Tweaking My System

[jrodda]

Trying something different with my setup. I have rod holders on the transom and I think the proximity of the motor is causing my reels to vibrate loose on deckhand style rods. So I gotta move the rod holders somewhere...

I'm already proud of the engineering I've put into my crate, and now it's time to add a little somethin'.

Pardon the cluttered backgrounds......



Yes I've used all 12 rod holders with while bass fishing with Jared. While fishing alone I prefer to fill every other holder so reels don't hit each other. I might drop it to 5 on either side so that I don't feel the need to skip spaces.


Went to Home Depot after work and grabbed some ABS pipe, male and female screw fittings, and elbows. Put it all together and boom.



I bolt on the bottom pieces of pipe to the crate, and then I'll be able to assemble the rocket launchers when I need them without sacrificing storage.

Didn't account for the angle when I was gluing and drilling....



Glue already set so I drilled new holes. Much better!




It's cute but I think I screwed up. I gotta switch out the bottom pieces of pipe for 2" so that the crate fits snug in the boat. It'll be more crucial now than before that it's snug, since if all goes well, a very upset gamefish will be trying to tear the rod and the pipe out of the boat. Even with the drag set to bite/strike setting there's a fair amount of torque hitting a couple bolts through a milk crate. Gonna head back tomorrow to see I can further complicate my kabob of ABS fittings with a 2" to 1.5" adapter.

I wanna thread some shock cord through the bottoms of the rest of the rod holders so the rod butts rest on the cord, then the bouncing of the boat won't shake reels loose. Felt like it was getting too late to keep using the electric drill so until tomorrow...

[Latimeria]

I like your style!  I used to spend a bunch of fun engineering time making/customizing my own fishing stuff for my boat and truck.  It's super gratifying.

That looks great by the way. and I would definitely go with the 2" pipe from what you're describing as well as some brackets to make sure the ABS doesn't bust the bolts on a violent strike.  Last thing you need is dealing with a person sized gamefish all pissed off at the end of your line and you have to be thinking about a design flaw instead of battling a piss and vinegar beast!

[SevengillTheVC]

I like the design, but I more appreciate the amount of nice gear you have. Makes me feel....inadequate 

[Tim524]

Nice set up, I see your garage has the proper sticker too

[jrodda]

Nice set up, I see your garage has the proper sticker too

Hahahaha, a photo from any of our houses is always a "Find the PS sticker" puzzle.

The rods and reels certainly built up over quarantine. No point in moving out of parents' house during all that so....Avets! That big Okuma SLX is still unproven, though. Hardly any reviews on it online but it puts out 30lbs of drag and has a graphite/steel reinforced body, so I'm gonna use it as a 60-80# reel until it cries mercy. It's a super cheap 2 speed when you can find them. I got mine as an open box for $150 on ebay and I've seen them on CL for similar prices.



Updated the design. I did go to home depot and grabbed 2" ABS and brackets, but the brackets didn't work with the milk crate at all, so I tried putting the rod holder bases on the inside and bolting them from both sides, and it feels very sturdy.

One thing I realize is a design flaw is because they're built to be screwed on...one will tighten when a bite puts tension on the holder, and the other will loosen. Albeit only 45º, but I ought to be careful not to get whacked in the face. Hopefully it doesn't loosen while just trolling around.

[Fish Jerk]

Hopefully the milk crate doesn't break when that big one hits. They aren't the most sturdy of things.

[jrodda]

Hopefully the milk crate doesn't break when that big one hits. They aren't the most sturdy of things.

I don't think the drag will be set to anymore than 3lbs or so while trolling, so I'm not too worried about that. Though I have been wondering if I could find/build some kind of aluminum structure without going overboard on price/effort.

[vdisney]

One thing I realize is a design flaw is because they're built to be screwed on...one will tighten when a bite puts tension on the holder, and the other will loosen.

I was thinking the same thing Jeremy, maybe put the threaded joint on the upward end of the 45.  As always, I have nothing but respect for your persistence and efforts