You know that feeling when you’re in the fifth hour of a two-hour boat project and starting to wonder if you’ll even be done by dark? It’s just a fact of life for DIYers. Once you dig in, you often find unexpected complications.
Fortunately, the outcome is usually more than worth it. But let’s talk about some projects that are (almost) guaranteed not to balloon — projects you can knock out in an afternoon or less, but that can still make a big difference in the quality of your boating life.
1. Off-the-Shelf Glove Box
Boat Outfitters builds a lot of custom glove boxes to customers’ dimensions, but we also offer numerous “off-the-shelf” options, ranging from small, open catch-alls to larger boxes in a variety of dimensions.
Installation is simple — measure and cut the required opening on your console face (or wherever else you want extra storage), run a bead of sealant around the flange, and screw in place.
Voila! No more cupholders stuffed with phones, keys, glasses, wallets, and remote controls!
2. Under-Gunwale Rod Holders
The hardest part of installing under-gunwale horizontal rod holders is figuring out where to mount them. Once you settle on a position, it’s just a matter of drilling eight holes and screwing the holders in place.
We offer two, three, and four-slot options to fit a range of gunwale heights; conventional bungee retainers or our innovative Load-N-Lock design for one-handed stowing; and even folding racks that lay flat when not needed.
Don’t fish? Under-gunwale racks are also great for deck brushes, boat hooks, stern light poles, and skis. Dedicated under-gunwale storage is also available for spearguns and gaffs.
3. Pontoon Lounge Backrest Table
Got an unused pop-up changing room in the back of your pontoon lounger? You can replace it with a convenient fold-away table in a matter of minutes.
You can replace the pop-up changing room in the back of your pontoon lounger with a convenient fold-away table in a matter of minutes.
”Just unscrew the old pop-up and screw in the new table; in most cases you don’t even have to drill new holes. Direct drop-in replacements are available for many major pontoon brands, including Avalon-Tahoe, Bennington, Bentley, Crest, Godfrey, Harris, JC, Lowe, Manitou, Smoker Craft, Vanderbilt, Veranda, Xcursion, and Coach.
Options include a large table, a smaller table with a drawer for storage, and a three-drawer unit for maximum storage.
4. Waterproof Wireless Phone Charger
Although installing a wireless phone charger on your dash or console does require some wiring, it’s an easy connection since chargers are typically mounted in close proximity to distribution panels.
Rokk offers a variety of charger styles, which vary in both price and difficulty of installation. At the upper end of the difficulty scale are the Nest and Cove charging pockets, both of which require a cutout for installation.
At the easy end of the spectrum is the Active, which mounts to almost any surface with four small screws and requires only a single 1/4” hole for the cable.
Other options include the Edge, which requires less real estate on the dash than the Active; the Catch, a charging mat for horizontal surfaces; and the compact Nano. No more dangling cables and falling phones!
5. New Rocker Switch Covers
The rocker switches on your console or dash that control lights, pumps, and accessories have snap-on covers that often deteriorate long before the switch itself fails. The switch might still work fine, but the visible portion is weathered, cracked, or sometimes, in the case of “soft touch” covers gummy and sticky from UV exposure.
Rocker switch covers are virtually universal; just pop the old ones off and snap the new ones on.
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The good news is that this is the easiest project out there. Rocker switch covers are virtually universal; just pop the old ones off and snap the new ones on.
Our laser-etched covers never fade like printed text and let the light from the switch shine through for nighttime visibility. This one is a no-brainer; it will take you longer to order your new covers than to install them.
6. Keeper Strips
Tired of stuff sliding off the top of your console and other horizontal surfaces every time you turn hard or pop up on plane?
Starboard keeper strips are a simple, effective solution.
Just specify your length, height, and color, and we’ll make them, complete with pre-drilled, countersunk fastener holes.
All you have to do is run a bead of marine sealant and screw them in place with #8 fasteners.
7. Forward Seating Backrests
Surprisingly, you can add comfortable, lounge-style seating to the raised forward deck of a wide range of boats in an hour or two.
Adding lounge-style backrests to your forward deck is just a matter of positioning the bases, marking and drilling the holes, and bolting them on.
”Our Backrest Seat Support bolts directly onto a vertical surface with eight fasteners; our Forward Seating Backrest drops into it, creating an instant lounger — no cutting or modifications required.
The only caveat here is that the seat bases should be through-bolted for strength, meaning you’ll need access to the back side of the mounting surface.
Assuming you have that, installation is just a matter of positioning the bases where you want them, marking and drilling the holes, and bolting them on.