diy
COA M I N G PA D I NSTA LL
Coam Over Coaming pads look good, are easy to install, and will spare anglers a beating in rough water. BY JARED JOHNSON
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NGLERS WHO HAVE GONE FISHING in rough water on a boat without coaming pads learn of their utility the hard way. The evidence in the following days is exhibited in Technicolor thanks to the many-hued bruises that appear on their thighs. Part of the reason I bought a Whitewater 28 is its ability to fish safely when it gets snotty — hence, the name of the boat. I knew coaming pads would be one of the first additions to my refit of this great hull.
I researched the best way to add them and found a variety of solutions. I’m a hands-on guy and like a challenge, so I first looked at constructing my own pads, which is easy enough to do. The project starts with some sort of backing — marine plywood or Starboard — and involves gluing on some dense closed-cell foam and then covering it in a vinyl of choice. The part I didn’t like is that I would have had to drill some fairly large holes in my boat’s inwales (the overhang under the inside of the gunwales) to affix them. Another problem is that certain sections of my boat’s gunwales don’t have inwales. The second type of coaming pad system includes pads that slide onto a track, but the track requires smaller
holes to be drilled, but many more than on the aforementioned install. Since the pads are only attached at the top, they tend to flop around, especially while towing. The best solution I found was SeaDek coaming bolsters, which are less intrusive because they are peel and stick — no drilling needed. I had SeaDek flooring on my old boat, and it was easily the best addition I made, so trying the manufacturer’s bolsters was a no-brainer for me. SeaDek offers two options. Stock Coaming Pad kits consist of two 4½-inch-by-37inch pads and cost $106. I chose to go the custom route, which carries a minimum charge of $160. The ordering process was simple and streamlined. Perhaps the most difficult part of the process was deciding which of the many different color configurations to choose, from solid to two tone. There are 16 colors/color combos to choose from — and that’s just for the stock bolsters. Plus, there are embossed and brushed finishes. I chose brushed. SeaDek will include names, drawings or teak lines cut into the material, so I had “Whitewater” added to the bow bolster and a ruler added to the stern pad, to help
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With the peel-andstick coaming pads in place, the bow is a comfortable place to fight a fish.
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JUNE 2017 BOATINGWORLD.COM
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+ BW DIY.indd 24
5/3/17 11:21 AM