Fixing to build bow fishing rails for my boat. I have the layout that I want, but I'm not sure of how tall I want the sides. Post what you have and why you went with the height you did.

I just got done shortening mine. They were at 22 inches and now there 16. My previous bout i built them so they were just below the knee and i liked it. My new boat i bought a display deck the gave me a good deal on. With them being higher i was having trouble with kids and new people i took out hitting the bottom limb of the bow. I'll see if i can get some pic's up for ya.

I build mine 14-16" above top line of deck. This lets me have room for the lights and gets them just a little higher than mounting them directly to the deck. I also like them this way so my bow limbs don't hit the rail (for those close to the boat shots) when shooting but Im kind of short also. LOL

20140731_213300.jpg pic with the bows is the new rails i built with cup holders and bow holders. There also 6 inches shorter

What lights are you running?


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4- 400 watt high pressure sodium in custom housings and a remote ballast box.

What lights are better to use HPS or LED

Screw a rail! Whatever it takes to mount the lights or maybe a toe board but that'd be it. I like a clean flat deck and haven't managed to fall off in 40 years, even in my drinking days!!!!

got any pics of the bow holders?

from top of deck to center of light is 15" for me. also keep in mind how many people you normally bring. 2 buddies on front deck and 4 buddies on front deck make big difference.

So yours is roughly 18in from deck to top?

All the bow holders are is a 5/16 hole and then i made a bent piece of 5/16 rod that threads into stabilizer hole or welded some 5/16 round onto my rod. I also welded in bushings into my rail but i don't think that's necessary.

It seems like 16-18in is what everyone is doing. Guess im going that route.

Only thing I like about rails is you can put cup holders in em. Other than that it's just something to bang your bows and shins on.

I want them to hold, lights, bows, extra bolts and drinks.

Don't recommend going over 15"-16" tall, keep it below your knees. I've been bow fishing over 30 years and have put platforms on 3 different boats and found that if they are any taller, you'll hit your bow on them on close shots.

I also wrap mine with pipe insulation and dark colored duct tape so they're padded and won't damage your bow or you if you do hit them.

And if you can, make the platform just high enough to get your lights UNDER the platform.

If you put the lights underneath the platform, when the weather gets warm and the bugs are in full force, the bugs stay down below your knees.

If the lights are attached to your railing, the bugs will be in your face all night long.

I have also had two people go overboard, during the day, in broad daylight, (never even came close to have it happen at night), even with the railings but the padding helped keep them from getting hurt.

One guy was my brother in law. He learned the hard way when he didn't listen to what I told him to do. I told him to put his forward leg (shin) against the railing and firmly plant his foot so he'd be 'anchored' in case we hit something. But instead he was standing back away from the railing and we hit a stump doing about one (1) MPH. He skipped forward and the railing actually tripped him. If he'd had his leg against the railing and his front foot firmly planted it probably wouldn't have happened. He went under the boat and had to push away from it to get back to the surface. WE laughed until we cried after we got him back in the boat and realized he was okay. His son was standing next to him and couldn't stop him from going overboard because it happened so fast. But his son had his leg and foot planted and stayed dry.

The second guy that went out was the only person with me that day. He was actually sitting down in a padded boat seat mounted on a tall pedestal post on the platform. I custom made the pedestal from two pieces of steel pipe and it's 20" long/tall and when you put a padded seat on it your feet barely touch the platform. I made it that way thinking of my brother in law (the one who went swimming) who has a bad back and doesn't bend over very well. So that way he could shoot sitting down without hitting his bow on the railing.

Little did I know it would end up catapultimg someone into the water. I fell forward when we hit the stump and when I looked up to yell at the guy for not watching for stumps, he was gone and the seat was no longer on the pedestal mount. It was flipped upside down, laying on the platform. We also hit a stump that time at about one (1) MPH and he slid off the seat, his legs hit the railing, folding his feet underneath his butt and he went head first into ice cold water. He said he didn't have a chance to grab anything and out he went.

In both cases, it was early April and about 45 degrees out and the water was high and muddy and the water temp was about 40 degrees. Thank God the water was only about four feet deep. The guys were both okay. Cold and wet, but okay. I can still see their faces as I pulled them into the boat. One guy lost his sunglasses but my brother in law looked like he never went overboard. He was still wearing his hat and had his sunglasses on his face. BOTH of their faces were plastered with black mud. The two have never met but said the two exact same things when I got them back into the boat; "What the hell did we hit?" and "SON of a BITCH that water's cold". All I could do is laugh at them both for asking me, the guy standing in the back of the boat, what we hit. Serves em right for not paying attention.

And in both cases we had to fish around with the muck poles to find their bows in the black muck.

Good stories, and the plan is to go with 18in sides. That is right below my knee, but high enough to mount lights and holders.

The deck is nearly built and I'm hung up on a good height for a knee rail. I'll be running the 50 watt leds and probably hanging them from the rail. What do you guys like? if you even have a rail.. Will I even need it to keep me from walking off the deck?


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No higher than your knee.

You won't like the bugs in your face if you attach the lights to a railing above the platform that you'll be standing on. Best to put them under your feet and have the bugs around your knees rather than have them in your face all night long. Just saying.

Been there, done that. Learned from that mistake...

Just get you one of those cut buff face wraps with a skull on it and look like a badass.

Lol