DIY Gear porn thread

214723 Views 684 Replies 138 Participants Last post by BastrdSonOfElvis, 6 h ago

missiongravity

Discussion Starter · Apr 5, 2018

8

I am a person who enjoys making their own gear and I am sure many of you others are as well! Let's see those homemade drop bags, drag bags, tables, utensil holders etc. DISCLAIMER: I am not a gear company looking to rip your designs etc, just a guy who has a sewing machine and likes sitting in front of it!

Here are a few items I have made lately. Don't have any pics of my drop bags or gear bags but will try and get some.

Drag Bags(first design):

Map Book Case:

Sand Stake:

Med Kit:

Cup Holder:

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Reactions: 3

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cupido76

· #172 · May 12, 2019

3

Wanted another drop "bag" for my new to me 16' boat and thought I'd make one instead.

I don't have access to polymax in Canada without crazy shipping costs... So I bought 3 oversized milk crates, cut a few sides off and bolted them together.

The finished product is about 39" x 19" and fits under my seat bay perfectly, and now I have a rigid place for hard sided and sharp items on my boat.

I'm pleased with how it turned out and will take it on it's maiden voyage next weekend.

Plastic Crate Box Metal Rectangle

Blue Cobalt blue Plastic Crate Rectangle

Blue Cobalt blue Electric blue Majorelle blue Symmetry

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cupido76

· #174 · May 12, 2019

Didn't think about running the straps underneath... That would probably make it a better weight carrier... Thanks, I'll give that some thought.

cupido76

· #177 · Jun 12, 2019

^^^ damn... Is there anything you can't make yourself?

Nice work!

cupido76

· #187 · Oct 4, 2019

2

Made a cooler cover / dog bed from an old hypalon thwart I was never going to use.

Total investment was maybe $50 CDN for some foam (I used 2 kinds of foam of different densities) and goop to glue the foam.

I used half a can of Clifton I had from my repair kit that won't be good next year anyway.

Very cushy and should last pretty much forever aside from the old military valve failing.

Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part

Automotive exterior Furniture Auto part Table

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cupido76

· #189 · Oct 5, 2019

John_in_Loveland said:
What are the dimensions for this...at least the ones that are important from a mandatory gear perspective?

Sent from my SM-G970U using Mountain Buzz mobile app

42" × 21" x 2.5" thick

The padded part is only 36" wide and with the glued ends it's 42".

Edit: not sure that question was for me...

cupido76

· #192 · Oct 5, 2019

matt man said:
Man that’s a good idea Cupido.
I usually hang sections of thinsulite pad, in front of, and behind my cooler, to help insulate it, but they get all ratty after a while and kinda look like crap...
Think I’m gonna try something similar to what you did, the grommets on an old thwart or floor would be perfect for hanging the things, to. Now I just need to find some old material to buy off somebody that doesn’t need it anymore...

Thanks!

I see the grommets as a great way to tether the pad to my frame so it never goes far from the cooler, even when I unstrap it to grab a beer.

The d ring was already there and I'll probably attach my little speaker to that... and or my throw bag. Great easy access spot.

cupido76

· #193 · Oct 5, 2019

matt man said:
Ha ha! Just posted a want ad in the classifieds for an old floor, just what I need to keep my cheap old 150 qt Coleman outlasting the uncovered, high quality coolers!
Old Riken hypalon would ad a lot of style to...thanks for posting a great idea!

I have another thwart you can have for shipping but it might not be all that cheap from canada.

And it is old riken hypalon.

cupido76

· #212 · Mar 21, 2020

I love that strap organizer bag!

cupido76

· #223 · Mar 23, 2020

Do you need a heavy duty machine for this kind of sewing? My mum has an old machine but I don't know if it's up to the task.

cupido76

· #313 · May 25, 2020

2

Square top cataracts?

This idea may be stupid, and I'm not sure i can recommend repeating this unless you hate your money and your time. But there's a pandemic and I had an idea and this is what I came up with.

The idea is to replace my counter balance weights with something made of wood, hopefully the wood still floats even though it adds weight.

I won't get into my process unless someone asks, because I'm NOT a woodworker, but I do have some tools and some ideas and I eventually get somewhere near what I need.

Basically it's laminated oak 1x3, in two pieces, that I'll strap onto the oar using hose clamps.

I still need to seal the wood and finalize how they are attached to the oars but this is the concept and it's lining up mostly how I wanted it.

Each weight is a little less than 3 pounds and I made 2.

Bumper Table Automotive exterior Auto part Fender

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cupido76

· #317 · May 25, 2020

Jamesdking said:
I actually like this idea. (sincerely) But make them long and skinny like square tops. It would add weight (though how much I dont know) and would add flotation to my counterweighted oars! Seems silly but when I throw my Cataract oars overboard they wave goodbye as they sink. floating blades-check, floating EXTRA counterweights (??!!??) check??? Are we putting a hat on a hat? IDK. Ive been known to do that before. How much are Square Tops again?

I'm not sure of the price but I know square tops are out of my budget. I also don't love the idea that if I snap the blade the entire oar is done.

Longer and skinnier would be ideal but I went this way to reduce waste of wood to keep the cost down.

cupido76

· #318 · May 25, 2020

Wadeinthewater said:
Very creative! I would use fir because it is less dense and would give more flotation with a given amount of weight and I would use screws to attach the two halves which would get rid of the sharp screw clamps.

I might try another set made from fir... I went with oak because I wanted something hard and durable, but fir is cheaper near me.

And I'm coming from the metal cataract sleeve weights, so having any flotation at all should keep the oar floating instead of the metal anchors that were on the oars before.

Also, I've notched the wood so the sharp parts of the hose clamps are not protruding.

cupido76

· #319 · May 25, 2020

Electric-Mayhem said:
Not that much more then a nice pair of counterbalanced composite oars with nice blades. Worthy every penny IMHO.

True but I already have many oars and blades that are perfectly functional that I don't want to get rid of.

cupido76

· #322 · May 26, 2020

MT4Runner said:
I too like the idea, don't love the implementation.

I think you'll bang your knees with the larger blocks, and if you do the same for your spare, it will add bulk where you try to tie it to your tube.

Go longer and skinny. Glue them on once you like the size/shape and get rid of the hose clamps.

I'll give you an A for creativity. New things don't happen if people don't think outside the box.

I'll be moving them further down the oar for sure to try make sure I don't hit my knees.... but I agree they still might be a little too big.

I wasn't going to make one for my spare... I was assuming I could transfer the weight over from a broken oar in a calm spot, or carry 1 of my old metal cataract counter weights in my repair kit in case it's needed.

I learned a lot making these and perhaps I'll try to make a longer and skinnier set but due to my limited collection of tools that may be much more difficult unless I figure out some better techniques.

Or I could just shave these down on all 4 long edges and re-seal if these are too unwieldy.

Re: hose clamps... I've tried to recess them but people still seem to have concerns about them nonetheless. I won't screw them or glue them together because I want adjustability, but I could drill holes and counter sink for bolts with the hardware to be recessed.

cupido76

· #324 · May 27, 2020

MT4Runner said:
if you move them down the shaft, they're more dead weight and not counterweight. Useful for tuning, but if you move it halfway to the oarlock, you could have one at the handle that is 1/2 the size. (weight x distance)

I'm guessing moving them 6-8" down they'd be out of the way of my knees... but we'll see and I hear what you're saying.

cupido76

· #325 · Jun 2, 2020

2

I've taken your suggestions and got rid of the hose clamps.

I put a piece of rubberized tape under each half and strapped them together as tight as I can with 3/4" wide straps.

The tape is something that is sold to do quick repairs on leaky pipes but I've used it for years when I had pins and clips... underneath the clip. The stuff really works well to keep things from sliding around... my clips never budged aver the years and when I went to remove them I had to hit them pretty hard with a hammer to release them with no clamps holding them on... this tape had stuck solid to both the oar and the clip and had to be scraped off but didn't leave any mark on the oars.

I hope it will work well in this application with the limited clamping power I can get by hand tightening straps, and will probably hold better than the cataract metal weights that were always sliding down.

Currently they're 5" down from the handle. If that's not ideal I can reposition them easily.

I also did buy a piece of 2x4 fir to try to make something longer and skinnier but since these are made I'll give them a try first.

Product Cutting tool Bicycle fork

Wood Wood stain Table Hardwood

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cupido76

· #328 · Jun 2, 2020

I don't know if this is the exact product I have (done have the packaging anymore), but it's basically Rustoleum Leakseal self-fusing tape.

I've seen other similar products listed on home depot that probably work just as well.

cupido76

· #329 · Jun 2, 2020

ParabolicDestination said:
I found that ankle weights works really well. Found some on amazon that are sand and neoprene with a Velcro strap for around $5. Reposition easy with the hook and loop, you can also get different lbs of mass as well. I know some people who have taken wheel weights and cast them in cornbread tins that look like corncobs and they are the perfect width to tape or strap onto your oars. Depends on what you have laying around. But a couple more ideas for those looking at diy counterbalancing.

I don't think those ankle weights are going to float.

cupido76

· #355 · Jun 20, 2020

Wow... those look amazing!

cupido76

· #363 · Jun 30, 2020

joshfromdc said:
I made a bunch of these bags, all one side plastic-coated heavy denier. Splash-proof not watertight. Stove bag...

I brought this question up with the wife yesterday but we weren't sure... does a stove not need to be in a waterproof bag?

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