How to Install Boat Trailer Guide Posts (Easy DIY Project)

[@pistolpip3529]

if you want the noodles to slide on use some dish soap and if you replace the bolts in the tail lights with ones an 1 1/2" longer you can run the through both sides of the pipe and it will be twice as strong. and if you use schedule 80 vs 40 its twice as thick.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Wow, this is all great advice! Thank you for sharing.

[@JuanMartinez-qq1vp]

I think they look a little flimsy and I think they break off easy. I actually saw this man pulling out of the boat ramp when one of the posts fell off the trailer he had the same setup like yours. Thank you for the video.

[@garylcarrier]

Transparent with mistakes make you a man of integrity! You are a great communicator and you make watching your video fun! Incidentally, I probably didn’t learn about nominal measurements until I was in my 40s! My dad always told me to measure twice and cut once! I had it backwards so many times! We all live in learn! Thank you for your video! God bless!

[@Mike-c5p]

There’s definitely some handyman ingenuity in the interior of your boat. Looks good

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Thank you very much. That was my first woodworking project and I’m very pleased with how it turned out! I love that boat.

[@glennaltpeter8917]

Put a short piece of dowel in the pipe where you mount to the frame, it will not collapse, and can be tightened up tight.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Great solution!

[@mrbrian0223]

Great Video! I'm on it for my boat trailer as well as the Jetski Trailer!!! Thank You!!!!!

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Glad you found it helpful! It’s been 3 years, and it is still holding up great. The pool noodles are starting to crumble now, someone recommended using pipe insulation instead. Whatever that PVC conduit I used is, it doesn’t get brittle like normal PVC pipes, it has some flex to it, so even when I bump into them with my boat, they just bend out of the way. Best of luck!

[@mikelundrigan2285]

I did something almost identical 20 + years ago and it worked fine but never thought about adding pool noodles! Even better!

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Very cool! Yeah turns out the orange ones help a lot with visibility in low light conditions. My reverse lights kind of make them light up a bit.

[@glennaltpeter8917]

Pool noodles only last for one season, then they disintegrate totally. Use slip on pipe insulation instead.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Good idea, thank you for the advice.

[@murraymadness4674]

I'd also put a cover over them, some outdoor fabric/vinyl. Looks much better.

[@pfmobius1970]

This is a great idea, thank you. It looks like you have enough room to put a 1” pvc mounting bracket on your trailer, which may or may or may not be stronger than drilling it out. I am definitely going to experiment on my trailer. Thanks for the great video!

[@kuang01]

great video! thank you very much but i really cant help laughing at using a circle saw monster to cut that pool tube LOL! Its just such a brutal one!

[@terrys8978]

I thought that was just a little overkill too😅

[@chadbosko8935]

That's using your noodle. 😅 great conversation piece for people in the boat trailer parking lot.

[@beverleygregory]

great idea , Im making mine out of a bed frame, angle iron will be more difficult to work and drill but will be strong , will also use the noodles to cover the angle heres the deal , its always good to keep the brain exercised with creative thought good job man

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Thank you very much. That sounds like a very creative idea. These are still holding up well 2 years later. I think I’ll be upgrading to something stronger next year.

[@raulduke7142]

Thank you for the video.

[@jpberriosc]

Just a friendly tip. Whenever the job of a tube is on the inside (hose, pipe, etc) the measurement will represent the interior.. so I know how much water will go through. On tubbing, the job is on the outside. Estructure for anything, bolts, etc… the measurements will be the outside. Pipe vs Tube Inner diameter vs out diameter

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Awesome, good to know! Thank you for sharing. I’m sure this will save me some headaches in the future lol.

[@nickforest]

Great video! Just wondering if using the light mounting hardware did anything to mess up you ground connection for the lights? Keep up the good work

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Thank you! Yes good question, it did mess with the ground connection. At first I added some metal washers between the lock nut and the ground wire, sometimes the lights would flicker though. I ended up drilling a small hole in the trailer frame and used a self tapping screw to connect the ground wire and that has been much better.

[@George-ms3sx]

The insides of the light box will crack if you bump the pcv pole.Its only light grade plastic. Maybe a screw through the frame into the pcv would prevent it twisting on impact. Good idea with a couple of small modifications. Thanks for the video

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Luckily I haven't had an issue with that, the PVC is on the inside of the frame and the lights are on the outside of the frame, hitting the poles doesn't seem to transfer any force to the lights. I've accidentally crashed into the PVC poles a few times while trailering my boat lol. An issue I was having though is my lights were flickering, because the nuts were originally being used as a ground for the lights. Last year I actually had someone remount the poles for me. Instead of mounting them using the bolts for the lights, he mounted the PVC below those bolts, and drilled a hole through the frame from underneath. I like it a lot better so there's no chance of it effecting the lights, when I did it myself I wasn't comfortable trying to drill through the frame. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@kylemiller769]

Pipe os measured in I.D. (interior demension) you need to measure O.d. (outside demension) when sleeving something. 3/4 inch i.d. in pipe has an o.d. of one inch

[@instaphippsyfishing]

@@kylemiller769 thank you for sharing your wisdom! I’m hoping I can remember this before starting my next project lol.

[@Archangel_21]

You need some metal to attach that to the trailer. The 90 degree PVC is definitely not strong enough to support those posts when road wind starts hitting them, and drilling those bolt holes made them even weaker.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

A buddy was supposed to do some angled aluminum for me but it never happened and I was in a rush lol. It has been 2 years and they’re still holding up which is good. Eventually I’ll probably upgrade to some legitimate ones rather than DIY.

[@willieschoeman7843]

Plumbing pipes are measured using the internal diameter

[@willieschoeman7843]

@InstaPhippsyFishing lol ime a qualified plumber and i only learned that 2 years ago when i tried to join to sections of copper with a internal spine , its because we are spoiled we buy fittings to match pipes that are ment to join together not realizing the fittings internal diameter is the diameter of the external diameter of the pipe , keep them coming man enjoyed the vid

[@sam-y8t]

I.D. vs. O.D. Important distinction.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Definitely, it’s amazing how many times I’ve forgotten 🤦‍♂️. Hopefully I’ve finally learned my lesson lol.

[@darrylb4048]

How are the guides holding up?? Does travelling down the hwy at 100 kph etc cause any blow back of any concern? The elbows and nut holes would be the areas that would get torcked. I was also going to install guides until a worthy charter fisherwoman informed me how the trailer should be placed to retrieve your vessel. The top of the fenders should be just under the water surface (depending on your trailer bed setup and boat). Since then I have no issues. Thanks to Joanne. By the way, dish soap would have helped you with those pool noodles being installed. Good vid.

[@darrylb4048]

@@instaphippsyfishing Great, makes sense. Thanks

[@rogerpeterson7581]

You used ABS glue on PVC. How has it held up?

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Oh man, there’s always something 🙈 lol. Can’t believe I didn’t notice this before! It’s actually held up surprisingly well. It’s been just over 2 years and they’re still holding strong. I’m less confident they’ll survive long term with the wrong glue though.

[@BrokeBackBob4559]

1” pvc is the inside diameter of the pvc

[@hummv8]

Pool noodles don't fair well against sun/weather.

[@instaphippsyfishing]

That’s a good point. After 2 years they’re still holding up, but not a great long term option.

[@lindsaydeutrom5740]

COWBOY ENUF SAID

[@beverleygregory]

plastic is to easy to snap off been there done it

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Yeah that seems to be the general consensus. I wonder if the PVC conduit I used will last longer than standard PVC, as it has a bit of flexibility to it. It’s been 2 full years of heavy use and they’re still okay, even with me crashing my boat into them occasionally lol. I’d like to get something more permanent eventually, I’m thinking maybe some side bunks.

[@Real.Alpheus]

Lube! For Gods sake lube! Soapy water would have done the trick.

[@johnsmith-sw7ii]

MOT STRONG ENOUGH!!! Get a windy day.....run the boat into the guide...broken guide!!!! Need STEEL!!!!!!!!!!

[@instaphippsyfishing]

Steel would definitely be an improvement for this project. I don’t have any experience working with metal. I think eventually I’ll upgrade to the legitimate side bunk style ones. Good news is it has been over 3.5 years and they’re still holding up great. I haven’t had any issues even with driving on the highway and running the boat into the guide multiple times. I think the flexibility might be their super power! I was also concerned about them becoming brittle but that hasn’t happened either. Knock on wood 🪵.

[@murphyr31]

This is not the way I would do this project.