Ideas, thoughts, did i just waste $80

[AKRISONER]

Hey Guys,

I just bought some boat buckle rod straps for the skeeter and I realized I may not be able to use them on my boat unless someone smarter than my idiot self has an idea on how to make this work for me. Ive been using the classic velcro style and needless to say, they do not like it when the boat is going 50+mph. Too many times ive seen $500+ combos almost fly out of the boat when the velcro releases mid drive. In fact i lost a G loomis last year and im not convinced that this is not exactly what happened to it.

I just realized that my boat has a ridge in the fibreglass along the rail.  As you can see the mounting plate flush mounts along the rail, but if theres a slight ridge is there any way to mount this thing?

Heres a drawing and a photo of what my boat edge looks like and a real photo of it.

Im seeking your thoughts, ideas, solutions or confirmation that im screwed lol Let me know what you guys think.

 

Edited May 24, 2020 by AKRISONER

[kickingfrog]

Could you make a plate out of plastic cutting board and then attach the bracket to that?

[porkpie]

Why not mount them into the deck right beside the gunnel?  Should work.

Edited May 24, 2020 by porkpie

[BillM]

Mount the rods reels first.  Pointing the tips into the wind is just asking for problems.   

[AKRISONER]

38 minutes ago, BillM said:

Mount the rods reels first.  Pointing the tips into the wind is just asking for problems.   

Main reason for doing it the other way was spacing. I can bunch the tips together easier than I can 4 rods with reels taking up the front of the boat. Deck isn’t that wide at the very very front but it’s definitely one of my options.

was going to mount them against the gunnel into the floor but there’s a rod locker door on that side and I believe the strip between the rod locker and the gunnel is too narrow! I can’t win lol

man...What they say about the foot itis in boats is so true lol. I went from a 14 foot tinner to a 18 foot bass boat and Immediately I already wish my boat was bigger lol

no hope in that though this is just the way things gotta be for now. Just need some way to come up with a solution.

[DRIFTER_016]

You could just straddle the lip. 

A little extra sealant because of the space but it should work fine.

[aplumma]

I mounted mine on the floor both pieces to make it a tight grip. You can also mount it as you see in the picture but as soon as it comes out put a flat metal piece spaced up with a few washers so it is at floor level and then mount the buckle catch as normal. 

Art

[cisco]

Looks like it is attached to the boat via 2 screws in the middle so maybe just trim off the bottom of the plate so it fits/rests on the ridge. Trim off enough to eliminate the floor of the plate slot. The belt would simply slide on the ridge rather than on the slot floor.

Edited May 24, 2020 by cisco

[AKRISONER]

2 hours ago, kickingfrog said:

Could you make a plate out of plastic cutting board and then attach the bracket to that?

the mechanism itself is about 2-3 inches deep hence needing open space behind it.

Some quality ideas here. Pluma, i like your idea too, mayble i simply use a cutting board to allow it to sit flush with the lip. If i sanded it nicely it might make a nice flush bracket. Itd stick out 3/4 of an inch but that wouldnt even look much different than just the bracket itself.

What I guess im not showing is that the mechanism with the belt behind it is nearly as wide as the mounting bracket itself. Not leaving too much room to chop the top and bottom of the plate off. Man I wish I was with the boat so I could play with some of these ideas.

[Musky Plug]

I would agree with the plastic scenario. Probably the best bet IMO. You could always cut the plastic out in the middle with a jig saw so the mechanism will pass though and pass through the gunnel wall. 

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, Musky Plug said:

I would agree with the plastic scenario. Probably the best bet IMO. You could always cut the plastic out in the middle with a jig saw so the mechanism will pass though and pass through the gunnel wall. 

I think my plan is to cut out a jig that basically matches the profile of the cutout and the area above the ridge like kicking frog suggested.  I’ve bought a piece of plastic off of amazon. Simply cut out the piece and there will be a half inch ridge where the buckle is. If I’m extremely careful and basically “carve the thing out making sure to sand it nicely it should not look to bad. At least I hope!

[grimsbylander]

I'd NEVER have my rods on the deck with the tips pointing forward. If space is an issue, you'll just have to use rod lockers and shuffle rods in and out. It only takes one mistake to cost you big time! True story...first, my reels are at the bow 100%. I loaded all my rods on the deck and shuffled them around based on my plans for that morning. Rushed off to the Niagara river...QEW all the way! Got to the launch and almost hurled when I realized my rods were just laying on the front deck...NO STRAP! AHHHH Sickly feeling but nothing missing and actually they didn't even move much. REELS FORWARD! LOL

BTW, sewing on some fresh velcro (cheap) is a quick fix to rod straps. I go a lot faster than 50mph and have never had one let go in 20+ years. Make sure you strap both ends so rods don't "flop" in rough water. If they're tight, they're going nowhere.

 

 

[AKRISONER]

6 hours ago, grimsbylander said:

I'd NEVER have my rods on the deck with the tips pointing forward. If space is an issue, you'll just have to use rod lockers and shuffle rods in and out. .

 

 

That’s the problem, tournaments it’s now my rods and a partners rods in a boat where the rod locker just isn’t big enough. Even after taking a few rods out that I know I probably won’t use based on where I’m fishing and when. For example I don’t typically fish a ton of topwater in tournaments because by the time Im at my spot it’s not usually a bite I’m going to chase so then the frog rod is out of the boat. If I’m on the tri lakes in August then I’m not going to be finessing smallies that eliminates a couple of rods etc etc.
 

with the rod buckles I may have a little better ability to run them the other way though. I agree it’s a pain in the you know what.

see how this works? Now I want a 20 foot boat lol. I also just need to buy a big old house with a big old garage so I can work on this stuff when I’m not up at the lake lol. Anyone interested in throwing me a couple mill? Lol

Edited May 25, 2020 by AKRISONER

[Chris J]

Tips need to be back, point them forward and your risking losing an expensive combo.  SAme boat I can fit 7'6 rods on deck with reels forward.  Whats wrong with stock location for bungee?  I've used it for 13 years.

[grimsbylander]

5 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

That’s the problem, tournaments it’s now my rods and a partners rods in a boat where the rod locker just isn’t big enough. Even after taking a few rods out that I know I probably won’t use based on where I’m fishing and when. For example I don’t typically fish a ton of topwater in tournaments because by the time Im at my spot it’s not usually a bite I’m going to chase so then the frog rod is out of the boat. If I’m on the tri lakes in August then I’m not going to be finessing smallies that eliminates a couple of rods etc etc.
 

with the rod buckles I may have a little better ability to run them the other way though. I agree it’s a pain in the you know what.

see how this works? Now I want a 20 foot boat lol. I also just need to buy a big old house with a big old garage so I can work on this stuff when I’m not up at the lake lol. Anyone interested in throwing me a couple mill? Lol

Same issues we all have. I used to fish with a buddy that had a 17.5’ like yours and when I got back in mine it felt huge. Then I’d fish my other friends 21’ and mine felt small lol. Fish what you got and plan carefully. Guys with big boats tend to carry way more stuff than they need...because they CAN. I do it all the time too. Take a dozen rods and fish 3. Haha