Material for downriiger board

[rooky]

Im rigging my stern with a wood board to attach a downrigger and rod holders....any suggestions on type of wood..?

And what type of protectant..? Standard urethane..? or is their a marine grade coater..?

Thx in advance....

[DEFIANCE1]

I would use pressure treated and then stain or paint it the color that you want, then use minwax helmsman spar urethane to coat it. The key is to let the pressure treated wood dry before painting it or else it will peel. Maple or other hardwoods would be good also but its going to cost alot to buy a thick enough and wide enough piece.

[LongLine]

rooky - Welcome to the board. Check out the article section for what I did. (Use a good straight dry 2 x 8" then paint the heck out of it)

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Has Been]

I used A PT 2x10 Sized & fitted to my situation on my 21bayliner trophy. I then wraped it with blue indoor outdoor carpet. It looked cool as hell . Make sure to use thru bolts for your riggers . Was nice cause I would move my rod holder around deppending on if it were spring ( Planner boards) 0r Summer ( Riggers & Dipseys ) To fine tune my setup for optumum perfprmance without puttung holes in the boat. I actually put one across the back & one on each side bolted together.I'm a trim carpenter so all this was pretty easy for my but you can do it.

Nice winter projedt . Use Stainless fasteners.

[line dancin fishing team]

use mahagony it is almost the exact same as teak and very strong. Get two one inch thick pieces and cement them together clamp and screw them. make sure the grains are reversed as this will add to your strength. the other thing about mahogony is it will not warp like other hard woods and pressure treated wood. then about 8 to 10 coats of a good spar varnish making sure to sand it back each time.

[holy mackerel]

Buy a 5" x 3/4" x length 6061 t6 aluminum drill and tap for mounts, and you will never have to worry about rot or finish.

[rooky]

Thanks guys..! All set....Rooky

[711skwerlz]

I used a 5/4 x 5 1/2 composite deck board. My span is only 6ft. It was about the same cost of pressure treated + stain+ clearcoat. Never worry about rot or warp. Just bolt your riggers trough. I have two riggers and 5 rod holders on mine. A 10ft board was $20 at lowes theyv'e got a couple different colors. If your going too much longer I would use something heavier (thicker) or support the middle. The plastic is pretty easy to work with don't be intimidated by something new.

[711skwerlz]

Just curious what did you end up using? How did it turn out?

[birddog1004]

i your looking i have a board that went across my old boat that was a 2002 176 starcraft fish master

has the clams on the side that clamp on the side make an offer if interested sick of trip over it