I'm trying to make a grab bar for my aluminum boat and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on the matter? Do you use aluminum, galvanized steel, etc.? What do you use to mount it to the boat, self tapping screws? Thanks for any help.

Use aluminum square tube or pipe. Get one bigger than other. So it can slip in.

Thanks guys. I just made one out of a crutch haha.

You are gonna be on crutches when that thing breaks. Lol

Post a pic of your bar..

a crutch is prolly a bad idea

Hard to protect people from themselves

Why pay mud buddy $200 when you can make your own for $1.10 at goodwill, oh my bad half off on Saturday's so $0.55 haha

The savings in medical bills might be worth the 200$ up front to mudbuddy although I like the ingenuity

Crutches are designed to hold on downward force. The first time you pull or push your body weight on them there gonna bend or snap immediatly.

not a bad concept, but i dont think it will hold when you put some real pressure on it as stated above.

Have ove of these custom builders make you one...much better in the long run

Well - at least the crutch is adjustable. I guess.

Take a Swive eez base that you mount a seat into were you want a grab bar and then take the pole that goes in it and weld it to a custom bar of your choice and when removed you wont have a stump in the bottom of your rig.

That's a hell of an idea there redleg, I'm gonna take you up on that. You guys are makin me have second thoughts about my crutch bar haha.

im having a buddy weld me up one out of 1" alum tubing fixing it so it can fold down w/ i dont need it. got a 45 degree angle brace out the middle to the floor. everything will detach with litch pins. spend a few bucks and get a sturdy one made. it will pay off later, sitting in the mud holding your broken grab bar dont soung like a lotta fun. lol

Where can I find the aluminum tubing other than buying it online?

Talked to a guy at a muffler shop and they would do it for $20. Thanks for your guys is help.

before i started making my GTR into a console i used a rear swing type tire carrier for a bronco that i adapted to fit my boat. I have A triton 1756DS and screwed a piece of angle iron to the floor and bolted it to that and the lock track that is in the gunwales on the boat. and man you talk about strong at times i even found myself tieing my boat off to a dock or pier and tieing to it instead of the cleats. and never so much as attempted to break loose from my mounting. looked pretty good i thought to have been homemade, instead of paying 200 bucks for one from gator tail or mud buddy.

i used alum not so much because it was lighter, but i got a buddy that owns a sign shop and i get his scrap 4 free and another buddy that can put it all together.. time to call in some markers, its good to have a network of friends that can do about anything. you gotta help them too but you can save a BUNCH of money that way

Thanks for convincing me otherwise because I'm almost positive this works better than my crutch idea haha

That boat name would have been great if you would have used a crutch.

Ya and I almost dug my own grave without a grab bar period. Almost feel out of the boat like 3 times haha.

1 1/2 inch tube with a mig welder

use 1 1/2 then use 2 inch sch 80 pipe for the socket then bam u can have a bunny bar