I recently picked up a mainstream riptide and was looking for suggestions on what to mount on the rear for some rod holders and gear storage with out putting holes in the boat. I was considering something like a milk carton type setup but i think its too large fo rthe width of the boat. I need something half that size with a few PVC pieces mounted to it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
For mounting items to the boat, blind cherry rivets work the best, they are self backing so you dont need access to the inside of the boat to add a backing washer to them. They can be tough to find, you might try one of the kayak shops in the area, they might have some. For pole holders, they make some that are just clips that rivet to the boat that will hold the pole laying down flat for transporting it. Another option is to stick the butt of the pole into one of the scupper holes (if it dosen’t get in the way of your feet in the footwells)and transport it standing up like that (might have to wedge the butt of the pole in with foam or something so it dosen’t stick out the bottom. A good tip to stay drier in the boat is to put a piece of duct tape over the scupper holes on the bottom of the boat, this will eliminate the self bailing feature of the boat but will make for a dry butt when paddling! If you can’t find any blind cherry rivets leave a posting, I more then likely have some around here. if you’re interested I also have some hatches that will fit that kayak that will allow you storage inside the boat and some paddles and kayaking life jackets as well. I used to own Mainstreak Kayaks and designed the kayaks. I also have some hatches and other gear that works on Ocean Kayak models (that was my families old company)
Russ Broward
Edited by - top2bottom1 on 10/27/2002 11:04:33 AM
Yakman, I am facing the same problem with rod holders. I can access the underside of my front deck and therefore have more options. I want the rods mounted in front of me for ease of use. Has anyone else mounted rod holders in front of the cockpit? Does it interfere with paddling? Any other words of sage advice? Thanks. Laird
I use a Scotty Rod Holder in front of me on the console of my Ocean Kayak Drifter. It only uses four small rivets and the mount also works with the Scotty Fly Rod Holder and a third party light. It can be positioned to the left or right and up down, so there’s plenty of versatility. It doesn’t bother me paddling at all, it’s even okay for trolling one rod.
I also use a milk crate style version for the rear of the yak (or did until i installed flush mount rod holders). Mine fits in the tank well, but isn’t as big as the full milk crate. I just bought a plastic bin I found at Office Depot (about 8" X 12" ) and wire tied some PVC to hold rods, nets, etc.
If anyone needs pics, I can send some.
Mike
I have the Ocean Scrambler XT and have the scotty rod holders mounted ahead of me. I did not have them mounted quite far enough ahead and it does slightly interfere with paddling, but only when one or two rods are in the holders. I also have one Scotty behind me for rod storage and this works out well. The duct tape over the scuppers is also good advice. I also wear foul weather gear bottoms and this also helps keep the rear end dry. I have made two trout trips in the last two weeks and have caught over 30 trout including one 4.5 lber. I may not even take our power boat out this fall if this keeps up.
Mike and Two Cats, Thanks for the information! I am bringing down an explorer troop from Canton NC to camp on Capers Island Nov. 9. If you guys are around look us up. I have a white 20 ft Angler cc and a yellow ocean frenzy. I’m going to take them to prices inlet and then “yak” some of them back into the creeks. These kids all swim but I dont know if they have any paddling experience so I;m leaving the dry boats at home. We would love to have you join us Sat. afternoon or Sunday morning. Laird
I have been looking for a good kayak accessible trout location. All spots I am familiar with would require a long paddle. I am not looking for exacts but where do you launch your yak to get to these good trout? I am a sportsman too and would understand if you don’t want ot let me in on this one. I’ll just keep lookin. If you ever see a yellow sit in mainstream w/ a blue rod/net/crap holding basket on the back thats me.
any info would be appreciated Two Cats.
Yakman, you got mail.