Custom rod storage

[bighorse]

I was going to put this in the Skeeter section, but then I thought that it might be adaptable to other kinds of boats. I wanted to maximize the rod storage of the long compartments on either side of my Skeeter ZX-185c.

I had a large piece of 4" mini-cell foam and I thought it would be a good material to form fit into the ends of the compartment. I used cardboard to make templates of each end, then cut the mini-cell a little oversized with a reciprocating saw. I wedged the pieces into place, then cut the holes with Forstner bits. They fit tight without glue or fasteners, and they can be easily removed if necessary.

I got space for 10 rods and reels (a couple are out of view of the camera...they would be good for backup rods you don't use on a regular basis) and they can be rotated to keep the reels and handles from touching other reels. The rods on the bottom can be accessed by pushing the rod above it further into the hole at the tip end and pulling the bottom rod out from underneath it.

[AJ]

hay way cool


great job!!! I need to do something like that on my jon boat  any ideas how to do that?

[blake711]

That is nice work man!

[Speedmunkee]

Ingenious!
I think I'd have to make the tip holes a bit bigger. I'm afraid I'd break a tip trying to get it in there or does the foam give pretty easy?

[Bassinkorea]

That's a nice job you've done there bighorse 

Thanks for sharing 

[Warpath]

My Skeeter has a built in rod storage system, but it's kind of whacked.  It has slots for 14 rods on the handle end, but only 8 holes on the tip end.  Very strange.  The previus owner removed the tip end (two small screws), so this set up would work for me. 

Where can someone find microcell foam material?

Great tip bighorse!

Eric

[bighorse]

I can't remember where I got this particular stuff, but it can be ordered from some paddling websites (www.nrsweb.com is one) or it can be found on Ebay sometimes. Search for minicell or closed cell foam. Full sized virgin pieces are expensive, but the stuff on Ebay is usually cutoff pieces and they will be much cheaper, as long as you can find a piece large enough.

The obsessive compulsive in me doesn't like the randomness of my hole layout. I cut the first set of holes that are furthest up into the side of the hull, then put a rod in. Then I fit another rod in and cut another set of holes, and so on. It got me the most capacity, but the hole pattern looks somewhat unplanned. I've got enough minicell left over that I could make another set and do a better job the second time around.

The size of the holes for the rod tips seems to be adequate. After I drilled the holes, I pulled that piece out and used a die grinder with a carbide burr bit to enlarge the holes on the backside and smooth out anything that would hang on the rod eyes.

[bighorse]

It has slots for 14 rods on the handle end...

If you had enough room for the tips, could you actually get 14 rods in there? I'd be interested in seeing how that is laid out. Could you post a photo?

[Warpath]

I'll try and get a picture tonight or in the morning.  It's simply 7 U-shaped holes for the handles, on two rows spaced apart by about 4-6 inches.  Like I said, the tip end had a piece of plastic with holes and golf tubes, but only 8 of them.  There was room for more but they didn't cut anymore than eight.  I have 10 rods in there right now, minus the section with the tubes, and the fit up under the deck just fine.  A little messy, but still adequate in my mind.

Eric

[AJ]

I can't remember where I got this particular stuff, but it can be ordered from some paddling websites (www.nrsweb.com is one) or it can be found on Ebay sometimes. Search for minicell or closed cell foam. Full sized virgin pieces are expensive, but the stuff on Ebay is usually cutoff pieces and they will be much cheaper, as long as you can find a piece large enough.

The obsessive compulsive in me doesn't like the randomness of my hole layout. I cut the first set of holes that are furthest up into the side of the hull, then put a rod in. Then I fit another rod in and cut another set of holes, and so on. It got me the most capacity, but the hole pattern looks somewhat unplanned. I've got enough minicell left over that I could make another set and do a better job the second time around.

The size of the holes for the rod tips seems to be adequate. After I drilled the holes, I pulled that piece out and used a die grinder with a carbide burr bit to enlarge the holes on the backside and smooth out anything that would hang on the rod eyes.

paddling or padding?



[/quote]

[bighorse]

Paddling...as in canoing/kayaking. Paddlers use this stuff to outfit their boat because it has some cushion and flexibility to it, yet it won't absorb water.

[AJ]

oh really  cool i didnt know that!!!!