PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I wanted surf gates but didn't want to bolt anything to my stern. Didn't want to pay 600 dollars for kits that bolt on or Velcro on. I was looking to have wave gate setup that was integrated into the boats design without being seen.... So my brother and I put our heads together and came up with a dead simple wave gate design. The only downfall is I made the fins/gates tapered because I liked the look, so I need one for each side. Something to keep in mind if you want to fabricate your setup to have one gate that was interchangeable on either side. Happy to share all the supplies and measurements that we used to complete this job. Have only built the gate for the starboard side thus far but have the supplies to put together the port side soon. $200 spent on project and this includes all the aluminum, epoxy, stainless hardware, 5200 and starboard. flyinfinn, JeffO, one.cool.devil and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Pic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MXGUY741 Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 what are you going to do when not surfing? just unbolt gate from bracket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 The gate slides in and out of the tube/bracket mounted under the swim step and is pinned in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 what are you going to do when not surfing? just unbolt gate from bracket?It's hard to see in the pictures but the "receiver permanently mounted" ends just inside to the swim steps rail on either side. The bracket bolted to the gate slides in and out of that.... And I want to thank you for asking that question because you have just given me the idea to: remove the nyloc's holding the gate to the bracket and replace them with wingnuts so that I can remove the wing nuts.... flip the gate over on the bracket and it will slide it the other side and work as the port side gate... Why didn't I think of that sooner! Lol Plus it will stow waaaayyy easier being able to un-do the 4 wing nuts and stow the gate and bracket side by side in an under seat compartment. Stoked! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsmobiledriver Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 That's pretty smart!!! Good job!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickm Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Not sure what you call it in the PNW but down in Texas that's quality redneck engineering. Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondatech117 Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Not sure what you call it in the PNW but down in Texas that's quality redneck engineering. Nice work! Looks better than any RedNeck engineering I have seen, those welds are on point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavoise Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I like the idea! Now how about the wave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sand2snow Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightMax Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Looks solid! lets see the wave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickm Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Looks better than any RedNeck engineering I have seen, those welds are on point! Redneck engineering doesn't necessarily mean bad, some of the coolest home made stuff I've seen I classify as redneck engineering. This setup is definitely a cool one with what looks to be some quality fab work. oldsmobiledriver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake (((O))) Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Not sure what you call it in the PNW but down in Texas that's quality redneck engineering. Nice work! Plenty of rednecks round here. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meetloaf13 Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 That looks sick, quality fab work.I saw this on the way home yesterday (camo duct tape FTW) oldsmobiledriver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Not sure what you call it in the PNW but down in Texas that's quality redneck engineering. Nice work! Haha yep we do a lot of redneck engineering up in my neck of the woods! Thanks for the props on the work everyone!!! (pun intended) Will post pics soon of the wave... Here is a pic of the wave with a fabricated ply wood ghetto gate I made to test how well a wave gate would work on my MB. And it worked really well! I found the boats best wave is with a slight list to the surf side... Not much only about 5 degrees with the gate on which is pretty flat and makes operating the boat way nicer! Reference: I'm 6'4" 220lbs Mgigs7, MidnightMax and nickm 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I'll get some pics up this week sometime, with the new gate systems wave! Should be a nice clean wave! The ghetto gate allowed a lot of water by it and still influenced the surf side wave a little bit. Whereas the new gates are bigger a better shape and fit nice and tight to the stern 1/4" gap! oldsmobiledriver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperryd Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I was thinking you might make a plate on the gate and one at the end of the bracket that could be held together with a pin on each end. That way you could just pull the pins and flip the gate and put the pins back in. No wing nuts to lose. You might also want a leash that attaches to the rear eyebolt of the boat to keep the gate from sinking if you drop it while flipping sides in the water. Once you get the gate/bracket detached and on the step, just move the leash over to the other eyebolt, flip the gate and then install on the other side. It would suck to see all of your hard work sink like a rock. Just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oboyskibum Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Nice work I wish I had some welding skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billwil Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Looks awesome. Any concern with all that lateral force completely on the swim deck? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer808 Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Looks awesome. Any concern with all that lateral force completely on the swim deck? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk the gate on my malibu had surprisingly a lot less force than you would think, I have to assume it would be the same as slappers. I think the GSA has a ton of force though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2016 Looks awesome. Any concern with all that lateral force completely on the swim deck? Thanks! Yeah I was slightly concerned so as a fail safe I welded two small gussets from the bracket for the wave gates to the bracket of the swim step. They are located on the inside of either swim step bracket.... I will say though before putting those gussets on it felt very solid! What I was worried about was after a few years of use the fiberglass might start to split or hairline fracture over time. So that was the reasoning for reinforcing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2016 Looks awesome. Any concern with all that lateral force completely on the swim deck? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thanks! I'm not too concerned it is very stout and secure. Plus the force on the gate is not that high. As reinforcement I did weld two small gussets from the wave gate bracket to the inside of the swim step brackets to help carry the load. My thought behind that was longevity I didn't want to see the fiberglass cracking or spider webbing after a few years of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNWSurfer Posted May 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2016 ^^^ sorry about multiples still figuring out how to work the forum on my phone! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhem Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 Hey @PNWSurfer, Can you give me the dimensions on the gate (specifically the piece of HDPE)? I am going to try something similar but mount it using suction cups instead of using the platform. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clovenburg Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 This is one I built last year. I can switch it to other side. The Donfather, oldsmobiledriver, JeffO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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