Kayak stabilizer / outrigger made from PVC and float

When on the water nothing is more important then stability.  This is why when researching kayaks on the internet you will notice three main areas of focus.  How the kayak tracks, the speed of the kayak, and the stability of the kayak.  The stability part is important if you plan to stand up to fish, stretch, or plan to head out into rough water.  Sit on top kayaks now come in a variety of hull widths for this very reason.

If your kayak hull is not very wide and you are looking for additional stability when out on the water you can outfit your kayak with a stabilizers.  These are also sometimes referred to as an outrigger or pontoon.

In this article I will provide you step by step instructions of how to build your own kayak stabilizer / outrigger.

Tools Required:

Tape Measure

Sharpie

PVC Pipe Cutter

Channellock Pliers

Materials Required
Qty. 4 - Large lobster / crabbing buoys
Qty. 4 - 3/4" PVC Pipe Cap Fitting
Qty. 2 - 3/4" PVC Tee Fitting
Qty. 2 - 3/4" 45 degree PVC Fitting
Qty. 2 - 3/4" 90 degree PVC Fitting
3/4" PVC Pipe

Step 1
First you will need to determine what size lobster or crabbing buoys to get.  The size of the lobster or crabbing buoy will determine the overall buoyancy that the stabilizer / outrigger provides.  The larager the buoy, more the stability.  So if overall you have a fairly stable kayak, you may be able to use smaller buoys.

I purchased the large lobster buoys.  My reasoning for this is that I like to stand up when fishing.  So these will provide me the most stability when out on the water.  The bullet nose lobster buoys I purchased measure 13 3/4" long and 5 7/8" in diameter with a 1" hole.  The buoys provide approximately 11 lbs. of buoyancy per float.  So the buoys combined will provide an additional 44 lbs. of buoyancy.  The actual buoyancy per float is somewhat important; however, where they are placed on your kayak and how far out they extend from your kayak hull is the most important.

So do some research online and determine the best size and color of lobster or crabbing buoy that works for you.  The buoys can be purchased at a variety of online marine stores that specialize in lobstering, crabbing, floats, or bait baskets.





Orange lobster buoy used for stabilizer / outrigger



Orangle lobster buoy used for stabilizer / outrigger

Step 2

Determine where you are going to mount the stabilizer / outrigger on your kayak hull.  You will want to mount it closer to the middle of your kayak as that is where your kayak is the widest and it will provide the most stability.  This will also allow you to easily reach the stabilizer / outrigger when out on the water in the event you need to adjust it or raise and lower it.  Where ever you decide to locate it will depend on the arm length needed.  The longer the length of the arm, the larger the foot print on the water.  This will increase your over all stability.

When building my stabilizer / outrigger I chose the length of my arm to be 22".  Cut a 22" (or whatever length you feel works best) piece of 3/4" PVC pipe.  This piece of PVC pipe will then need to connect to a 90 degree PVC fitting and a 45 degree PVC fitting.  See photo below:

A - Down arm to float: 4 3/4"
B - Arm: 22"
C - Angle to arm: 4 3/4"

Stabilizer / outrigger arm


Step 3
Cut two pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe at 13" long.  Begin piecing together the stabilizer / outrigger by connecting each 13" piece of pipe into each end of a PVC tee fitting. Slide each lobster buoy on each piece of 3/4" PVC pipe.  Once each lobster buoy has been placed onto the PVC pipe you should have approximately 3/4" of pipe exiting out the end of the lobster buoy.  Place a 3/4" PVC cap fitting on each end of pipe.  You may want to hold the stabilizer / outfitter vertical and tap the caps on with a rubber mallet against a hard surface.  Your final stabilizer / outfitter should appear similar to the photo below.



Complete stabilizer / outrigger prior to connecting to outrigger arm

Step 4
In this final step we will mount the completed stabilizer / outrigger to your kayak.  This can be done by mounting it directly to the hull of your kayak or by desiging a structure to mount it to, therefore not altering the actual hull of your kayak.