Thanks Gary, that looks awesome. I'll be off to Home Depot at the weekend looking for the parts. How did you make the cross cuts so precise?

I anchored the box aluminum in a vise, then used a fine-tooth hacksaw.

Gary

Great simple solution. Rock and roller really should consider your design. Do any of the home improvement stores carry the 1" square aluminum stock you used ?
I'm definately going to give this project a shot.

Thanks for sharing

I purchased the box aluminum from a local welding shop, mainly because they were less expensive, closer to home and they carried a heavy-duty grade of aluminum. The stuff that Home Depot carries is a bit lighter, but it's still more than sufficient to hold a couple hundred pounds of gear. Just be sure that Home Depot, or Lowes, has the correct length. They used to have 6-foot lengths, but the last time I was there I seem to remember the pre-cut length was 5-feet. The most expensive part of the project will probably be the detent pins, which are also available at Home Depot and Lowes. I had a bunch of them here, most of which were used for holding the Bimini-top in place on the boat. If I recall, they measure about 1-1/2 inches long and they're 1/4-inch diameter. You may find them cheaper at an online marine store.

Gary

Looks like Home Depot have 48 inch lengths of 1/16 inch thickness, and 96 inch lengths of 1/20 inch.

Well, I loved Gary's solution, but I had already invested in the RnR shelf. It looked like the aluminum, even the less heavy duty type, would cost me $35, plus $20 or so for detent pins, so I decided to rethink.

The time consuming and clumsy part of putting the shelf on is installing the bolts and butterfly nuts, so what if I just switched to detent pins?

I tried various different size pins, but eventually concluded 5/16 x 1.3 inch was the ideal size. I had to drill out the pre-drilled holes in the handles just a little (#8 metric drill) and the holes in the cable tabs (#6 metric drill). I then fastened the cable tabs using the existing bolts under the shelf.

This is a major improvement, with no fumbling and no risk of losing the bolt or nut! Here is a scan of the parts I ordered from Reid Supply, delivered quickly and efficiently by USPS for $25. And photos of the finished project.

Looks good, Graham.

Gary