# Attaching Grab Bar to deck



## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

So I bought a Carolina Skiff J12 and I want to attach a grab bar to the center of the deck. As we know it is not wise to put holes in the floor of a Carolina so I am looking for options. The grab bar is about 36" high and 12" wide and has an aluminum base about 3" by 14". My plan is to get a piece of oak or poplar and run some bolts through it. Then make a putty with epoxy and some cab o sil and maybe some mat and attach it to the deck. After that I plan on glassing a few layers over that. Then I should have something solid to bolt the grab bar to. Is this the best option? I looked into 3m5200 and using something like JB weld and just putting screws in but I do not think it would hold up. Any ideas? I saw a pick online of someone who put a grab bar in theirs (pic below) but he did not say how he attached it. His set up is pretty much what I plan to do.


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## Lowtidelowlife (Aug 19, 2014)

I had a j16 with grab bar using Kennedy tie downs, grab bar was fastened to cooler.

I drilled holes into the deck, then bored out foam with Allen key chucked into drill. Filled with thickened epoxy, then drilled pilot holes and then sealed screws into that.

I didn’t want to end up with a wet foam j boat.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

This is what I plan to do.


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## Sdia03 (Jan 26, 2021)

Post an update after you do this. I have a J16 and I want to do the exact same. I was going to just drill the grab bar to the Hull using marine deck screws and 5200 the hell out it. I’m sure this is NOT the way to do this hence why I haven’t done it yet. It’s hard to find any good diy installs of grab bars into fiberglass. Good luck! Until I hear a success story I’m sitting tight.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

Sdia03 said:


> Post an update after you do this. I have a J16 and I want to do the exact same. I was going to just drill the grab bar to the Hull using marine deck screws and 5200 the hell out it. I’m sure this is NOT the way to do this hence why I haven’t done it yet. It’s hard to find any good diy installs of grab bars into fiberglass. Good luck! Until I hear a success story I’m sitting tight.


I researched using that method but 5200 does not stick that well to aluminum and a grab bar is gonna take a lot of torque. I do not want it to pop loose when I am running away from a rain storm pounding on 3' waves. (which does happen here) LOL


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

KratosSkiff said:


> This is what I plan to do.
> View attachment 166577



This is a decent plan except:

1) the wood choices are poor - you can do much better.
2) when putting down the wood, make it as long as the cooler that you choose to go there. This will add exponential amount of support to the bar because the sole glass is very thin.

In your plan, coat all of the wood a time or two before continuing with your plan otherwise the wood could soak up all the resin and leave you with a poor bond. Also, glass on top won't be needed of you coat the wood first.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

DuckNut said:


> This is a decent plan except:
> 
> 1) the wood choices are poor - you can do much better.
> 2) when putting down the wood, make it as long as the cooler that you choose to go there. This will add exponential amount of support to the bar because the sole glass is very thin.
> ...


Could you give me some better wood choices? Also I planned on glassing over the top and about 6" around board to give it more strength.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

KratosSkiff said:


> Could you give me some better wood choices? Also I planned on glassing over the top and about 6" around board to give it more strength.


Ash, spruce, cypress....any of the marine plywoods (you could buy a thin sheet and glue several together)

The poplar is a reference to several woods and if you don't get the right ones they will be prone to rot. Oak is prone to warping and cracking/splitting.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's how I'd be very tempted to secure that grab rail... First off I'd want a grab rail cooler setup and you can add a cushion to the front of the grab rail for anyone using the cooler as a seat... Next I'd want the grab rail built with a generous aluminum plate as it's base - big enough that it will allow the entire cooler to sit on it... Lastly without using the first screw or bolt I'd 5200 the entire plate to your deck (prep the deck first by very carefully cleaning off the area it covers with acetone, then a very light scuffing with medium grit sandpaper I'd also very carefully acetone wash that base plate before using the 5200). Once that plate is exactly where you'd want it with 5200 in place, very carefully clean up around the edges with cloth or paper towel that has some rubbing alcohol on it. The last step would be to place your cooler on top of the plate - then fill it with water as your clamping force. The hardest part? Not touching it at all for at least two days to allow the 5200 to reach full gripping strength. In use that same cooler should ensure that your grab bar was a permanent installation...

Forgot to mention... the deck where you intend to attach that plate needs to be flat so the two surfaces mate properly -or all bets are off... I'd want to make a thin plywood model of the base first to make sure with a bit of hand fitting - before I ever made that grab bar if you intend to use this method...


Years ago we used to attach live well boxes to fiberglass transoms using only 5200 with a few screws (just in case). The gripping strength was so great that you could stand on one of those livewells without the first screw in place.. Here's a pic of my old baby SeaCraft - note the livewells - that's exactly how we did them...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

KratosSkiff said:


> I researched using that method but 5200 does not stick that well to aluminum and a grab bar is gonna take a lot of torque. I do not want it to pop loose when I am running away from a rain storm pounding on 3' waves. (which does happen here) LOL


5200 will absolutely adhere to aluminum. Did you read or hear this somewhere? It’s incorrect, speaking from a lot of first hand experience.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

OK I know 5200 is some bad stuff but if you take lets say a cleat and put a 3' pry bar on the end of it you could probably break it loose. That is what I am up against. Also nice set up with the live wells (I may steal that idea) but it looks like those are made of plastic or fiberglass not aluminum and have a larger surface area. I do plan on putting an ice chest in front of it so I may look into making the base bigger for it to sit on but I like options and may not always want a big ice chest in the boat for more room and I do not want to trip over a 2' square 3/4' high board on the deck. I would also prefer to use one solid piece of wood vs marine ply. I know there is probably more than one way to do this but I want the strongest. I build furniture and even if it is a small Childs table if I can not stand on it it is not strong enough. Thanks for all the ideas!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

The real drawback to using a 5200 bond? It’s pretty much permanent- particularly with a large surface to bond with, the way that base plate I proposed would.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Let us know how it works out for you.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I worked at a marine rigging and aluminum fabrication shop for some time and I’ve tried to remove poling platforms and other aluminum work from boat decks and after you remove the fasteners the 5200 will rip the fiberglass off before it releases and that’s on 3” aluminum pads. You have to heat the aluminum with a heat gun until it starts smoking and put constant vertical pressure on the piece while doing this and it will finally release from the deck. Fasteners AND 5200 isn’t ripping off unless you hit a tree with it.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

Maybe I will try a test run with 5200 on a scrap piece of fiberglass? Like I said I just do not want it to come loose when I am slamming 3' waves. I get a bit ballsy on the water.  Should I score the aluminum base to make it stick better if I use 5200?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

KratosSkiff said:


> Maybe I will try a test run with 5200 on a scrap piece of fiberglass? Like I said I just do not want it to come loose when I am slamming 3' waves. I get a bit ballsy on the water.  Should I score the aluminum base to make it stick better if I use 5200?


You could also try using perforated aluminum sheet for the base. It’s a bit lighter and you could counter sink fasteners wherever you want.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

OK this is driving me a little nuts! The whole issue is {what will bond aluminum to fiberglass}! The 3m website does not say 5200 will bond aluminum except (maybe) and not as well as wood or other materials, and only if I prime the "metal". It does not say what kind of metal or what to prime it with. Also I can not find out if epoxy 
and or what kind of epoxy will be strong enough to create a good bond that is why I was looking at fiber glassing a base and using mechanical "bolts" and also 5200 on top of it all for some give due to vibration ext. then bolting it down. I just want the grab rail to become part of the boat and not come off. I am thinking I will first try something and bear with me. Drilling several holes in the base plate so the 5200 can ooze through. Then using like 8 screws to the deck for a mechanical bond. I am about to just get some 8' bolts and go through the whole dang hull! LOL


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I used an old hand truck/dolly (wheels cut off) for a grab bar in a duck boat. I used 4 Lag bolts and a little sealant to mount to a wooden floor.
It never went anywhere, I ran a longtail on it and hit all kinds of stuff.

I wouldn't over think it and just make sure my holes are well sealed.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

KratosSkiff said:


> OK this is driving me a little nuts! The whole issue is {what will bond aluminum to fiberglass}! The 3m website does not say 5200 will bond aluminum except (maybe) and not as well as wood or other materials, and only if I prime the "metal". It does not say what kind of metal or what to prime it with. Also I can not find out if epoxy
> and or what kind of epoxy will be strong enough to create a good bond that is why I was looking at fiber glassing a base and using mechanical "bolts" and also 5200 on top of it all for some give due to vibration ext. then bolting it down. I just want the grab rail to become part of the boat and not come off. I am thinking I will first try something and bear with me. Drilling several holes in the base plate so the 5200 can ooze through. Then using like 8 screws to the deck for a mechanical bond. I am about to just get some 8' bolts and go through the whole dang hull! LOL


You are over thinking it. If you don’t believe me when I tell you 5200 will bond to aluminum and fiberglass do a sample test with a scrap piece of aluminum plate scuffed with 120 grit, wiped with acetone and stick it to a piece of gel coated fiberglass scuffed and cleaned with acetone then screw the aluminum to it and let the pieces sit three days and remove screws and try to get the pieces apart. I bet you $100 you rip the gelcoat and glass off before the 5200 separates from the aluminum.


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

Smackdaddy53 You seem to be the most coherent of the people in the discussion. I have also asked this question on other forums and had many different answers. That being said. If I scuff the aluminum plate with 120 grit do I need to scuff the surface of the deck (remember it is a Carolina Skiff with that spider web finish (do not know what it is called but it is not a slick finish like a gel coat and has black fleck strings in it) and of course I would clean area with acetone. Also is my idea of putting several holes in the bottom plate a good idea for better adhesion? As I said I know 5200 is some bad @ stuff I just want it to have the shear strength for it to hold. And yes I tend to over engineer things, LOL .


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Scuff both surfaces, clean with acetone, apply adhesive, screw, cure, fish.
You should be fine as long as you don’t get crazy and hang on the grab bar or run into bridges and tree limbs. Make sure fasteners are proper length. You can still do core out with allen wrench in drill/epoxy fill/drill and tap method to strengthen fasteners as well.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

finally a topic I know something about. I sold adhesives and sealants (including 3M) to manufacturers for 30 years.
Attached is the Technical Data Sheet for 5200, including tensile and shear values for AL and FRP.
Smack's prep instructions are spot on - scuff, acetone, apply. Also, Capt Lemay's advice to let it cure for a full 2 days is good advice; this stuff cures by interaction with atmospheric moisture (humidity) so if you have a large, flat part, and only a thin bead of exposure, you need to allow time for the moisture to cure through the entire section.

When you look at the shear/data, remember that it's in PSI. The surface area of your bond of a large, flat part spreads that strength out over a LARGE area, so the forces are spread out (PSI X in2), increasing the bond strength exponentially.

one-part urethane adhesives are used to bond the skins on trailers, panels on buses, windshields in airplanes. It should do a good job for you.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I love it... this is like the guy who goes to more than a few doctors until he finds a diagnosis he agrees with.... 

That's okay - my kids don't listen to me either...

For what it's worth (nothing since the advice is free..) I won't post up a technique I haven't used myself - or if it's something I've heard or read about - I'll be very specific about the "how I know" part... and any drawbacks. There are definitely drawbacks to using 5200 since it really is permanent.

Good luck on whatever you choose to do


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## KratosSkiff (Feb 6, 2021)

Thanks for all the info. everyone. I have a lot more other work I want to do on this boat before it hits the water so the 5200 will have weeks to cure before I test it. Using 5200 and screws will save me a lot on Epoxy too. That West Marine stuff is expensive! And as far as being permanent that is what I want. I think this is like my 11th boat, two 11' that I built and several that I had to fabricate things and repair. This is probably my last so I am setting it up exactly like I want. I will try to remember to post some pics later. I also may glass in a live well later but that will be another thread.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

lemaymiami said:


> I love it... this is like the guy who goes to more than a few doctors until he finds a diagnosis he agrees with....
> 
> That's okay - my kids don't listen to me either...
> 
> ...


Don't go changing anything you do Bob.

If people do not recognize experience talking then let them mosey along.

Remember, thees are the same people who use Gorilla Glue on their hair.


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## Lowtidelowlife (Aug 19, 2014)

Just do it the way I suggested to do it. It’s the only way to secure something to a foam core boat with a thin lamination. It’s literally fool proof.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Lowtidelowlife said:


> Just do it the way I suggested to do it. It’s the only way to secure something to a foam core boat with a thin lamination. It’s literally fool proof.


This method with 5200...bomb proof


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

Not sure of your final plans, but in post #3 you showed a diagram of a wooden (??) block epoxied to the floor with bolts sticking up from it. I did a similar thing on a boat's seats years ago. I made plywood bases for the seat mounting pads and drilled holes for the bolts, making the beginning a bit bigger to hold the bolt heads solidly - to the point where I had to drive them in with a heavy hammer.

I then coated the bottom of the bases with epoxy, mixed some epoxy thickened with cab-o-sil and spread it on the floor to stick the bases onto. Worked very well and those seats were anchored, even thru some pretty heavy weather.

Then a few years later I had a problem with a seat and went to remove it. Salt water on those threads had bonded the nuts to the bolt threads and when I put a wrench on them, they broke loose and turned the entire bolt. Yes, yes, I pre-soaked them with penetrating oil. I won't go into the rest of the story - it turned into a long, miserable, tedious project.

If you go that route, I would strongly suggest having a short "wing" welded to the bolt head so that later on it "cannot" turn......or possibly find some heavy duty wing nuts to recess into the base.


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## SnookFisher (Jun 15, 2021)

Lowtidelowlife said:


> I had a j16 with grab bar using Kennedy tie downs, grab bar was fastened to cooler.
> 
> I drilled holes into the deck, then bored out foam with Allen key chucked into drill. Filled with thickened epoxy, then drilled pilot holes and then sealed screws into that.
> 
> I didn’t want to end up with a wet foam j boat.


Sorry to revive an old thread, but I’m about to tackle this endeavor in a few days. I’ve spent the past few months tearing down a Carolina Skiff and rebuilding it after inheriting a waterlogged one that did NOT have the screws properly sealed. Drilling back into the deck and foam that I have spent months (and thousands of dollars) repairing scares the crap out of me and I want to make sure I do it properly.

I have an aluminum grab bar with four feet that I need to attach to the deck. The mounting holes on the grab bar feet are 1/4” in diameter. I thought about fastening the grab bar using T-nuts under some Coosa board that’s glassed/bonded to the deck, but I think the elevated grab bar won’t look as clean. I’d like to fasten it to the deck the right way.

Here are my questions…do you have any suggestions on how to force the thickened epoxy down into the holes? I want to make sure it gets down in there and fills the void properly. This may sound goofy, but I was thinking a turkey baster or some syringe with a thicker nozzle that allows the thickened epoxy to be forcefully dispensed into hole?

Also, I’m all ears for any suggestions as far as drilling size. The grab bar feet mounting holes are 1/4” thick. Should I drill a 1/4” hole, bore out with Allen key, and then drill a 3/16” pilot hole back into the thickened epoxy after it has hardened? Should I use a self-tapping stainless steel machine screw or something else? Any suggestions on length of screw?

Again, my apologies for the basic questions, but I REALLY don’t want to screw up this final stage after everything I’ve already put into this.


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## SnookFisher (Jun 15, 2021)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> This method with 5200...bomb proof


Smackdaddy, your thoughts on my above question would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

SnookFisher said:


> Smackdaddy, your thoughts on my above question would be greatly appreciated as well. Thank you


I don’t want to be responsible for that, you better wait for one of the boat builders to reply.


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

My experience with using any kind of screws in epoxy - thickened or otherwise has been very negative. It crumbles under that kind of point pressure. Not sure if some fillers/thickeners would be stronger.

Most of my bad experience has been with mounting transducers and repairing bad transducer installations.....to the point where I will no longer drill for them - on anything. I epoxy a piece of wood to the transom and screw the transducer to that.

2 things come to mind for your project: 1) I think it was Bob LeMay who talked about heavy duty toggle bolts for similar uses....maybe he'll chime in. 2) Maybe glue blocks to the deck with epoxy to mount your grab bar on, then fair them to reduce toe crunches.

You might could make some test blocks of epoxy with various thickeners to test on the bench. Be careful - heat of curing can cause major problems with larger chunks. (that might be something to consider if you inject some under the deck) 

IIRC, it was System 3 Resins in the Seattle area (really great folks who helped me a lot when learning) who had me run a test on wood. Soft wood - it won't work with hardwood. 

They said something to the effect that driving a screw into solid wood would crush the fibers and reduce holding power. Pre-drilling with proper size bits would give a solid bite to the screws and holding power would be increased. I was skeptical.

I won't go into a lot of detail - testing that turned into a helluva struggle - but they were right. Double that for screwing into fiberglass. You can "feel" the glass crunching under the screw, as on a transom.....and I can promise it won't hold well and it will leak. Thickened epoxy ?? I dunno - test it. Keep us posted.


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

Noodling on this some more - the only toggle bolts I have experience with are the little Ace Hardware ones meant for hanging pictures on drywall. They aren't very strong. (to say the least)

I "think" what Bob was referring to was this kind of thing - a whole 'nuther critter entirely. This, or similar, would be pretty skookum: GCP38000TF Toggle Anchor,Female 3/8 In,PK2 | Zoro.com


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## SnookFisher (Jun 15, 2021)

Great info Gogittum. I really appreciate the amount of thought you put into it and your suggestions. Your negative past experiences with screws into epoxy sent me into a tailspin and had me re-thinking everything again. I scoured the interwebs some more and came across this thread. It’s always tough on the internet because you can find anything to either support or refute the case you’re trying to make, but the general consensus here seems to be that you’re good to go as long as you add fumed silica and milled fibers to the epoxy, clear out enough surface area under the hole entrance, and tap out the screw hole for a machine screw instead of a self-tapping screw. The grab bar is aluminum and has four feet spread out over about a 2’ x 18” surface area with three screw holes in each foot. I’m hoping 12 screws spreading the load out will be enough to hold it in place. I ran the idea past my pops today who has some experience building boats in the past, and he wasn’t convinced over long-term usage either due to the epoxy plugs being surrounded by foam, so if I decide to go this route I just might have to accept the fact that it’s going to pull loose on me in a few years and try an alternative method. I suppose I can always fill those holes in and then try a block type method over the top of the deck down the road. I have plenty of scrap wood laying around so I’ll run a test fill-tap-screw this weekend, see how it holds a machine screw, and will report back.






Filling and drilling holes using West System Epoxy - Cruisers & Sailing Forums


My cat suffered some wind damage this winter on the Chesapeake. The binimi and framework were ripped off the boat by high winds. All the screws in the baseplates were basically ripped out of their



www.cruisersforum.com


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

SnookFisher said:


> Great info Gogittum. I really appreciate the amount of thought you put into it and your suggestions. Your negative past experiences with screws into epoxy sent me into a tailspin and had me re-thinking everything again. I scoured the interwebs some more and came across this thread. It’s always tough on the internet because you can find anything to either support or refute the case you’re trying to make, but the general consensus here seems to be that you’re good to go as long as you add fumed silica and milled fibers to the epoxy, clear out enough surface area under the hole entrance, and tap out the screw hole for a machine screw instead of a self-tapping screw. The grab bar is aluminum and has four feet spread out over about a 2’ x 18” surface area with three screw holes in each foot. I’m hoping 12 screws spreading the load out will be enough to hold it in place. I ran the idea past my pops today who has some experience building boats in the past, and he wasn’t convinced over long-term usage either due to the epoxy plugs being surrounded by foam, so if I decide to go this route I just might have to accept the fact that it’s going to pull loose on me in a few years and try an alternative method. I suppose I can always fill those holes in and then try a block type method over the top of the deck down the road. I have plenty of scrap wood laying around so I’ll run a test fill-tap-screw this weekend, see how it holds a machine screw, and will report back.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hold off on any of that for a bit. Just remembered I've got an epoxy/filler pour in my car for a GPS holder. It does work, but....?? A "real" lesson learned. I'm fresh out of the sack and eating breakfast, but will go out and take a pic a bit later.


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

My car is an older 4Runner that has 2 drink holders on the console, just behind the shifter. I used a Lowrance i600C gps while I was traveling heavy and moved it to the Runner when I "settled down." I like the map display but it's a bulky, heavy unit not suited for dash or windshield mounting. What to do ??

(my new, lighter, more compact Garmin gps mounts nicely on the dash and is much more user friendly for navigating around town. The Lowrance is still better on trips)

The console seemed the logical choice and not too inconvenient to look down at, so how to mount it ?? I didn't want a permanent mount and wanted it removable anyway. I still had some System 3 epoxy and a container of wood flour, as well as some microballoons and silica fibers. (??) Microballoons were a non-starter - they're a soft filler for fairing, etc.

I reasoned that the wood flour would (should) give good screw holding characteristics, I hoped, so mixed up a batch. I'd decided to pour into a drink holder, but, as I say, wanted it removable, so I pressed a piece of a market plastic grocery bag down into the holder and poured/scooped/pressed the very thick mix into that. Hah....messy.










It didn't go well, but it did go. You can still see some of the plastic bag here. I'm well aware of the heat of curing, but didn't think this would be too big. Wrong ! ! ! It seemed to boil or foam as I was working with it and the pour came out somewhat porous and softer than I wanted. I realize now that I should've made it in 2 or 3 pours, but I was stubborn and lazy and decided to see how it worked out. Think about this if you decide to inject into the floor.

It's worked for more than 10 years now and holds the heavy gps solidly, tho' it does loosen up periodically and the base will wobble. Those are #12 x 1½" stainless sheet metal screws holding the base and they loosen up from time to time.....maybe 6 or 8 times now. I pull the screws and put a couple of toothpicks in and cinch it back down. I have a clump of bamboo in this yard, so last time, I tried that. It's harder than toothpicks and seems to work well.

If I'd made the thing in a couple or 3 pours, I think it would've worked better. In any case, right or wrong, it doesn't bolster my trust in screws in epoxy.

I've thought on this some and firmly believe that your best bet would be the heavy duty toggles, maybe one to a corner. Put in screws to fill the remaining holes in the base for appearance and seal it all with 4200. Be careful about choosing 5200 - you may need to remove it at some future point.


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## SnookFisher (Jun 15, 2021)

Gogittum said:


> My car is an older 4Runner that has 2 drink holders on the console, just behind the shifter. I used a Lowrance i600C gps while I was traveling heavy and moved it to the Runner when I "settled down." I like the map display but it's a bulky, heavy unit not suited for dash or windshield mounting. What to do ??
> 
> (my new, lighter, more compact Garmin gps mounts nicely on the dash and is much more user friendly for navigating around town. The Lowrance is still better on trips)
> 
> ...


Man I can't thank you enough for taking the time to post this. I read your post last week, but have been non-stop on the boat since then and am just taking a breath to respond. You definitely saved me from drilling into the deck after hearing about your experience with it. 

I had to screw some pieces of Coosa together for some other parts of the project last weekend, and saw that it held a screw pretty well. I proceeded to Google search some more articles about Coosa screw retention and figured I'd give it a go. I screwed the grab bar to the four, 1" thick Coosa pucks with some small #6 screws and bonded the Coosa to the deck. I then unscrewed and removed the grab bar, made a radius around the sides of the pucks with some of the bonding putty, and glassed the pucks to the deck with a layer of 1.5oz CSM and a layer of 1708. I'm going to prime and paint with Tuffcoat this weekend, and then run the wires through the chase. When I'm ready to install the grab bar for good, I'm going to lather some 1/4" sheet metal screws with 4200 and drive them back in. I understand that they will likely loosen over time, and I've just accepted the fact that that may be the reality. I'll see about driving them back in with more 4200 down the line if I run into issues, but eventually I can either drill those holes out and try filling the Coosa holes up with the thickened epoxy method to get a few more years out of it if I have to. I figure with the pucks above the deck I can continue to mess with different techniques over the years until I find the one I prefer without actually having to go into the deck and foam. Again, thanks a ton GoGittum! I'll post a photo in a few days when I get it all buttoned up


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

SnookFisher said:


> Man I can't thank you enough for taking the time to post this. I read your post last week, but have been non-stop on the boat since then and am just taking a breath to respond. You definitely saved me from drilling into the deck after hearing about your experience with it.
> 
> I had to screw some pieces of Coosa together for some other parts of the project last weekend, and saw that it held a screw pretty well. I proceeded to Google search some more articles about Coosa screw retention and figured I'd give it a go. I screwed the grab bar to the four, 1" thick Coosa pucks with some small #6 screws and bonded the Coosa to the deck. I then unscrewed and removed the grab bar, made a radius around the sides of the pucks with some of the bonding putty, and glassed the pucks to the deck with a layer of 1.5oz CSM and a layer of 1708. I'm going to prime and paint with Tuffcoat this weekend, and then run the wires through the chase. When I'm ready to install the grab bar for good, I'm going to lather some 1/4" sheet metal screws with 4200 and drive them back in. I understand that they will likely loosen over time, and I've just accepted the fact that that may be the reality. I'll see about driving them back in with more 4200 down the line if I run into issues, but eventually I can either drill those holes out and try filling the Coosa holes up with the thickened epoxy method to get a few more years out of it if I have to. I figure with the pucks above the deck I can continue to mess with different techniques over the years until I find the one I prefer without actually having to go into the deck and foam. Again, thanks a ton GoGittum! I'll post a photo in a few days when I get it all buttoned up


That's good news. Thanks. I'd forgotten about them, but if you're mounting the pucks to the floor, think about stainless T-nuts to attach the grab bar with. Far stronger than screws, but make sure you set them so's they can't turn when you want to remove them. If they get a little corroded , they can be a beast to remove. 

My seat bases are mounted with T-nuts and the prongs aren't all that big, so I drilled 2 small holes in each and drove #6 x ½" screws thru them into the seat base to absolutely prevent turning.

I had a 19 ft years ago that I mounted the pedestal seats with T-nuts to 1½" thick plywood pads epoxied to the floor. A couple of years later I needed to remove one to work on the base. Nope. They just turned and turned. I had to destroy the mounting pad - miserable, difficult chore - to get them out, then re-do the whole thing. It was a mess. Lesson learned.


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## conpol (23 d ago)

KratosSkiff said:


> So I bought a Carolina Skiff J12 and I want to attach a grab bar to the center of the deck. As we know it is not wise to put holes in the floor of a Carolina so I am looking for options. The grab bar is about 36" high and 12" wide and has an aluminum base about 3" by 14". My plan is to get a piece of oak or poplar and run some bolts through it. Then make a putty with epoxy and some cab o sil and maybe some mat and attach it to the deck. After that I plan on glassing a few layers over that. Then I should have something solid to bolt the grab bar to. Is this the best option? I looked into 3m5200 and using something like JB weld and just putting screws in but I do not think it would hold up. Any ideas? I saw a pick online of someone who put a grab bar in theirs (pic below) but he did not say how he attached it. His set up is pretty much what I plan to do.
> View attachment 166442





Sdia03 said:


> Post an update after you do this. I have a J16 and I want to do the exact same. I was going to just drill the grab bar to the Hull using marine deck screws and 5200 the hell out it. I’m sure this is NOT the way to do this hence why I haven’t done it yet. It’s hard to find any good diy installs of grab bars into fiberglass. Good luck! Until I hear a success story I’m sitting tight.


I did this project last winter. I read through this thread before hand and ran with KratosSkiff's idea. It was a scary leap to cut holes in the bottom of my deck but it actually worked out great. This was done on a J16 Carolina Skiff. Hope this helps somebody. 


1. Cut holes to match up with foot mounts (buy a dremel if you don't have one).








2. I used a synthetic outdoor 2x4 as my foot bases (seems to be made out of plastic). 








3. Use a router to cut 2" holes into your foam (should match the height of 2x4 foot bases). 








4. Sink foot bases into pre-routed holes and fill with fiberglass resin. I used a little bit of fiberglass matt in my holes to add strength. 








5. Use the dremel to sand down the area around the foot base. Go through the gel coat. 








6. Apply fiberglass matt over the sanded surface. Apply resin and sand again. 








7.Paint or gel coat fiber glassed area (tape your screw threads). 








8. Mount the grab bar to your screws with stainless steel. 








9. I ended up using the knock off sea-deck product underneath my mount. It works fine for a year but I replace annually. Here it is finished.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

conpol said:


> I did this project last winter. I read through this thread before hand and ran with KratosSkiff's idea. It was a scary leap to cut holes in the bottom of my deck but it actually worked out great. This was done on a J16 Carolina Skiff. Hope this helps somebody.
> 
> 
> 1. Cut holes to match up with foot mounts (buy a dremel if you don't have one).
> ...


Nice write up. I’d recommend stainless acorn nuts on the exposed threads to eliminate someone ripping a hole in their foot.


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