Maritime Skiff - Under gunwale rod storage

[captainjason]

I am trying to rig my 18'Maritime Skiff with rod racks- it is a rolled edge skiff, therefore there is no 'under gunwale' to speak of. I have a rear casting deck, so I was thinking about having the tips go into tube under it. Has anyone done this? Also, did you mount (skrew)the brackets directly into the stringer?
Thanks!

[Ray G]

I have a new 1690 and am going through the same problem. Through research, I have contacted Hunters Rendezvous and they have a system that looks pretty good. Contact me offline and I will get more specific. I also have a few prototypes that I am trying before a permanent install.

Ray G

[Mark Cahill]

It's probably not what you're looking for but Marvin Lewiton clued me in on a setup I'm planning to use this season. It's a pvc pipe mounted right to the gunnel with a slot cut in the top and a slot at the back where the reel can swing down. It'll protect the whole rod and keep it ready for action.

Maybe Marvin can post a picture for us.

FYI, when screwing into the stringers, or anything that might have a wood core, I like to give it a shot of marine caulking first, so the hole seals properly. Water + wood = trouble.

<font face="Monotype Corsiva, Trebuchet MS, sans serif" size="3" color="#0000FF">Mark Cahill<BR>Editorial Director, <a href="http://www.reel-time.com"><b><i>Reel-Time</a><marquee><img src="http://www.geocities.com/Baja/3297/flafish.gif"></marquee>

[BuzzBryson]

Cap Jason,

I installed horizontal rod holders on my 1690 Maritime (with rear deck). Under the rear deck (on each side), I put two uprights -- one just under front of deck, one just under rear -- which were square PVC downspouts, sealed in with 5200. I predrilled 2-inch holes through them, and mounted two roughly 4-foot lengths of 2-inch PVC pipe into each, one above the other.

In the front of the boat, I epoxied two small pieces of wood (mohagony, as I recall, which had been epoxy-coated)onto each gunwale. Onto those, I screw-mounted a two-rod holder (the kind commonly seen on flats boats mounted under the gunwale, which have a small bungee). I can put two rods in each holder, or four to a side (if needed). Reels to the front, tips to bag in tubes under deck.

Yes, the rods stick out a little from gunwales, but I've not had anyone step on them or lean against them enough to break anything -- yet. Plus, they cleared the stringer and thus nothing was needed there. Installation was relatively simple, and required drilling no holes anywhere in boat.

Drop me an e-mail if questions.

Buzz Bryson

[CaptJas]

Ray, Sorry about the lapse in time for a reply- been fishing. Did you ever put in rod holders? I juut checked Hunter's web site- those rod holders look great. Did you go with them? I have a call into the fabricator. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Jas