Winter brings harsh weather, keeping many boaters and anglers indoors. For fishing enthusiasts like Chris, the off-season is the perfect time to fire up the wood stove and tackle DIY projects. When the ice finally melts, Chris' goal is getting back out on the water to troll for Salmon and Steelhead on Lake Michigan.

One great tool for this type of fishing is a speed and temperature probe, which stays permanently attached to a weighted downrigger cable. Managing this heavy, awkward probe when it is out of the water can be a hassle. To solve this exact problem, our resourceful customer, Chris, decided to design and build a custom solution: the "Probe Dock."

Building the Probe Dock

Chris turned this winter project into a hands-on lesson in fiberglass fabrication. The foundation of the dock started as a solid piece of Ash wood. To prep the surface, the wood received a priming coat of vinyl ester resin. Structural putty was then applied to cleanly fill in the grooves left behind by the hole saw.

For a sleek, professional finish, the dock was coated in black gelcoat. The builder applied two base coats without wax, followed by a final top coat with wax to ensure the surface cured perfectly.

As the customer noted, this level of structural reinforcement is probably overkill for a simple probe holder. However, the real value was in the hands-on experience. The project served as a highly rewarding way to learn, practice, and perfect fiberglassing techniques.

A big thank you to Chris for choosing Fiberglass Warehouse for their project materials. Chris also wanted to give a special shoutout to Captain Joe Buskens from Fish Bump TV on YouTube for providing the excellent instructional videos that guided this entire process.

Ready to Tackle Your Next Winter Project?

Whether you are building a custom mount, repairing a hull, or simply experimenting with new materials, off-season projects keep the boating spirit alive all winter long. Small projects are the best way to master new skills before applying them to critical boat repairs. Grab some resin, fiberglass, and gelcoat, and see what you can create.