.
We’ve found our cart to be versatile and a welcome accessory for carrying a variety of loads between ship and shore.
Jill and Rudy Sechez have cruised for more than 20 years, now aboard Briney Bug, a 34-foot sail-assisted wooden trawler that they designed and built. They can be contacted at rudyandjill@yahoo.com for consultations on anchoring and to arrange speaking engagements. Their book, Anchoring — A Ground Tackler’s Apprentice, is available through waterwayguide.com/shipstore.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
