After going out a few times with my "new to me" Grady, I've decided that I needed a bow pulpit. The misses has a hard time fighting with the anchor, and the only anchor locker on this boat is down below and all the way forward under the cushion. I do like to do some solo fishing from time to time, so having it on the bow ready to drop is the only way to go. Plus, I do plan on installing a windlass sometime in the future.
I'm far from rich, so the $1,500+ Grady pulpit kit isn't going to cut it. So, I made my own. All of this was done at the spur of a moment, and all by eyeball. No plans at all. Took me about 4 hours to get to where I am now. I had all the tools and materials, except for the 2x12, laying in the shed. So far, I have a total of $18 in this whole project. And that's only because Home Depot made me buy a whole 8' piece. Lol. I wish I took some pictures of the project before I got this far, but here's what I got.
List Of Materials:
48" 2x12 pressure treated lumber
8' 2x6 pressure treated lumber
12" 2x2 pressure treated lumber
3" deck screws
48" long piece of cardboard
Sharp scissors
Square
Circular saw
Jig-saw
Belt sander
Drill
1/8" drill bit
T-25 Torx bit
Ladder
Set of sawhorses
Steps That I Took
Removed the bow light, cleat, and deck pipe
Laid the 48" 2x12 on the bow
Positioned the 2x2 under it until the 2x12 was level with the cabin window lines
Took the cardboard and traced the contour of the bow along the 2x12
Cut the cardboard, and made small adjustments until it was perfect
Traced the outline of the cardboard onto the 2x6 (did this twice, one for each side)
Cut the 2x6 along the lines, for a rough finish
Laid the 2x12 and the cut 2x6's on the sawhorses, so the everything would be upside-down
Pre-drilled holes in the 2x6's, and screwed them to each side of the 2x12
Set the entire thing on the bow of the boat, and traced the angle of the front of the bow onto the cut 2x6's
Back to the sawhorses, cut the angles into the cut 2x6's
Made a 45 degree cut along the back of the entire pulpit, to help avoid stubbed toes when it's mounted
Found the dead center (7.25"), and made a half circle with the compass on the forward end, then cut it
Took the belt sander to the whole thing and made sure it was all smooth and even, then rounded all edges
I set it back on the bow, set that battery on it for weight, then sanded any spots that need it where it touches the bow
From inside the rode locker, I traced where the deck pipe and anchor cleat go
Now, I have it sitting in the shed, waiting for the 2x12 to dry out some before I fiberglass it. I also have to cut holes for the cleat, deck pipe, and the anchor. The anchor is not going to sit off the end. It's going to come up through the center of the puplit, and sit flat. Once it's fiberglassed, I'm going to gelcoat it to match the color of the boat. I also plan on hitting the local boat bone yard and getting some pulpit bow railing to match it. More pics to come, as work is done to it. Depending on how long it takes to dry, it could be a few weeks before it's completely done.
I'm far from rich, so the $1,500+ Grady pulpit kit isn't going to cut it. So, I made my own. All of this was done at the spur of a moment, and all by eyeball. No plans at all. Took me about 4 hours to get to where I am now. I had all the tools and materials, except for the 2x12, laying in the shed. So far, I have a total of $18 in this whole project. And that's only because Home Depot made me buy a whole 8' piece. Lol. I wish I took some pictures of the project before I got this far, but here's what I got.
List Of Materials:
48" 2x12 pressure treated lumber
8' 2x6 pressure treated lumber
12" 2x2 pressure treated lumber
3" deck screws
48" long piece of cardboard
Sharp scissors
Square
Circular saw
Jig-saw
Belt sander
Drill
1/8" drill bit
T-25 Torx bit
Ladder
Set of sawhorses
Steps That I Took
Removed the bow light, cleat, and deck pipe
Laid the 48" 2x12 on the bow
Positioned the 2x2 under it until the 2x12 was level with the cabin window lines
Took the cardboard and traced the contour of the bow along the 2x12
Cut the cardboard, and made small adjustments until it was perfect
Traced the outline of the cardboard onto the 2x6 (did this twice, one for each side)
Cut the 2x6 along the lines, for a rough finish
Laid the 2x12 and the cut 2x6's on the sawhorses, so the everything would be upside-down
Pre-drilled holes in the 2x6's, and screwed them to each side of the 2x12
Set the entire thing on the bow of the boat, and traced the angle of the front of the bow onto the cut 2x6's
Back to the sawhorses, cut the angles into the cut 2x6's
Made a 45 degree cut along the back of the entire pulpit, to help avoid stubbed toes when it's mounted
Found the dead center (7.25"), and made a half circle with the compass on the forward end, then cut it
Took the belt sander to the whole thing and made sure it was all smooth and even, then rounded all edges
I set it back on the bow, set that battery on it for weight, then sanded any spots that need it where it touches the bow
From inside the rode locker, I traced where the deck pipe and anchor cleat go
Now, I have it sitting in the shed, waiting for the 2x12 to dry out some before I fiberglass it. I also have to cut holes for the cleat, deck pipe, and the anchor. The anchor is not going to sit off the end. It's going to come up through the center of the puplit, and sit flat. Once it's fiberglassed, I'm going to gelcoat it to match the color of the boat. I also plan on hitting the local boat bone yard and getting some pulpit bow railing to match it. More pics to come, as work is done to it. Depending on how long it takes to dry, it could be a few weeks before it's completely done.
