When it comes to securing the best seating for your boat, pick something that is economical in size yet comfortable and durable - something that provides multi-functional use while also offering premium quality local material at an affordable price. When making this upgrade, many boaters turn to leaning posts for multi-functional seating compared to your standard captain's seat.

This is when the wise boater gets the perfect sized signature Birdsall Rocket Launcher Leaning Post for that added space, versatility, quality, and convenience! Birdsall is proud to do a quick feature of the 32” Mini Rocket Launcher Leaning Post - Great for a little 17’ or 15’ foot boat!

This leaning post is designed for smaller center console boats. Using only the highest quality materials assembled and sourced locally, Birdsall Marine installs the rod holders and offers customizable options for the upholstery and many different available accessories and add-ons.

Read more below about our Original Rocket Launcher Design or learn more about our product quality and manufacturing standards here!

One of the most beloved things about Birdsall Marine Products is the level of customization available for nearly all of our products! The 32" Mini "Rocket Launcher" Leaning Post is no different!

As a standard, you can expect the following:

- Marine quality anodized pipe construction

- Integral non-folding foot rest

- New 1-1/2″ cooler retaining strap with quick release buckle

- 4 welded-in rod holders (two 10° and two 15°)

- The cushion is constructed of foamed PVC board, epoxied to an aluminum base and covered with closed cell flotation foam

Additionally, there are many customizations available that we will work with you to design, fabricate, ship direct, or install in our South Florida Marine Manufacturing Warehouse. Choose from Rear Handrail or Whaletail Handrail additions, a Folding Backrest or even an upgraded Folding Footrest, Removable Dive Tank Racks, Pleated or Smooth Upholstery(custom upholstery by panel too!), Custom Colored Covers, and more.

Whether you live local to our headquarters or afar, you can trust Birdsall Marine to provide the highest quality in-house marine design, manufacturing, fabrication, welding, and installation services for their products and clients. You can count on our knowledge, experience, communication and shipping reliability while getting a customized boat addition that doesn’t just look good, but lasts a lifetime.

Shop Birdsall Marine online and purchase yours today or come on into our store in West Palm Beach Florida to talk to our team! Our family will be happy to  answer your questions and guide you in the right direction so  that you get exactly what you, your family, friends and boat need to help you enjoy and get the most out of your time on the water together!

Greetings from the sunny shores of Birdsall Marine in South Florida!

Birdsall Marine specializes in providing high-quality marine products and boat parts. Customers come to us with their specific needs, and we take pride in offering innovative solutions to enhance their boating experience.

Today we're excited to showcase some fantastic additions requested by one of our customers looking to take their 23' Albury Brothers boat and boating experience, to the next level. Here is a list of some of the modifications we provided with the full video up on your YouTube here.

This Birdsall Marine project represents a perfect blend of creativity and craftsmanship. From the innovative console design to the thoughtful additions of seating and accessories, every element is carefully curated to elevate the boating experience. The result is a one-of-a-kind Sea Craft that not only performs exceptionally but also captures the essence of Birdsall Marine's commitment to excellence.

We invite you to envision the possibilities and explore the unique features that make this boat a true eye-catcher on the water and consider how Birdsall Marine can help take your boat and boating experience, to the next level.

Although we all use the generic term “fiberglass” to refer to all the material that most of our boats are made of, the proper term for the construction material used in most modern boats is FRP, or Fiber Reinforced Polymer, construction. What makes this a better term is the fact that it more accurately describes the synergy inherent to composite materials, and fiberglass fabrics are only one component in what is really a composite.

The term composite is generally defined as “something composed of multiple elements”. In the case of FRP construction, the glass fiber, or whatever type of reinforcing fiber that may be involved, is used in conjunction with a polymer matrix. It works the same way that concrete/steel construction does: the steel takes most of the tensile loads applied, while the concrete matrix serves to not only hold the steel “in column”, but also to assume any primary compressive loads involved. By themselves, the fibers involved in boat construction – whether they be fiberglass, carbon, or Kevlar – have no more natural dimensional stability than the T-shirt that you might be wearing. When potted into a polymer matrix of some sort, the fibers assume a whole different load bearing potential. The resulting combination of materials is stronger than any single one alone! This is “synergy”.

In FRP construction, structural strength is dependent on the physical characteristics of all of the elements involved. For example: filaments are principally rated by what kind of tensile load they can survive without failure. In composite engineering the next consideration is how far they can stretch & still return to their normal dimension. This is called “elongation” and is expressed as a percentage of dimension. The loads that resin matrices might experience are determined the same way, but with a bit more attention given to compression forces. When engineering with FRP materials, it is important that consideration is given to how closely both the fibers and resin matrix’s various physical properties complement each other. Structural magic is achieved when the various materials involved compliment each other.

Special consideration needs to be given to the fact that FRP construction displays its load bearing capabilities in a primarily 2D linear fashion. Materials like metals are considered to be isotropic. This means that they display the same physical characteristics in every direction of length, width, and thickness. In comparison, FRP materials are anisotropic, which means that their ability to assume loads is fundamentally confined to two dimensions on the same plane. This becomes important when selecting the resin matrix to be used. A common problem with FRP structures is delamination between layers of fabric, which can occur when panels are flexed. You can easily see the potential shearing forces involved if you take a fairly thick soft cover book and bend it downward over your knee. The sideways shifting of the pages serve as a good illustration of what happens when a structure deforms. The top pages will be trying to stretch, while the bottom pages are trying to compress, with the two forces meeting in the middle, resulting in a shearing effect. When flexing becomes too great, the various layers of fabric can separate from each other, or delaminate. This is why the physical characteristics of the resin matrix are so important. The matrix has to be able to resist the shearing forces between layers that might be encountered in order to prevent delamination between the various plies!

Fabricators using FRP materials currently enjoy a large menu of polymer resins to use on their structures. These resins display a variety of elongation, compression, and bonding strengths that allow the clever engineer to solve many strength and durability problems inherent to complex shapes. The fact remains, however, that the energy of the initial loads will primarily be transmitted along the fiber reinforcements chosen – like a guitar string, or a bicycle spoke. This highly directional effect makes careful consideration of the “load paths” formed by fiber orientation relative to the form important. If more flexure is desired, a woven fabric can be selected. Weaves present a series of S-curves that can help dissipate load energy in, for example, angle changes. If linear stiffness is needed, a “knit” or “axial” fabric can be incorporated. These fabrics are not woven, but rather use straight-pull filaments that are actually sewn together with either 45-0-45 or 0-90 degree fiber orientations. Biax, triax, & quadrax fabrics are widely used in the boating industry to assume long loads. On the other hand, fiberglass chopped strand mat, which displays randomly orientated 1 ½” long strands, is used for short impact loads & to resist “print through” from fabric layers behind the gelcoat. Due to the randomness of its fiber orientation, chopped strand mat also works well to simulate anisotropic structures and control shrinkage in smaller parts.

In summation: fiberglass is a simplified term for what can be a fairly complex manufacturing system. The composite engineer’s job is to carefully choose from a large menu of FRP materials to arrive at the most elegant engineering solution practically possible for the task at hand.

Could your boat use an update and a little more personality and customization? Do you often wish your boat had new custom seating with pleated upholstery, or that your leaning post had a folding footrest, included additional rod or dive tank holders, stainless steel cups, or even secured additional storage? If you are daydreaming about these options, your friends are suggesting them, or perhaps you have a fleet or boat charter business you want to spruce up, Birdsall Marine in West Palm Beach specializes in customization, fabrication, and installation to bring your boat to its greatest potential and realize your vision.

We love working with our clients while providing the highest quality materials, marine upholstery, and fabrication services to give your boat new life for the long haul. One of our clients reached out to help them customize a fully-restored 17’ center console pink Boston Whaler dubbed the “Pink Barbie”.

For this in-house project, we manufactured and installed the “Birdsall 32” Mini Rocket Launcher” - our own special, customized version of what is commonly known as a “Leaning Post” - featuring Smoothe White Custom Upholstery with Pink Piping, a Folding Backrest, our Underseat Storage Tray, and an Anodized Pipe. We can guarantee the quality and durability of our products because we design them ourselves with nearly all our products manufactured, sewn, and fabricated and installed in our local shop. This is how we have been able to ensure the highest quality look, feel, and long-lasting durability that Birdsall Marine has become known for since 1979. Read “Quality is Job One” to learn more about our standards and process!

Whether you are a single boat owner, have a charter business, or a fleet of boats, Birdsall Marine is known nationally as a premium marine manufacturer & showroom whose custom fabrication and installation quality, products and passion for the boating community are second to none. We truly treat our customers like family.

Our promise is to provide long lasting quality, sleek designs, affordable pricing, and top-notch customer service and products that provide a safe harbor for your boating needs, budget, and vision.

We take custom orders and our team is ready to answer any questions you have to help you ensure you get the right product and price for your boat supply needs. Call us at 561-832-7879 or view our range of products online and at our showroom located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Our mission is to help you enjoy greater comfort with a more personalized look and feel that will make you never want to leave the water. Let Birdsall Marine help upgrade your boat without breaking your budget while having the piece of mind knowing that your boat is in good hands.

At Birdsall Marine Design, quality is job one.  This is not an advertising slogan, but rather a company-wide imperative. A lot of our employees have been part of our team for many years.  When new employees are hired, they are rigorously trained to uphold our tradition of high standards.

The selection of production materials is not dictated by price, but rather by engineering properties, with the prime consideration being durability in the demanding marine environment.  The harsh reality of this environment includes corrosive, electrolytic, and radiant energy concerns. This policy extends to absolutely every component utilized in our products.  For example, on our anodized products we only use highly polished clear anodized pipe.  Each length of pipe goes through a quality control inspection.  Any questionable material is rejected before it even gets on the rack.  Polished anodized aluminum presents a TIG welding challenge.  Our highly talented welders use their many years of experience to insure the quality of each weld.  Upon the completion of such welding projects, detail men hand paint every weld with aluminum paint to protect them from the elements.  We outsource our powder coating to a long established specialty company that follows our same protocols and standards.

Likewise, our fiberglass components are fabricated by craftsmen in the highest quality molds using materials expressly engineered for the specific application, with cost being of minor consideration.  No wood is used in our products.  All cores are no-rot polymer based.  Once again, strength and quality are our first concerns. This policy extends throughout our product line to every department.  Our canvas shop uses only premium materials like Weblon, WeatherMax, and Sunbrella.  All threads are the highest quality, environment-proof synthetics.  Our upholstery bases are rot-proof aerated PVC.  All upholstery foams are closed cell, which do not soak up water. Our rigging department utilizes only tinned wire, premium marine quality terminal ends, the highest spec heat shrink tubing, and premium electrical components.  Marine stainless steel fasteners, over-sized thick stainless fender washers, stainless  aircraft style lock nuts – the list goes on and on to include every component that we use.

There are two other factors that are included in our quest for the highest quality control possible.  The first is also a big part of the innovations that we’ve produced over the years: carefully listening to our customers!  We have a highly symbiotic relationship with our customers, both OEM and private, often lasting for decades.  We try our best to combine our considerable experience in the marine market place with their specific needs.  A wonderful result is often innovation.  The remaining factor is our belief that we, as a business, are compelled to treat each project as if it was for our own boats.  Quality is definitely job one!

The length of time for boating trips can be dependent on conditions and time. Yet many times it actually comes down to comfort or commitment.

By investing in certain items for your boat and martine supplies, you can provide additional comfort for guests and useful items to enhance the safety and longevity of your boat.

Here are 4 useful boat investment to help upgrade your boating experience for both you and your guests:

The best boating investments help in getting the most out of your time on the water. With over 33 years of supporting marine professionals in Florida in outfitting and customizing their dreamboats, by making your boat more accommodating your guests will be ready to spend longer time on the water before heading back to shore.

Have questions or need some help selecting what's right for your needs and boat? Our team at Birdsall Marine Design will be glad to assist you with your marine supply needs at the sweet spot between comfort, ease, quality and budget.