Homemade Swim Platform

[greenhead84]

So I got to lookin' around and couldn't come up with a replacement platform for my 88 Comp. So, with the help of this forum, I started putting some ideas together. I used African Mahogany and Stainless Hardware. Bought the Mahogany at Suwanee Lumber in... Suwanee, Georgia and got to work. 5/4 for the top and 3/4 for the bottom supports.

Thanks Michael Hunter!!!

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[greenhead84]

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[greenhead84]

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Just thought I would share what ive done for the past couple days...

[matt k]

that looks like it came out really nice.

[greenhead84]

Thanks bud!

[Salty87]

very crafty. cup holders too?

have you walked on it when wet, yet?

[greenhead84]

No not yet, I put those 4 grooves in there as well as left the 80 grit sandpaper with oil on it... we shall see...

[mr.jrc]

That looks great, love the natural color tone of Mahogany. To keep it looking like new Consider using CPES ... or several coats of polyurethane yearly. Mahogany will grey then rot when the natural oils are depleted or paint/sealant is gone.

[mr.jrc]

check this guys site out.. has a forum too on finishing Mahogany, (a couple of books too on restoring wood runabouts):
http://www.danenbergboatworks.com/index.html

[BigCity444]

Great idea with the Cupholders!!!

[Ptownkid]

Looks sweet! So why solid instead of gapped?

[CornRickey]

Don't use anything on it that creates a coating (poly) use a penetrating oil with pigment. You will have to strip the poly off when it fails (and it will) compared to a penetrating oil were you can apply over the top. I'm a woodworker and also have a 1000+ sqft deck made of Marantti (mahogany). I've done a lot of research on it. By the way that some pretty light African Mahogany. If you payed African Mahogany prices for it I would research a little to made sure you got a square deal.

[Ptownkid]

Got a link for a recommended oil?

[CornRickey]

I researched for a month or so and decided on Ready Seal. I didn't want to have to strip it everytime. I have used teal oil mixes from Matco with good results but it builds pretty fast, this is on my swim step. You can't buy Ready Seal in the stores you have to order it. I learned all of this stuff from the deck builders/service forums. By the way, after looking at the OP pictures I noticed the WW tools in the background, hope I didn't insult anyone. I've worked with Mahogany a little and am surprised by what some suppliers title as Mahogany.

[sybrmike]

Looks great & the cup holders are a great custom touch!

I agree with CornRickey - I wouldn't use anything that seals the wood (except maybe Cetol only because I've seen it hold up well). I've used Watco teak oil on mine & yes it builds up quickly, so I cut it with decreasing ratios of turpentine. Four coats - 25% oil / 75% turpentine, 50/50, 75/25, and finally 100% oil. My old dried out teak really soaked it up & final finish is hard as a rock. Have to wait to see how well it holds up, but pretty sure it's saturated all the way through with oil now.

[haugy]

DAMN!!! That's awesome.

There are some serious wood working gurus in this forum. I wish I had those kinds of skills. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of welding and steel fabrication needed on these boats.

Questions:

1) What kind of saw did you use to cut out that template after you glued and screwed it down?

2) That looks much larger than stock, how does it do against water when you plane off, or slow down?

3) Mounting brackets the same?

4) Cupholders glued in?

[michael hunter]

Great job and that a sweet looking Comp. I have been sorta kinda looking for a comp boat . I have never been on a Supra comp boat I would love to check out the wake.

[greenhead84]

Thanks. I thought the cup holders would be a good idea. As far as longevity for this platform, I'm not really expecting anything. For what it cost to make, I can make another one for sure. About as much as a tank of gas.....
I just used a skilsaw to cut the edges.
It's the exact size as the original platform, I used the glass one as a template
I had a machine shop make 3 new brackets using the best of the old ones as a template. He made them out of steel, so hopefully they wont warp as bad as the aluminum ones.
Cupholders aren't glued in... I cut the hole a little smaller than the cup holder and chiseled until i could barely get em in with a hammer. That way I can take them in and out.

Hey Michael, if you wanna ride in it give me a call, ill be coming to lanier this year. I need a few ideas on cheap places to stay by the water...

[mapleleaf]

That platform looks great, I'm at the midpoint of having mine done and so far the not having a fiberglass one back there is making me super stoked!!
Thanks for sharing Green...Nice work!

[greenhead84]

Took the boat to the lake yesterday and the platform isn't slippery at all. In fact it has quite a bit of gripping ability... Just thought I would share. By the way, this project probably took a day and a half not counting time to gather supplies.

[TitanTn]

Gorgeous work. Congrats on finding a way to make it happen.

[Okie Boarder]

Very cool! Looks good and I agree about the cupholder comments. A swim platform out of wood is definitely on my list, but I'd like to make it bigger. I'm thinking about trying out a rough design to see if it would work so it comes out the back further but have the edges taper in so it doesn't mess with the surf wake.