Has anyone made a replacement cupholder?

[Turtlesboat]

I have that flat plastic cup holder on the port side by the windshield that I don't really like and it's not very useful. I was wondering if anyone has found something to replace it that has maybe a box to store little things.

 

[sebagoman007]

Seems to me you could replace it with a similarly shaped piece of teak, perhaps set higher off the "dash" to make it better suited to hold beverages securely. It could even be customized to be a combination of drink holder and the box you mentioned.

For a place to stash objects securely, I've been considering making a cover for the "well" on the starboard side next to the captain's seat. If one wanted to stay with white, Star Board or equivalent would be a good choice. Or, you could also use teak.

On my 260DA, I keep the things that I might want in a hurry, like binoculars, the handheld spotlight, a rigger's knife and so on in a small canvas tote bag right behind the seat. It fits nicely there, out of the way. It's also easy when buttoning her up at the slip to disconnect my GPS, drop it in the bag and put all of it away below in the cabin, away from prying eyes and potentially light fingers.

If you do decide on one of the customizations above, my recommendation is to mock it up in heavy cardboard or cheap 1/4" plywood before you invest in the more expensive materials. You can do a lot of "cut-and-try" experimentation with $10 worth of plywood, hot glue and duct tape!

Sorry to run on so long, but you did ask.................... :huh:

Cheers,

Bill

 

[LMBoat]

Here's what I did: First, my plastic piece was cracked, so I used the old one as a template and cut out a new one from a piece of Starboard. The I got about a foot of small, white, freahwater tubing from the boat store and longer screws. I cut the tubing to use a spacers to raise the new plastic piece so it would hold drinks better. How high is your choice. Then used the longer screws to attach it. There are markings on the tubing, but they came off with a little cleaning <Mr. Clean Magic Eraser>. It looks, and works great now.

 

[Turtlesboat]

Hmmm, never thought about wood. I like working with wood so i think I'm going to try and tackle it. thanks

 

[Henry Boyd]

We had the same issue. I made one out of teak that also adds a tray to hold sunglasses and cellphones.

 

[Bridog]

Henry, That's a classy modification. Looks great.

 

[Presentation]

We had the same issue. I made one out of teak that also adds a tray to hold sunglasses and cellphones.

Please make a second.....I will buy it.

 

[jg300da]

Beautiful work Henry, how did you secure it down.

 

[Presentation]

Our cups often fall when I take off.

I am thinking of re-making with the white StarBoard
.

 

[chuck1]

Great looking mod Henry :thumbsup: Need to post the plans for it.

 

[Turtlesboat]

We had the same issue. I made one out of teak that also adds a tray to hold sunglasses and cellphones.

Holy Crap Henry, that looks great. If you make more, I'll buy one too. who knows, you may have found a new startup company.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Thanks for all the compliments.

I will make some sketches, but they will be more like suggestions than blueprint, as each boat varies slightly, even within the model type.

I used Burmese Teak, because I had enough left over from having having a shower and cabin step grates made. If a poly coating is to be used, you can use Mahogany.

Material is 3/4" thick, I choose that thickness because someone would invariably kneel on the cupholder while attaching the cockpit cover. However, we have discovered that the additional thickness also makes cups and cans w/coozies more stable. Issue now is not cup falling over, but liquid sloshing over the rim.

To answer questions, it is mounted with 3M marine adhesive, above waterline, white goop part # ?. Off the shelf item at any marine suppy house. Old screw holes were plugged using gelcoat repair paste. I used the Sea Ray color because I had it on hand, but color isn't the issue, permanently sealing the cabin exterior is.

To those who have asked me to recreate the cupholder, thank you. I am good enough for my own consumption, but would not wish to do this for money. I do know someone who does this for a living and knows the cupholder. He is the fellow who made the deck grates for us. His work is excellent. I am not sure of the protocol of the forum on publishing the names of commercial sources, so I won't at this moment. Maybe one of the moderators can post a ruling? If acceptable I will post contact info in a follow up.