# Attaching Grab Rail on Cooler



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I'm going to go with the idea that a cooler might be inadequate structurally.
Not only with the attachments to the cooler, but also with how the cooler is attached to the boat.
I've seen fiberglass consoles battered loose from the deck over time
due to fastener pull through or shearing. I can't see a cooler being anywhere near as strong.

[smiley=2cents.gif]


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## mike63 (Jul 15, 2010)

Agreed Brett. I'm not sold on the idea but it seems some people are trying it with the Yeti coolers, but that would mean I would need to spend 300 bucks on a cooler and well then my grab bar would be a pretty expensive .

If I went that route I would use two tie downs to secure cooler to floor.


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## skinnywater3 (Feb 8, 2009)

I like this setup


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## cmiranda (Jan 12, 2011)

I wanted to do the same thing and ended up attaching it to the floor. It feels a lot stronger than a shifting cooler.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

AB - For the most part you're on track, just throw in a backing plate for the interior and it should be OK. But the stability of the grab rail is largely based on which cooler it is mounted to and how the cooler is attached to the boat. Sure Yeti's, Frigid Rigid, Engels, etc., are probably the strongest coolers for both mounting points but I am not willing to drill into a $300+ cooler.

What type of boat are you adding the rail to?


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## mike63 (Jul 15, 2010)

I'm having a boggy creek 14 micro built and am just thinking ahead. I don't really need the support so to speak, not like I'll be running in real open water, mostly creeks here in Fernandina. The idea is to have something for a little stability if needed and a cooler/seat all in one that I can take in and out of the boat as needed.


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> I like this setup


This would be an awesome setup until you really NEED a grab rail. Then I don't think it would be so great. 

Nice clean installation though


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

> I don't really need the support so to speak, not like I'll be running in real open water, mostly creeks here in Fernandina. The idea is to have something for a little stability if needed and a cooler/seat all in one that I can take in and out of the boat as needed.


99% of the time it might be fine, but that one time you lose your balance and grab on to it hard will make you wish you had done it differently and it will happen. Either the cooler will end up taking tthe brunt of the force, or the mounts will rip out of the floor eventually.


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

> I'm having a boggy creek 14 micro built and am just thinking ahead.


OK, thinking ahead is always good... 

You're having a hull built, so have the boys at Boggy Creek add reinforced mounts to the cockpit sole.
Not after it's built, but while the interior is still raw fiberglass.
That way there are no holes drilled through the deck to become future leaks. 
The best part of custom hulls is the fact that anything you want can be built and added to the hull.
Talk to the builder and let him know what you want...

                                             just a thought... :-?


Even something as simple as this would be easy to glass to the cockpit sole.
Cooler fits inside the knees, grab bar is bolted to the back panel.


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## Delmer (Dec 26, 2009)

Brett, 

You draw pertty pictures. That is exactly what I am looking for once I get my project in paint and flipped over on it's bottom again. Now I gotta go find me a cooler to fit in
there. ;D


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Start with the cooler, then design the grab to fit it.
I got to thinking about the grab-base and realized
that flat panels of fiberglass would flex too much.
So some angles were needed to stiffen it.
Hence the Mark II grab-base. Small console surface
to add rigidity and a place to mount a cupholder or gps.
And vertical rodholders on either side of the cooler knees.
Don't forget limber holes in the rear corners,
so water and dirt drain through during after trip cleanup.

Always room for improvement when you plan ahead...


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

heres a pic of my grab bar custom made to  wrap my cooler, not much gets in the way and shes real secure. imo if your gonna attach directly to the cooler you sure better double up your mounting hardware, thru bolt everything and use big fender washers, wear your life jacket too cause its not a question of "if" but "when"...... your gonna go swimming....lol   ;D








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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

SBC's setup above looks like the ticket. Strong, simple and clean.

-T


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## greenwater (Jul 2, 2010)

I almost had a setup built like southboundchicken's, but opted to build a small center console instead w/ a hatch for a little extra storage space and a place to mount my GPS and a depth finder. No pics, as I'm still in progress.


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

I still have this if you need.

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1250639312


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## ghamptonp (Jan 3, 2011)

> Agreed Brett. I'm not sold on the idea but it seems some people are trying it with the Yeti coolers, but that would mean I would need to spend 300 bucks on a cooler and well then my grab bar would be a pretty expensive  .
> 
> If I went that route I would use two tie downs to secure cooler to floor.



Got to thinkin bout it and for the cooler tie downs, if you used toggle bolts through the deck it would greatly reduce the chance of things going bad when the need for the grab bar arrises.  just another  [smiley=2cents.gif] thought


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

> Got to thinkin bout it and for the cooler tie downs, if you used toggle bolts through the deck it would greatly reduce the chance of things going bad when the need for the grab bar arrises. just another thought


Maybe, but then you would never be able to really seal the bolts (downside of toggles) and give an avenue for leaks through the deck. Not what I would do.


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## Robert_Baltean (Feb 26, 2011)

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I want to build this really bad. I have been meaning to get some fabricating tools to start tinkering. (Got to learn somewhere) I was wondering if this cheap Harbor Freight Tube Bender would work for making the bends. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-hydraulic-pipe-bender-32888.html 
I need input from anybody with any experience. I also want a welder that will weld aluminum. A guy I know offered to give me a couple of lessons but I didn't ask him what type of welder is needed. Keep in mind I can't spend tons of money on equipment yet. I can invest more later if my curiosity for fabricating turns into a passion.

1. Will tube bender work?
2. What type of welder is needed for aluminum?


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## mike63 (Jul 15, 2010)

That bender will do an ok job. You can weld aluminum with a mig but it's much cleaner with a tig. If you don't already have a welder and after you buy the bottle, helmet and gloves you can have one built for cheaper. On a side note I build old harleys in the garage and have an older daytona mig I'd let go for cheap. PM me if you want to know more, and I live in Yulee.


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## Robert_Baltean (Feb 26, 2011)

I'm not to worried about a pretty weld as much as I am a strong one. I can always grind down the ugliness. I think if I fill the tubing with wet sand it should keep it from collapsing. Anyway, PM sent.


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## basfshr27 (Mar 31, 2011)

SBC that is a sweet cooler mount!


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## drewrossi (Jan 30, 2010)

I have the same bender but from Northern.  I tried the fill with sand/ wet sand method/ no sand.  Nothing I did would get me a clean 90deg bend without pinching/dimpling. I tried both 1" and 1.5" tubing.  After six wasted practice tubes, I spent more on material than the bender cost.  Probably the worst $120 I ever spent.  I would save and get an actual tube bender, they work real good.


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## Robert_Baltean (Feb 26, 2011)

I think I'm going to have to make a $600 investment in a real deal tube bender. I get burned every time I try to cut corners. I should know by now..."you get what you pay for".


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