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Keeping the bow door open...and doing it cleanly.

Definitely a mod worth doing, might put that on all three doors.  My daughter and i like to run off the front, shes 11 I'm 51 go figure.
 
You gotta keep up Jared!


I use a regular door wedge, but I wedge it in from the side/end of the door (on the narrow side) so the door can be pulled back shut quick and easy without bending over and removing it or kicking it out.  When not in use, I hide it between the fence and the seat up by the hinge. Works for us. No holes.
 
I used my flip flop. You know why? CUZ MY FLOOR IS NOT HOT!
 
At a risk, I'll ask a question. Did your boats not come with a door stopping mechanism in place? Mine came with plastic door stops from the dealer, which is another reason I couldn't understand anyone removing those, leaving a hole in the floor and installing something else. 
 
Mine did not have a mechanism for hold any of the three doors open. (Other than my flip flop)
 
For any of you looking to avoid holes, I can recommend these.  They work great for us.  With the door in the "up" position it travels over the wedge without touching it and then catches at a spot where the wedge is barely visible when the door is in the "down" position.
 
My dealer gave me an extra black door stop (identical to the one I have on the rear door) to use for the front.
 
Yep.
 
kaydano said:
Could use a sheet metal screw instead of a bolt so it doesn't go all the way through. Or barrel screw and barrel nut for flush fit if you already drilled all the way through.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01439N8L6/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1471002584&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=barrel+nut&dpPl=1&dpID=41NVAT946GL&ref=plSrch


See the third pic in the Amazon link for a close up photo.  I'd replace what you have on your magnets with these. 


The magnet is a really great idea. I might use that in my helm door. The latch slips all the time.
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These are very handy screws, and for sure, and I've used them before for various projects.  


Unfortunately, the magnets I bought had holes thru them (obviously) that were counter sunk on one side for using a countersunk screw/bolt to mount them with.  They weren't large or very deep countersinks, either.  Because of that and the need to keep the magnets flush to each other to maximize their gripping strength, I went with a small countersunk bolt on the seat and a very small headed bolt on the door side, which I filed down a little flatter and smoothed it out a little so it fit into what was left of the countersink on the opposite magnet.  Hope I described it so that makes sense.  I was trying for the cleanest look possible.  


I also thought about a self tapping screw for the door side, but couldn't find one with a small head or even a small countersunk head on it.  Oh, well.


I can tell you that after a good 10 hours in the boat with family, no one noticed the setup or the shiny stainless acorn nut, and no one tore the hide off their legs either!


And no, there was no mention in my first post of pre-installed plastic door holders nor any mention of removing them because there weren't any on the boat to begin with.  Mine only came with a gray door stop on the rear door.
 
My boat came with the pre-installed plastic door holder for the rear door only.
 
 I purchased my boat a few months ago but have already been thinking of a solution to keep the door open.  My vessel didn't come with any door holders either.  I like the idea of the magnets, but I believe I'll try and find some that are not as powerful as a 70 pound pull.  That said, you never know what that they will feel like until you install.  Thanks WaveRunner for the awesome idea and the note on the pull strength.


I might go with the door stops osborne.rdo suggested until I can find time to find a weaker magnet and time to install.


Great topic! 
 
My bow gate does not have any stops on the floor from the factory. When it's not closed it just sways like an old barn door in the wind
 
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Only stop on ours is by stern gate. Very rarely use the front anyway with our dock setup. 
 
mattb said:
 My daughter and i like to run off the front, shes 11 I'm 51 go figure.
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Same here, but she's eight and I'm 57. Got you beat on that one... ;)
 
WaveRunner said:
On hot days, we like to run with the bow door open.  It lets the breezed come through and it also gives me a little better visibility directly out in front of me, especially when docking or trailering the boat.  Since it's just the two of us about 90% of the time and there are no little ones in the boat, safety isn't an issue at those times.


I must have thought of a dozen different ways to keep that door open, and doing it in a way that presented a clean image.  We certainly didn't like the idea of drilling a hole in the floor and mounting one of those plastic door stops to the side of that tight bow walkway, and I just didn't see any types hooks that I really liked.  Then I got the idea to use magnets to do the work for me, and I got them here, for $8 delivered:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DYL12WQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Two small holes later, and there you have it, and they work great.  We put almost 30 miles on the boat yesterday, and the magnets held the whole time, and yet it's very easy to pull them free from each other.  I used a stainless acorn nut on the outside of the door for appearance sake, and you hardly notice it...door open or closed.  These magnets claim to have a 37 pound pull strength, and I'm glad I didn't get anything more powerful than that!
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Thanks for the inspiration!! I got to thinking about this idea and installed a no drill door keeper using a NiteIze Cell phone holder. Super strong magnet... seems to work well so far. Here's a quick video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9cUb-9bRZsVSFFPT1U5bERRZmc/view?usp=sharing
 
Thanks for taking the time to do the video! It looks like it works like a charm.
 
Looks like an awesome solution... I do however find it rather humorus that the last words he says are...


"...and it should stick." LOL Then that's the end of the video. BUT, as I said. Looks like an awesome solution.
 
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