Potential next boat project: attn people smart with metal stuff.
- Thread starter Evan B
- Start date
Be sure to put them on the way-back rod, or you'll get some tangles
Welp, after this past weekend's trip, I was forced to rush into a solution. My tower's self destruct mission finally hit the point where it definitely went on its last trip.
Funny how it was perfectly intact until I made this thread, was forming a plan to replace it after this season, and had begun shopping for potential replacements if I didn't DIY it. Then very next trip it decides to shear off, but be fixable. Then this weekend, it broke multiple places, including losing a whole side basically. Had to use the duct tape and paracord I had on board to get us home.
Talked to a few different fabricators locally, and the ones in Oregon here were all 1 to 12mo out for being able to get me in. There is also WhoDat towers in Centralia WA who could get me done within a week or so, but they won't let me install it myself, so between their install charges and WA sales tax, it just didn't make sense for me.
So as of today, I have this FishOn Uni Tower on the way! The one pictured here is basically what I'm getting, but I also have the corner braces along the top corners coming as well to help with side-to-side sway on ocean chop. Should be here mid next week, then I get to install it. Yay
Funny how it was perfectly intact until I made this thread, was forming a plan to replace it after this season, and had begun shopping for potential replacements if I didn't DIY it. Then very next trip it decides to shear off, but be fixable. Then this weekend, it broke multiple places, including losing a whole side basically. Had to use the duct tape and paracord I had on board to get us home.
Talked to a few different fabricators locally, and the ones in Oregon here were all 1 to 12mo out for being able to get me in. There is also WhoDat towers in Centralia WA who could get me done within a week or so, but they won't let me install it myself, so between their install charges and WA sales tax, it just didn't make sense for me.
So as of today, I have this FishOn Uni Tower on the way! The one pictured here is basically what I'm getting, but I also have the corner braces along the top corners coming as well to help with side-to-side sway on ocean chop. Should be here mid next week, then I get to install it. Yay
Addressed in my previous post
I blame @clarkman
Apologies...my skim failed me.
I do it constantly at work. I know how it goes
Been chipping away at the install. It probably would have been done quite some time ago, but I'm going through multiple phases of what I want to do. Started by trying to do the aft portion as a "deck mount" on my bait tanks where my previous one mounted and opted out of that as previously stated.
Next up, I got the whole thing fully mounted with the side mounts along my walkaround walls, which worked great... except I decided it was too tall. I ALMOST left it, but knew I'd regret it. It was now or never to correct it. So yesterday, I cut the tube bottoms down 6". Easy enough, except the holes for the screws that fasten the bases. Making holes is easy enough, but making holes that have to be in a VERY precise location is a lot harder than you'd think. Measuring from the base of the tube to get the right height - super easy. Measuring the radius to position it correctly there - not so much. At all. So I failed a few times, then finally landed on using the cut offs as jigs - keeps me drilling straight, and I can mark the bottoms of them to align so things go on relatively straight. Not super scientific, but precision isn't my forte (or even an ability I have in any capacity... which is a big reason I opted out of full DIY on this one).
So with that out of the way, I went back to get them back onto the mounts on the boat only to realize that by cutting off 6", the base now was ever so slightly closer together since the pipes are angled. So that means the tedious task of redoing the front brackets. Not super fun because one arm has to go through the speaker hole with a wrench and kind of feel around until you get the wrench to find its mark. Then you get to sit uncomfortably with your arm awkwardly angled while you use the ratchet on the other side.
But after a couple hours, I got them up finally. Now I need to extend the wire for my anchor light and run it through the center piece so I can mount that on, then finish fastening on all the accessories and radar. yay
Next up, I got the whole thing fully mounted with the side mounts along my walkaround walls, which worked great... except I decided it was too tall. I ALMOST left it, but knew I'd regret it. It was now or never to correct it. So yesterday, I cut the tube bottoms down 6". Easy enough, except the holes for the screws that fasten the bases. Making holes is easy enough, but making holes that have to be in a VERY precise location is a lot harder than you'd think. Measuring from the base of the tube to get the right height - super easy. Measuring the radius to position it correctly there - not so much. At all. So I failed a few times, then finally landed on using the cut offs as jigs - keeps me drilling straight, and I can mark the bottoms of them to align so things go on relatively straight. Not super scientific, but precision isn't my forte (or even an ability I have in any capacity... which is a big reason I opted out of full DIY on this one).
So with that out of the way, I went back to get them back onto the mounts on the boat only to realize that by cutting off 6", the base now was ever so slightly closer together since the pipes are angled. So that means the tedious task of redoing the front brackets. Not super fun because one arm has to go through the speaker hole with a wrench and kind of feel around until you get the wrench to find its mark. Then you get to sit uncomfortably with your arm awkwardly angled while you use the ratchet on the other side.
But after a couple hours, I got them up finally. Now I need to extend the wire for my anchor light and run it through the center piece so I can mount that on, then finish fastening on all the accessories and radar. yay
fatbillybob
Steelhead
If you think that was tough building your own would have been outside your wheel house. I have fabrication skills build racecars and weld cages. There is a lot to your boat mod. Congrats on getting a good looking functional set up
Oh I figured it out pretty quick that I was in over my head with a full DIY. I love doing as much as I can myself, but I know my limitations. So this kit here was the best solution and definitely saved money vs having a full custom job done with install.