Kick the crate - My new Rod holder-Redo

My large milk crate doesn't leave enough room for fish in my new Thresher 140. I decided to try to make something custom and see if I can kick the crate. I decided to use PVC since it works well for my production skill level. I'm very happy with how it is going so far. It's got enough strength and stability for the huge Sturgeon net I have. I also figure I can add to it if I want connect a piece to make a trolling motor mount.

Sweet!  I like that approach.

Extremely sexy. Nice job

Looks great! Make sure you trim those bolts off, they cut the heck out wet skin, scuba suits, or dry suits.

Nice! What did you use to attach it to the tracks?

That looks nice.  Thanks for the inspiration.  Still a little above my skill level though...

Looks good Ken. I moved to the same train of thought. Got rid of the crate went to a Plano box. Then got rid of the Plano box. The only thing behind my seat now is my stringers. Now matter what I hail around in my box back there I rarely use it and it's s pain to reach and a bigger pain to drag my fish over it to add to my stringer. How many built in rod holders does a thresher have. I got a trident ultra 4.3 now because it has enough flush mount tod holders I can hold my net , and extra poles if I have them but I usually leave those inside the hull. The less stuff to get together, setup , maneuver around, break drown and put away for sure makes for a more enjoyable experience

Nice! What did you use to attach it to the tracks?

5/16 carriage bolts. They are just big enough to not turn in the tracks.

Looks great! Make sure you trim those bolts off, they cut the heck out wet skin, scuba suits, or dry suits.

Yes. I had planned to use a 1 inch spacer to keep it above the tracks. When I changed my plans my bolts were too long. I have shorter ones but it took me till I was done before I found them. 

Thank you for posting. Im lovin the setup. I too have a thresher and use a crate for no other reason but to mount rod holders and a net. I could imagine without a crate, stashing  the stringer back there would be great. I currently place my catch in the front hatch. But, last thursday when the swells were 10ft it was difficult to crawl up to the front hatch.
Great innovation! 

That looks nice.  Thanks for the inspiration.  Still a little above my skill level though...

I have a fiber disk chop saw that I use to make square, precise cuts on the PVC. On the T sections that stick into the well I cut the junction in half so they stay close to the wall (see photo). I figure there isn't that much stress on them so a shorter connection will work. Some of the connections will be glued together. Many of them will get sheet metal type screws to keep them from pulling apart. The T and cross fittings must point exactly the right way. They might not end up pointing straight up if I just glued them and twisted them on. Using a screw I can position it just right and then drill the pilot hole. Having the front piece higher than the two sides allows everything to line up. The two rails are closer together in the rear than the front so a simple 90° won't cross straight over to connect the two sides. I used 1-1/2" PVC fittings and electrical conduit pipe. I hope the conduit might do better in sunlight than regular PVC. I decided to add pipe below all but the net holder. My rod was rubbing against the fitting as I pulled it out and was knocking the butt cap off the rod. The pipe addition keeps that from happening and I may put a cap on the bottom to support the rod and keep it from rubbing on the deck of the kayak. I left the pipe out of the net holder because it made it a little bit too tight to easily slide my big sturgeon net in and out. The trick is to have it tight enough to keep everything pointed up straight without needing to struggle to get the pole or net inserted while reaching back.

In the photo below, I drew red lines on the sections that are shortened. Each side of the junction had one half its length cut off.

My priorities are kinda jacked up.  In your first picture I was looking at the raised planter in the background and thinking "why aren't there any onions planted in there?" 

Nice idea on the pvc 

Very nice !          Krylon Fusion spray paint would color that up real nice.   Also protect from UV light.

    Have you ever tried heating the PVC to shape some of the bends?

My large milk crate doesn't leave enough room for fish in my new Thresher 140. I decided to try to make something custom and see if I can kick the crate. I decided to use PVC since it works well for my production skill level. I'm very happy with how it is going so far. It's got enough strength and stability for the huge Sturgeon net I have. I also figure I can add to it if I want connect a piece to make a trolling motor mount.

Nice. It's such a dilemma, this space vs convenience thing. For your bolts, you might want to try "toilet flange" bolts from the plumbing Dept of a well stocked hardware store; you might be able to find brass ones which are easy to cut down (thread a nut on well below your cut in order to correct the threads after cutting) and hold up better in saltwater. That said, the brass & aluminum have a bad galvanic reaction so its best to spray the T-bolt w/ something waxy like Boeshield T9.


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Very nice !          Krylon Fusion spray paint would color that up real nice.   Also protect from UV light.

    Have you ever tried heating the PVC to shape some of the bends?

I thought about it but never tried it.