Mounting accessories

Hello there,

Just curious about mounting accessories.  I have a 2020 Outback and getting ready to mount things like rod holders, mini downrigger, and soon a fish finder.  In addition to the track mounting plates, my Hobie has the H rail system.  Question is how secure is the track system and should I mount my accessories on the H rail system when available instead of the track system?  Seems like there is a little flex on the track system with any decent load. 

Thanks for your input.

B

I've been told by 2 knowledgeable shops...The aluminum track is much stronger than the plastic ones in regards to flexing from force.
Use your rod holders on the aluminum track.
If using heavier items like a fish finder on the plastic track, use it close to either end where the track doesn't flex as bad.

https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=21762.0

https://www.snipeairindustries.com/shop

https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=21762.0

https://www.snipeairindustries.com/shop

Thanks for posting the link to the other thread.
I like how another member reinforces his track!

On my 2019 outback I do this....

1) I mounted 2 Scotty mounts with backing plates on each tray behind the seat. They work very well for flat line trolling, and for holding extra rods.

2) the hobie H rail gear head mount works well for rod holders up front.

3) A plate spanning the h rail and plastic mounting plate (like in the link above, or a Scotty mount with a YakAttack mighty mount on each side mounted at an angle / is what I use for heavier things like my downrigger.

4) my fishfinder is mounted on the plastic rail using only a gear head track adapter.

Take your  yak out before you rig it. Sit in it . Paddle or pedal whatever you have. Figure out where you might put things . It may change as you progress

Just my .02

also it might seem like stifling your progress but only add one thing at a time or very few at a time to let you get used to if you even like it or not.

I had a bunch of rod holders, a milk crate, anchor trolly, from a friend who gave me his old kayak stuff when I started off, and I turned out using only one of them ever. but I thought I would be using them all.

I mount my fishfinder on my H rain (aftermarket) on my 2018 Outback because I don't really trust the stability of them for much else, and I put the fish finder on an aluminum rail with a ball mount on it on the revo.

An advantage of mounting fishing gear on gear tracks or H Bars is that you can easily change the nature or location of your equipment as you learn more about how you like to set up your kayak, you see the way other kayakers set up their kayaks, or you start doing new kinds of fishing.  I suggest that you hold off on drilling holes in your kayak to mount equipment permanently until you've used and fished from the kayak for a while.

Check out Flying Fish TV on youtube for a pvc rod holder that can go in the back rod holders.  he has a pretty decent trolling setup and totally non-permanent.  plus could give you some ideas for your own design.

Check out Flying Fish TV on youtube for a pvc rod holder that can go in the back rod holders.  he has a pretty decent trolling setup and totally non-permanent.  plus could give you some ideas for your own design.

+1. That guy slays.

I finally got around to making a plate that spans between the 2 tracks on my 2019 Outback for my downrigger - essentially knocking off the Armor Plate from Snipe. Since I was in the shop, I figured I'd knock out 2 of them because as others have noted, the plastic track on the outside of the new outbacks is NOT suitable for rod holders and after a takedown ripped a YakAttack Omega Pro clean out of the plastic track last year I've been looking for a more stable solution. The H-Rail is much more sturdy, but a little too close to my knee space, so something that spans the rails seems ideal.

I already had some Scotty Gear Head Track Adapters laying around, so I routed a channel in the back to keep the T-Bolts from spinning but I think I'm going to order a couple of the Scotty locking deck mounts long term.

$14 cutting board and $18 for enough hardware to do both plates. Nice little Sunday project.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0824GBM7J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

more

Similar method here...

Exhibita, I think that Scotty Gearhead mounts are fine for mounting things like a fish finder head which aren't under any stress, and I use them for that purpose.  But Gearhead mounts suck for mounting anything which has to handle any kind of tension, such as a trolling rod holder, because they always creep, even if you tighten them down really hard.  They creep even if the tension will tend to tighten the Gearhead, such as with a trolling rod holder on the right side of a kayak.  They really creep if the tension will tend to loosen the Gearhead, such as with a trolling rod holder on the left side of a kayak.  And all of the tension on the Gearhead goes on a single thin bolt.

Instead of using a Gearhead on your mounting plate, I suggest that you use a Scotty locking side-deck mount.  There is room on your mounting plate for one of those mounts, and you can orient the mount in any direction you want to.  The advantages of a locking side-deck mount over the standard non-locking side-deck mount are (a) you can push a rod holder straight down into a locking mount in any orientation you want, and don't need to fiddle around with locating the groove, pushing the rod holder part of the way down into the mount, rotating the rod holder to the orientation you want, and then pushing the rod holder the rest of the way down; and (b) a rod holder won't come out of a locking side-deck mount if you jerk up on it, such as when pulling a rod out of its holder when you get a strike, but a rod holder can come partly or completely out of non-locking side-deck mount if you jerk up on it.

Shown below is a mounting plate which I made for a locking side-deck mount which holds a rod holder, and goes in a gear track on the gunwale of my Revolution.  The side-deck mount is bolted on at an angle, because my gear tracks angle in towards the bow of my Revolution, but I want my trolling rods to be at right angles to the keel of my kayak.  For a description of how I made my mounting plate, see  https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=13167.msg144750#msg144750.

 

Instead of using a Gearhead on your mounting plate, I suggest that you use a Scotty locking side-deck mount. 

Railblaza mounts would be good in this application too...
https://www.railblaza.com/products/starport-hd/

Thank you everyone.  Some great information, input, and photos.

B