Building a tube bar over transom on back of boat

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lugoismad

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I'm wondering if anyone has done this, seen it done, or what. I have a neighbor who is a welder. I'd like him to build me a steel or aluminum 4" tube that runs from side to side across the back of my boat, maybe a foot forward of the transom and maybe 4' high.

Artists rendering -

MErnjS2.png


This would give me a place to mount some rod holders, and if I secured it to the transom in a few places I could have a mount for pulling a tube or skier.
 
You can make them out of aluminum. Being the frugal guy I am I'd go to a salvage yard for trucks and get myself a set of running boards. They are about 4" in diameter and aluminum. Then I'd buy the straight sections from a metal recycler and cut and weld as needed. I made one for my boat from flat stock that just bolts on for my rod holders. If your going to tow with it you better add some more bracing from the horizontal piece to your transom in a couple places though.
 
If you are planning on towing with it, I’d recommend some forward angled braces. Kind of like a rollbar in a truck except backwards.


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I've not done this and don't have any special knowledge, but 4" dia pipe seems very large. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Here is a rendering of the forward braces Welder mentions (I think :D ) :

MErnjS2.png
 
I was wanting to find something similar to what you are looking for, but wasn't 100% sure exactly how I wanted it built, or even if I'd like it in the long run. Then I stumbled across this.

https://www.amazon.com/Oceansouth-Fishing-Rack-Rocket-Launcher/dp/B018830AFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523147082&sr=8-1&keywords=oceansouth+rod+rack

I bought it and put in on my boat, and so far I like it's functionality. It's easily removable as well, and can be cut down to be as short or narrow as you want.

I mainly wanted one to just hold rods so I didn't have them rolling around in the floor, in the way all the time. With the addition of two multi angle tube mount rocket launcher holders, it ended up eliminating the four rod holders at the back deck of the boat that I usually use when catfishing. I cut mine down so it barely spans the width of the outboard motor, and it just taller than the motor when trimmed all the way up. The way it angles back, mine barely takes up any room on the back deck at all, and the rods are well out of the way while still being very accessible.



Now I don't see this as a permanent solution, as it is not the highest quality product out there. Not even close, in fact. But for what it costs, the ease of installation, and it's function, I feel it is worth the money even if it only lasts a few years (and I don't see any reason it wouldn't). But no way, no how, would I tie a rope to it and attempt to pull anything with it.

I also agree with the above concern about 4" tubing. That would be way overkill. I'm usually an advocate of 'overkill is under rated', but 1 1/4"-1 1/2" schedule 40 tubing would be hella stout with a couple of angle braces.
 
lugoismad said:
I'm wondering if anyone has done this, seen it done, or what. I have a neighbor who is a welder. I'd like him to build me a steel or aluminum 4" tube that runs from side to side across the back of my boat, maybe a foot forward of the transom and maybe 4' high.

Artists rendering -

MErnjS2.png


This would give me a place to mount some rod holders, and if I secured it to the transom in a few places I could have a mount for pulling a tube or skier.
I made mine from aluminum electrical conduit. It bolts to the bench seat. The rod holders are Monster Rod Holders.
75e35797c2bfa88edbd60cab14c04a07.jpg


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I was asking about pulling a tube using the tie-down eyes on the back of the boat on a couple sites yesterday. All responses said it'd be fine so that's what I'm going to do. I wouldn't mind having a raised tow bar but my boat will be used for fishing 99% of the time so to me it isn't worth the effort or money to buy or make one. Good luck.
 
When it comes to pulling towables, my research told me that most bars, even wake towers, are not rated for them. In fact, I could not find a single one that was rated for towables, but I hesitate to say that their isn't a single one on the market. All of them I found are restricted to skiing and wakeboarding due to the high stress loads that a towable can impart when it submarines.

Just food for thought.
 
simple and cheap,stop by your local muffler shop and have them cut and bend it to the shape you want; then get (2) flat pieces welded on mount it to the rear.
 
Great Thread. I hadn't given much thought to rod holders - been busy refurbing the boat, but my boat is an older 16 ft Starcraft and is almost pristine. No dents, no old screw holes, not even mooring line cleats and I hate to start drilling holes all over at this point.

This thread has opened up a whole new train of thought for me and there are many possibilities. Thanks, y'all. My biggest concern at this point is reaching the motor to tilt it up when needed, but that's just a detail.
 

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