Build your own Catamaran Storage Tube with these illustrated instructions. Thanks to Donny Pattullo for providing so much detail.

 

PVC Sail Tube Instruction

1. First, you need to find the pipe. I checked with a local plumbing supplier and they quoted me $160 for a 13foot pipe and $109 each for end caps..time to DO IT YOURSELF! I found a 15" diameter pipe that is 12 feet long. A local church had finished a sewer project and they had cut 1 foot off of the standard 13 foot pipe and had the other 12 feet left over. I called and told them what I was doing and they said they would be happy if I could get rid of it for them. I was more than happy. Step one done, I had my pipe.

2. Get it home. You might want a friend to help with this since I think my pipe weights about 230 lbs. I got it in the back of my Toyota Tacoma and had about 5-6 feet sticking out the back. Hint. strap it down and drive slow.

3. Now that you have broken your back and/or your friends, you can start the construction and assembly. The nice thing about the way I made mine is that I only used a jig saw, drill, and belt sander (to fine tune the shape of the end pieces). You will need some assorted drill bits and other hardware, but I will point those out along the way.

4. I started by making the brackets that securely hold the tube to the trailer. All lumber is pressure treated (PT). I used a piece of scrap 2x12 pt and traced the outer radius of the pipe. Basically you are making a half- circle cut out to mount to the trailer that the tube will sit in and you will strap the tube to the bracket with galvanized straps. After you have traced and cut out two brackets you will need to locate a spot on the trailer that will have enough clearance for the tube and will not get in your way when rigging, driving, on/off loading the boat, or anything else. When you find a good spot, put the brackets on the trailer frame and make sure they are exactly in line with each other, I used a long straight edge to align them.

My frame already had holes in it, if yours doesn't then drill a few. Three or four should be good. Mark the hole locations on your PT brackets. After I had my hole locations marked I went to the hardware store with PT brackets in hand. I bought enough lag screws for the holes I had marked and made sure that they would be long enough, some are longer than others because of the radius. Also get flat washers and nuts. You will need two hinges and a barrel bolt for the rear door. You will also need galvanized strapping, it comes in a 10 foot roll and that is plenty. I used dry wall screws and 3/8 inch self tapping screws to secure the strap to the tube and the brackets. I also bought an eye screw and a small caribeener for the line that I use to hold the rear door open. Now drill the holes for the lag screws in the brackets and counter sink for the head of the lag screws. Next, mount the brackets to the trailer with the lag screws, washers, and nuts. Make sure that the head of the lag screw is counter sunk enough so the tube will sit flush on the radius of the brackets.

5. Now that the brackets are mounted and secured with the lag screws you need to slide the tube onto the brackets and position it so that the weight will be evenly distributed and it will not get in your way when rigging, driving, on/off loading the boat, or anything else.

6. Now use a dry wall screw and screw one end of the galvanized strap to one side of the bracket. Roll the strap over the top of the tube and cut it so that it will cover the whole tube and come to the bottom of the strap. You will need to pull the galvanized strap tight over the tube and put a screw in the other side. I used the pointy end of a round metal file and put it in one of the lower holes on the strap, then I hammered it into the bracket at an angle and levered the strap down over the tube and while it was tight I drove a screw through the strap and into the bracket. Put a few more drywall screws into the bracket. I also added a few 3/8 inch self taping screws through the strap and into the tube itself. Just make sure that you don't have any screws sticking through the tube that could rip your sails.

7. Now for the front end cap. I used ¾ inch pressure treated plywood, although any plywood would do as long as you paint it. Since you can't trace the inside of the tube, unless you can slide inside (not recommended, although I thought about trying), you will need to measure the inside diameter of the tube and use a compass to draw the circle. Mine was 14 ¼ inches, so I set the compass to 7 1/8 inches and drew the circle. Cut it out with a jib saw or band saw. Now you need to get a pretty tight fit in the end of the tube. Drive a screw into the middle of your circle to use a temporary handle. Use sand paper, or a belt sander to get the plywood circle to fit tight into the end of the tube closest to the front of the boat. Make a second plywood circle exactly the same shape for the read door. The front end is permanent, whereas the rear is a door to put the sails in. Once you have the plywood shaped to fit, use several drywall screws to secure it.

8. Fit the second circle in the rear end. You need to cut the circle so that you can permanently secure the top part of the circle to the tube and the bottom will be the door. You will use the hinges to secure the bottom to the top part of the circle. In this case a picture is worth 1000 words, so look at the picture.

 

 

9. Inset the door about ¾ inch to leave room for the barrel bolt and the hole for the bolt. Install the hinges and barrel bolt. Mark and drill a hole in the bottom of the tube for the barrel bolt. Install the eye bolt and use the line and caribeener to hold the door open. My string ended up a perfect length to snap onto the frame when closed. This will ensure that the door will stay closed and keeps the string from dragging.

I hope that my directions and pictures will help anyone who wants to build a PVC Sail Tube. If you have any questions or need any help, please email me. I would be happy to take more pictures if anyone needs or wants other angles. Good Luck!

The pictures for this project are located in the Beachcats Technical album in the Catamaran Pictures section. Click Here to see all the pictures together

 

Donny Pattullo
Hobie 16
Andover, MA
donaldpattullo(AT)attbi(DOT)com
(soon to be (AT)Comcast.net)
dpaj(AT)police(DOT)town(DOT)andover(DOT)ma(DOT)us