[apprentice]

I have had a kayak for nearly 12 months for predominantly recreational use. I have fished from it a couple of times and would like to install some flush mount rod holders but am very nervous aboout positioning. I have a Perception Freedom and am thinking either two in front of my feet located fairly centrally or one either side just behind where I sit. Am I purely trying to put them where they will have least impact on paddling or are there other considerations? Any advice please. I will need to cut the bottoms out of the rod holders as well because the ones I have will be too long for the depth of the hull. I assume I just use silicone or something similar to plug up the bottoms of the rod holders. I am also unsure as to what to use to connect the holders. Thanks for your help.

 

[Dodge]

Gday mate this old thread may be of help
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2636

You can seal the bottom as described or get a PVC end cap at Bunnings and glue on the cut end, although I would be content with blocking with pool noodle.

On a SOT kayak the holders are about 90mm from your feet but no closer, and you have no problems with your paddle stroke

 

[apprentice]

Thanks for the link dodge. I have looked at it and some others which have been very helpful. I am feeling more confident about the attaching in regards to bolt and nut, self tappers, rivets etc. I am still not sure of the following:
1. Is in front of my feet or behind my seat the best position for two rod holders?
2. The local BCF has cheap plastic jobs but they come in straight or angled varieties. Which type do I want?
Thanks

 

[RedPhoenix]

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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[troppo]

In my experience:

Rear holders: I have two (one made from an old silastic tube) and I find them reasonably easy to get to. Bit of a twist. Since the rods are quite upright, not angled much, I find when I tilt my head back I can view the rod tips to see if they have are okay. But tilting back that much sometimes gives me vertigo! I usually can't hear the drag on one of my reels when it is behind me when trolling in choppy water. However, the rod is well out of the way.

Front holders: I stick the rod butt into the scupper hole where my heel is and I put my foot against it to hold it in position. I can paddle for an hour with no problems like this. Every tap from a fish or touching a sandbar I can feel via my foot. Very easy to watch the tip as well. Easy to reach. Can get in the way of the paddle when doing a stroke that goes further forward than normal, like in emergencies when I am panicking.

So, front holders give me better access and control over what is happening. Rear holders give me more freedom. You probably can do with front and rear holders, but think about it, sit in ya yak and imagine it, maybe do a mock up, then do it.

 

[apprentice]

thanks for the top advice - after reading, imagining, double checking angles/distances etc. I'm pretty sure I know what I am after. I now just need the courage to make the first incision.