kicker plans

bling_blings89 · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 City: Winnipeg

hey, for my woods project at school i plan on building a kicker, im looking for some plans for one. Every site i try wont show the pictures just an article, if anyone know of any sites can you post them? Thanks

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Nov 01, 2006 12:00 pm Post subject:

you probably won't find a sit with straight up plans for a kicker. Just make sure you build a good method to hold your floats to the bottom, and don't make it too steep. What are you gonna use for the surface of it?

bling_blings89 · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 City: Winnipeg

im not sure what im going to use to secure the floats and what to use for the top

Maestro · Posted: Nov 05, 2006 11:21 am Post subject:

The most important thing for your kicker are probably the side plywood pieces. The easiest/most effective way to build a kicker uses the sides as a guide/template for the kicker.

So the first thing you want to do is figure out how big you want the kicker (length and height). Get a couple pieces of ply (1/4" if you want it cheaper, 1/2" if you want it to last longer - The 1/2" will make it significantly heavier so keep in mind if you plan to be moving it around quite a bit) that you can make your profiles out of. When you decide on the angle of curve you want (if you want a curved kicker, I like these much better as you get "booted"/can pop a lot better and not just be lifted into the air) make an outline on the ply and cut out the two identical pieces.

Once you have the two side pieces cut, stand them up so they are as wide as you want your kicker to be. At this point you'll need quite a few 2x4"s to secure the pieces together. Start with pieces running up the curved part of the kicker, spaced evenly according to the thickness of ply you'll use for under the sheeting you'll be sliding.

Once you have the incline 2x4s in place, you want to put in 2x4s along the base. These will help with the sturdiness of the kicker as well as keeping the float in place. I suggest raising these 2x4s about 3" from the bottom of the kicker, as there needs to be space for the float underneath them, and you want the beginning of the kicker to be slightly underwater (so your nose won't catch when you hit it).

Once you have the bottom 2x4s in place, you want to cut a couple 2x4s to cross brace the open end of the kicker.

In terms of float I'd suggest using the blue/pink styrofoam insulation used for insulating houses. It's somewhat pricey, but it works absolutely amazingly and will last a long time. You can probably get away with doing 1 layer of float under the kicker, but if you can afford to do 2 it will be way more solid when you hit it. When you get the foam cut and placed in the bottom of the kicker, you need to put some supports under it to help keep it in place. You can either use a couple 2x4s or a sheet of thin ply. In my experience the thin ply works a hell of a lot better, since it will support the entire sheet and prevent the foam from splitting and floating away.

Once you have that taken care of, all you need to do is figure out what to use for the top sheeting. I suggest using thin 1/4" PVC plastic sheeting - it slides amazingly wet or dry and lasts pretty well. It can be pricey, but from what I've seen it works a lot better than other materials. Maybe someone else can give you other suggestions. Anyways, whatever you use, secure it up along the sides, as screws in the center of the kicker may start to come out and catch on your board when you ride over them.

That should cover it. This may not be the cheapest way to build a kicker, but from my experience it works really well and is extremely easy to make/fix. If you have any questions (as my instructions/illustrations are lacking Laughing

) feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll try to get back to you asap. Sorry for the lengthy post, but hopefully it helps.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Nov 05, 2006 4:33 pm Post subject:

UHMW polyetheylene is some top notch stuff. It's super surable and slick (they use it on the bottomof airboats) but kinda expensive check out www.tse-ok.com

bling_blings89 · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 City: Winnipeg

ok so far i have decided to make the kicker 6 feet in length by 4 feet in width and the highest point in height 3 foot 10 inches. I am wondering what is a cheap and good material for the top of the kicker so far i have researched and found Fermica, bathboard, lexan, PVC sheeting or High Density Polyproplyne. Any suggestions or pictures of your own kickers would be appreciated, Thanks!

bling_blings89 · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 City: Winnipeg

ok so I found a store where i can get the fermica from now my question is what do i mount it to? i am looking for a type of wood that will hold up good under water or what is water proof?

bling_blings89 · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 11 City: Winnipeg

ok im going to pick up 2 sheets of 3/8 plywod for the top and put a layer of Fermica on top of that(hopefully that will hold me without breaking). I am not going to put sides on it and i am going to use pressure treated 2x4's for the base. I hear that stainless steel screws will work the best so i will use them aswell. for the floats i plan on using 2 55 gallon barrels. I might see how duct tape will work for securing them to the kicker becuase i dont want them on perminant for when transporting the kicker. I hope that the fermica does not wreck molded-in fins on wakeboards to badly and that i have a big enough overhang of the kicker at the bottom so when i hit a wave I don't get caught with the board going under the kicker and my feet hitting the plywood that the fermica is on. I plan on starting this project in a week or so and planon posting pictures of my project on the way to completion.