Homemade Grab bar ideas

[Stachi]

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas

My thoughts as well !

Sounds like a great way to impale yourself.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

I'm a wuss. I have a kill switch and jacket on at all times unless I'm anchored.

You & me both, but I rarely take off my PFD on the water. I can swim fine, but when you get tossed in that water, it's a lot colder then when you jump in!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

You want to stand up in a 14' tinny while you drive it ? Isn't it difficult enough to stand up in one when it is not moving ? I'm going to suggest you install a kill switch for this adventure....

see previous posts.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemae Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

You & me both, but I rarely take off my PFD on the water. I can swim fine, but when you get tossed in that water, it's a lot colder then when you jump in!

I've been raised in and around water my whole life and can swim great, but around here it's not so much the cold water as it is the critters

Lots of these:


And these (the cop is 6'6''):


And these around (awww) :


...but they make things fun and keep you on your toes

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

....final, final update. Here's the grab bar in it's latest configuration (for now). Although, I would like to find some gray/white cup holders to match, this little DIY project turned out great. The grab bar itself is rock solid and helps me get in and out of the boat more easily both on the water and on the trailer while still allowing room to pass by it on either side to get to the forward casting deck. The passenger seat still has plenty of room to rotate in either direction, or be removed entirely as well. It also lets me securely stand up while underway even at WOT which greatly increases visibility from the stern. It has also proved to be a mounting rack of sorts for some much needed accessories including 2 tiltable umbrella holders, 2 cup holders (large and small) an all-purpose junk tray, and 2 lengths of 50' 1/4" floating poly line. Best of all, the entire rig and/or the uppermost grab bar alone are removeable in under a minute. I now have a secure place for everything in my boat! No more Gatorade bottle rolling around on the floor, digging in the drybag every 3 min for the camera or trying to keep the umbrella from blowing away. Ah well, it's nothing special, but has given me a lot more useable space in my trusty little 14' tinny while also solving a couple pesky problems I had. One day I'll have a proper skiff with all the bells and whistles. Until then this will have to do. Herewith, hope it serves.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Good plan, well executed!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Thanks Willy. I'm sure I'll find some more tinkering to do on it, but it works well enough as is. It's amazing how much useable, vertical space there is even in a small boat. Best of all, I didn't break the bank and I can remove the entire unit in no time, unlike most other grab bars which are bolted in place. I didn't even realize that I'd be able to use it to mount so many accessories. I had been tinkering with the idea of building a full on center console, but that would mean steering system, control cables & fittings, battery and starter, fabricating the console itself, etc... All and all, I think this little PVC gizmo is a nice compromise. I can still stand/sit using the grab bar with one hand while controlling the throttle and steer with the other. I only use REV for about 30 seconds leaving the dock, so I don't really need gear select control at my finger tips. Ironically, it seems like more and more boats/skiffs, in my area at least, are going back to tiller set ups. Fancy, carbon fiber tillers with lots of buttons, but tillers all the same. Sometimes less is more, I suppose. Now I just have to think of something new to tinker on Can you say jackplate, or poling platform? I've found a couple of sweet DIY versions and I can't get them out of my head. Of course, when I win the lottery I'll get one like in the vid below, but until then my ugly, little tinny will have to do. Thanks again for the kind words!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXj7RMwM39o

 

[Blacksting]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Install a motorcycle seat and let HER drive .

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Sometimes less is more, I suppose. Now I just have to think of something new to tinker on Can you say jackplate, or poling platform? I've found a couple of sweet DIY versions and I can't get them out of my head. Of course, when I win the lottery I'll get one like in the vid below, but until then my ugly, little tinny will have to do. Thanks again for the kind words!

Totally agree! Have you seen this set of jack plate plans at the link below? There is even an option for manual hydraulic trim. How about SmartTabs? A bud had a poling platform made locally for his Whaler 15 at a very reasonable price. Good luck with your project!

http://www.dillon-racing.com/jackplate/index.htm

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Thanks for the link Willy. I've found several simple jack plate plans as well as homemade, fixed trim tabs using SS turnbuckles and hardware. The dangerous part is that I actually found a piece of aluminum around the house that I could (probably) use. If I had a band saw and a drill press last night I would've already made it Of course, if I some how rig a poling platform, jackplate and tabs I'll need to step up the HP a bit I knew I should've never parted with my old '66 33 hp Big Twin :/ She was a gas hog and a little bit of a pain to get the flywheel off of, but was otherwise a great motor. Ah well, one step at a time.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

... as well as homemade, fixed trim tabs using SS turnbuckles and hardware.

Do you have a web link for that? I found a guy at our local boat show who is making fixed tabs out of composite material which I thought is something I could do cheaper. I'll look around in my stack of stuff to see if he has a website and, if so, will post a link later.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Sure Willy. I'll track it down. I believe I saw it on microskiff.com somewhere. They were basically just bolting a tab of aluminum to the exterior hull/transom using SS hinges and adjustable SS turnbuckles. They don't have hydraulic pumps and you can't adjust them on the fly from the helm. They seem to be more of a set it and forget it type set up, but a lot of the microskiff guys swear by them and say they help get their little Gheenoes/skiffs up on plane very quickly with minimal drag on the top end. I'll post some pics here once I find them.


http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1167252694 (DIY fixed trim tabs)

(not exactly like the ones I saw, but very similar) (basically just a tab, a turnbuckle and some SS hardware)

(I'm thinking this is what I want/need on the back of my rig to get them most i can out of the old 20 hp)

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Re: Homemade, DIY PVC Grab bar ideas-UPDATED

Thanks for the pictures and the link. Always helps to see what others are doing. I found the one-page handout from the local trim tab guy. He does not have a website, only a telephone number and email address. I will send you that info in a PM. Good luck!