I don't post a lot on rebuilds so...
When I was at Ft. Desoto ramp a few months back, the wind was "fresh". Needless to say, the guide post on the port side was rotted through and with the retrieval process, it ended up failing. I vacillated over purchasing new posts (galvanized box with pvc) and trying to go function (cheap) over form. While I'm not cheap under most conditions, I am a function guy by trade so.....
I created the following, with the understanding that the cost to build was so low that I could still buy "real" guides if necessary and have only a small loss (cost wise) to overcome.
Pic 1 is standard solvent weld, schedule 40 pvc construction. Typical for both port and starboard guides.
3" well casing secured to frame (typical)
Starboard guide in place.
The guide slides into the well casing receiver and is held in place with a drop in dowel pin (very hard to see) This allows me to remove the guides with little effort for trailering and more importantly, storage under the cover in my back yard.
Port side guide.
This pic shows the lack of room in backing the boat under the existing cover so the ability to remove has helped with storage.
They worked well at Port St. Joe ramp with little wind and at Anclote State park ramp with a lot of current.
Time will tell.
