Buck
Woodcraft
120 49th Street,
Marathon, Fl. 33050
Phone: 305-743-4090
Fax: 305-743-2951
Business Hours:
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST. Monday thru Friday
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Application Tips
| |
King Starboard Anti-Skid (AS)
Custom Shower & Cockpit
Grates
Get A Zero-Maintenance, Rot-Proof,
Barefoot-Friendly Custom Grate For Much Less Than Teak.
Click For Price Info
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And by the way, did I mention
"not-slippery-when-wet?" |
| Some time ago, a trawler
owner (a Krogen guy, no less) came by the shop and
said he wanted a custom shower grate made of King Starboard to replace the teak shower grate that came with his
boat. I don't remember exactly what he said about the original grate, but
I think we can all safely assume that the teak demanded more cleaning and
other maintenance than he or his first mate wanted to deal with.
So
we entered the profile of his existing grate into our CNC router and out popped a better answer as shown on the left: A
custom shower grate made with 3/4" thick King Starboard Anti-Skid -- perforated with lots of 3/4"
diameter drainage holes, all with a nice smooth radius so as not to snag a
person's toes.
Our custom grates have a chemical composition
that
makes it much more "grippy" than standard King Starboard.
And Starboard
AS also features a raised pattern of small bumps that aid in keeping
one's feet on an even keel so to speak.
As to the cost of a custom shower or
cockpit grate, you
can generally figure on spending $45 per square foot for the
finished product, milled out of 3/4" thick King Starboard AS (white only).
As with all things that are custom-made, the bottom-line per-square-foot
price will depend on how complex your requirement is -- so the bottom-line
price may be a bit more or a bit less.
We can give you a firm price once you give us your exact specs.
Call us toll-free 877-743-4090, 9:30 a.m. -
4:30 p.m. ET Monday thru Friday, or
email
us your specs (a digital photo of where the grate needs to go would also be a
big help).
Go Back |

I made this custom cockpit grate
for a classic 60's-vintage Pearson sailboat owned by Uncle Phil, my beat-up
old helper here in Marathon. For
more about Phil's grate adventure,
click here.

We cross-hatch the reverse side of
our custom Starboard grates with generous drainage channels, so water
doesn't get trapped anywhere.
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grate idea bookmark
How Uncle Phil Got His Grate Idea & How It
Worked Out For Him...
|
"The whole thing began when I was prepping my decks for a new paint job
and discovered that part of my cockpit sole had turned into a rot
sandwich. I had to tear up the existing Treadmaster nonskid that was epoxied
onto the sole, fix the rot, and then figure out what I wanted for new
nonskid. "The Treadmaster was great nonskid, but it
hadn't held up as well as I'd hoped in the tropical-type sun
down here. Plus the stuff costs and arm and a leg. And if I had to do more
work on the sole down the road, I didn't want to have to strip it off
again with a hammer and chisel. In short, I wanted something easily
removable for whatever reason. But not teak. Bonhomie came with a
teak grate when I bought her, but I ditched it. Too hot for bare feet,
plus it was a dirt, hair and mold magnet.
"So I decided to try a custom cockpit grate made with
Starboard Anti-Skid, and so far it's worked out just fine. Good
footing, doesn't heat up, easy to clean, and
drains
like a champ. The only thing I screwed up was not
being exact when I drew up the cockpit dimensions. So the fuel fill's a little off center. But hey,
it's a boat, not a violin."
Go Back |

Chiseling out the old Treadmaster nonskid
was just way too much fun.

I had John make the grate in two
pieces, so it's very easy to remove if the need arises.
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|
Bonhomie & Me
Bonhomie is a Pearson Vanguard 32'
sloop, built in 1964 when I was 19 years old. I've owned and lived aboard
her since 1999, which is the longest I've ever owned any one boat.
I t's
true we're both getting up in years, but we still do a bit of cruising --
including a solo trip from Marathon to Mexico and return a few years back
via the Dry Tortugas.
Bonhomie weathered the offshore
legs of that voyage a whole lot better than I did. And she's a lot better
looking, too.
Go Back |

A quiet summer dawn in Marathon's Boot
Key Harbor. |
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