Simple Ski Water Bottle Holder

This is a post to help anyone who wished to make a simple, inexpensive, durable water bottle holder for a surfski.

For the sake of pretentiousness, I shall dub it, "The Russ Holder".
Because it's simple, yet amazingly still functional, just like myself.

Please take into consideration that I mostly paddle in bay and inlet conditions and that is how this item is used. But I do think it will hold up well in moderate offshore conditions. It's quite strong.

I came up with the idea a while back because I prefer using water bottles to hydration packs.

Please excuse any errors in conversions from U.S. to metric. I'll try not to mess things up too bad.


The materials needed are as follows

1. 3- 2in(5cm ?) x 4in (10cm) strips of Industrial Adhesive Backed Velcro

1 Piece of the HOOK side (rough side)

2 Pieces of the LOOP side (fluffy side)


2. 1 Piece 10in.(25cm) length of 3/16 (5 or 6mm) marine bungee.

3. Two part epoxy (Gflex is my preferred product) mixing cup, application brush

4. 4 Clothes Pins

5. Scissors





Step One: Trim corners of three Velcro pieces as shown below.




Steps 2: Take the one piece of HOOK Velcro, remove backing and lay down glue side facing up. Take piece of bungee and install on back of Velcro as shown in picture below.





Step 3: Mix epoxy and brush over top and sides of bungee that is attached to back of hook Velcro.





Step 4: Take one piece of LOOP Velcro, remove backing and carefully place it's glue side, down onto the glue side of the hook Velcro as show below. Make sure you tuck each side that goes against the epoxied bungee as tight as possible.







Step 5: attach clothes pins as shown below, making sure they press the Velcro tightly against the sides of the bungee. Put the assemby aside and let cure overnight.





Step 6: Clean area well (rubbing alcohol recommended), let dry, and attach second piece of LOOP (fluffy) Velcro to Front of ski hump as shown below. (





Step 7: Attach the bottle holder and press firmly.





Step 8: Install water bottle










The water bottle I use is an insulated bottle called Polar Bottle.



It holds 24oz. (.70 litres) of liquid.

In the front of the cockpit, I often attach a piece of bungee that holds two other bottles that I fill and freeze to different levels so I always have cold water over a 3 to 5 hour timeframe.

But the single bottle usually lasts for a little more than an hour of hot summer fitness paddling.






The holder does a great job of holding the bottle secure and in my V10 Sport does not interfere with my legs in anyway.

I do have to state here that I am a bit bow legged. So to those whose legs stay closer together and squeeze their unmentionable parts, your results may vary.


I recommend making a new unit at the beginning of each season.


I hope someone else finds the idea useful.

Wow, well done, you missed your calling in life as an Ikea assembly instructions writer good job

Here's my contribution to the subject without the fancy instructions but you should be able to get an idea on how cheap and easy this is to set up.

What you will need.

1)Food grade clear hose (I took the bite valve off my Camelbak drink system to the hardware store to ensure I got the right inside diameter.

2) Wire Coathanger
3) Tape
4) Bladder/Bottle for footwell
5) Disposable pop top bottle
6) Soft drink bottle top

Take the wire coathanger and form it into a comfortable loop around your neck, straighten the hook out and tape the bite valve end of the food grade tube to the wire.

I place the bladder in the footwell in front of the footplate using the carry handle to hold it up. Each ski will have its own issues here, just be sure that as the bladder is used it cannot collapse on itself causing the tube at the bottom to be crimped closed. This Camelbak bladder has a handy carry handle that is held by the skis carry handle nicely.

I also leave enough tube between the bladder and wire holder so if I come out of the ski I don't get hung by the wire. I just loop the extra tube under my legs during a race.

Once you have it set up well you can adjust the wire to have the valve where you just extend you neck to put the valve in your mouth...look mum, no hands

The recent addition to this set up was adding a small bottle for sports gel in long races.

I got a pop top bottle, took the pop top off and replaced it with a normal soft drink bottle top. Cut a hole to take the tube. Taped the bottle to the existing tube so it sat near my belly out of the way and as pictured left the tube long enough to take into my mouth. I used a different colour so I know which one is for what.

I have yet to put a bite valve on the new tube.

AR. I know, I know, I went a little overboard.

Force of habit. If I don't give my wife detailed instructions about how to do stuff, none of the chores around here would ever get done! ( I should watch out what I say, she hits hard.)

Kidding aside, I was trying to take into consideration that recently a few people have said that they use translation software to read the site. That's why I broke it down as I did.

I like the secondary smaller bottle idea you have. Does the bottle have to be vented, or does it simply collapse as it is drained?

Hanger around the neck idea really puts it right where you want it.

You could even put a piece narrow plastic tube, similar to the drinking tube, over the hanger to keep it from rusting.

To me, the single most frustrating aspect of the way many skis ( and kayaks for that matter) are built, is the fact that they do not plan for proper water storage.

Do you pull bottle out of bungee to drink, or tear the bottle off with bungee and velcro still attached?

Regards
Jeff

jeffrey5 wrote: Do you pull bottle out of bungee to drink, or tear the bottle off with bungee and velcro still attached?

Jeff, good morning, yes, you stretch the bungee and then remove the bottle. Pretty much the same way you would with the Epic V8 bottle holder.

The Velcro always stays attached to the boat.

PaddleFaster wrote: I like the secondary smaller bottle idea you have. Does the bottle have to be vented, or does it simply collapse as it is drained?

As I am only sucking up a mouthful of gel at a time negative pressure doesn't seem to be an issue.