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Hi Guys,

I am re-finishing my teak seat back on my 18 Ouitrage and I am looking for those whitetops to the rod holders. I think they are called "lips" or part of the liners. Mine are thrashed.

Any ideas, suggestions?

JVZ

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JVC,

The rod holders and/or lip liners are NO longer available... :(
http://www.whalercentral.com/photogal...hoto_id=91

Boston Whaler used Lee's Rod holders for many other applications like the flush mount version in the gunwales and the rail mount clamp on series. I assume they used Perko rod holders in the RPS to cut down the cost of the RPS.

However, I prefer the Lee's for many reasons.... so, I installed the flush mount 90º rod holders in the seat back of several of my Whalers. One of the best things I ever did and I'm not looking back. :)

[img]http://users.sisqtel.net/jkriz/Outrage/lees-rodholders.jpg[/img]

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How "thrashed" are your lips? If they are cut all the way through, there is not much to be done. If they are really cooked and dirty, I have have a method that returns them to serviceable condition.

Remove the old lip and rub vigorously with a rag soaked with Toluene. Unlike most solvent, Toluene will not melt the white vinyl.

Your other option is to buy the black lips that are still available from Perko as replacement parts. These are not exactly the same but certainly serve the purpose. However, I much prefer the white lips. Whitecap make rod holders that use white lips and I even got a set that Joe ordered directly form them. The quality was not exactly the same as the original Perko's, but after trimming them to match the original's size, they look very nice.

Yes, you *could* just replace the whole rod holder, but for those of us who are sticklers for Whaler OE quality, we would not dream of using aftermarket parts. There is something truly wonderful about using exactly what Whaler used in a quality restoration of a classic Whaler. I suggest you work with what you have. It will cost less too.

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Tom writes:

That is exactly why I used genuine OEM parts like Lee's Rod Holders because they are not after market.

There comes a time, when something is no longer available, on which choice we are going to make to restore our Whalers. In the case of the Perko RPS rod holder and white lip liner:

1. Replace it with a black liner from Perko IF still available?
Not original color and they don't look good to me.

2. Replace it with the Whitecap Industries "after market" lip liner?
Not original. This is why I gave them to Tom.

3. Upgrade to something better that works for you and still keeps in the tradition of OEM looks and quality.
This is the route I chose. The Lee's rod holders as Whaler used these already in the gunwales on my Outrage 18... Of course, most all other Outrages and many other models used these Lee's rod holders and Lee's Outriggers too.

http://www.leetackle.com/flushmount.htmlmount.html
I purchased the RH427V Med 0º Chrome on Brass rod holders.

My arm can now rest comfortably on top of the Lee's rod holders without getting a red ring impression or my arm getting sore by resting on those old Perko's for hours at a time...
I troll a lot and my arm rests on top of the rod holders. The Lee's have saved my fore arm.

If the parts would have been available for the Perko's, then I would probably still have them in the RPS and my arm would still have a red circle on it where it rested on the old Perko rod holder.

At this time however, I can't think of anything else that I have had to change that is not original style. There are however many people that have changed out the mahogany under gunwale rod holders and went with the starboard version (either black or white in color)... Not a bad idea as the starboard makes much more sense, but I think I am going to stick with the mahogany wood ones at this time.

What Ever Floats Your Boat....... :)

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Thanks for the input .. i will try to restore my originals .... they are really dark and and scuffed, i will do my best and then if is not up to par .. i will go with new Leads. I do want to keep this boat original. I finished the last coat of Sikkens Natural Teak on the seat back and found the Perko handles today.

Thanks guys

JVZ

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Oop's , i meant Lee's, not Leads.

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There is not a Whaler ever made that used a Lee's RH427V Medium 0 degree Chrome on Brass rod holder as original equipment, but you go ahead Joe, you ol' Whaler chopper. What's next? Spinners on a Porsche?

Me? I'll relish the fine original qualities of my classic Whalers. Sometimes it's best to just enjoy perfection and not try to improve upon it ;-)

Here is a photo of four original old, cooked RPS rod holder lips, one of which I have cleaned up with Toluene:

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Hi Y'all,
There is a product out - and I'm pretty sure you've seen or even used it. It's called Plasti-Dip made by Performix. it comes in Black, Yellow, Red, Blue, Clear AND AH YES - WHITE! This stuff is GREAT for making new lips for the old Perkos. Use it as directed with about 6 or 7 coats and about 2 minutes after each dipping, turn the holder upright and set-r-down to dry. After a few days at room temperature, trim around the holder and remove the excess. I challenge ANYONE to tell the difference and the stuff is durable to boot! I dipped my old controller ball years ago and its still going fine.

You can find it here: http://www.plastidip.com/consumer/ind...index.html

P.S. You could also build up a patch on the old lips with this stuff after cleaning, then dip to completely rejuvenate (never tried that approach, but it should work fine).

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OK Tom,

I guess I am going to have to change my username from Joe Kriz to "Chopper Joe".

One good thing though, I can always change the rod holders back to Perko if they start making the White lip liners again....

I recognize 2 of the lip liners in your photo above. There are 2 there that I sent you.

WhalerSailor,
I tried the Plasti-Dip but did not get the results I was looking for. Maybe I just didn't do it right.

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Well, i did it ! I restored them with 600 wet /dry sand paper and soaking them in Simple Green ... and using a hard toothbrush to scrub. I will post some before and after pics ... Doing my best to keep it original !!!

JVZ

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What do you suggest to restore the shine to the Lee's rod holder caps (flushmount style)? Mine are scratched/scuffed- not shiny. Metal polishes dont seem to work. Thanks.

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PJ,

I purchased brand new ones for my Outrage 22' Cuddy.
They are Lee's brand and if I remember correctly I purchased them from Boaters World for about $55 each.

The originals are Chrome on Brass. Once the chrome goes, there is nothing you can do.

So here is a tip for everyone. You should keep your rod holders clean and waxed to help prevent corrosion.

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PJ

Did you try Flitz metal polish and a firm toothbrush and some elbow grease .... if Flitz doen't get it,then you may have go w/ new Lee's.