New "rocket launcher"

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robedney

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After tripping over unused fishing rods I decided it was time to add a "rocket launcher", aka a rack for rods. Installation is not finished -- this picture shows a dry fit. The wood is Eastern white oak from a table I cut down in size, the stainless came with the boat (a rod of unknown use) and the PVC is from the scrap pile. Epoxied and varnished (one more wet sanding and coat to go). The spacer blocks (also epoxied) will be painted to match the cabin top (the whole boat will be painted soon).

IMG_20120912_182307.jpg
 
quote:
Originally posted by In the know

What stops them from sliding left to right?

Click to expand...


Note the black tie wraps securing the PVC to the upper rail. These are just tight enough to prevent sliding, but if you want to adjust left to right you want walk them back and forth.
 
Sorry Robert, but I have to think those ties have a very limited shelf life in a marine environment.
 
Those ties are cheap enough to replace at will. They do not support anything except keeping them leaning forward. GREAT job. Bravo !!!
 
I've been using the exterior approved ties for years on boats. So long as they are not continuously in the sun they last well and are easy to replace. Certainly they shouldn't be used in critical applications. In the case of the rocket launcher, a broken tie is not a problem -- you're not going to lose a rod.

Regular hardware store ties do become brittle in fairly short order. These things are a different breed.
 
If the boat is sitting still your fine. If not you need to add a 1/8-3/16 rod thru the bottom of all those tubes to keep the rods from rolling round and round as most if not all rods have notched bases for this purpose. Also need to check your depth of the bar so as to put it low enough but high enough to clear any reels on the poles. Also, I would be worried of the rods bashing back and forth in such a wide opening at the top. Not sure how you would reduce that now without looking like you didn't plan for it and I also don't see what is going to keep your bar they are zipped to from sliding back and forth after wear time and seas. Also some bungies handy for if you are moving so you can lock them in from the reels to the bottom tube and protect your investment.

All in all it looks good but just some ideas for you keep in mind. Tight lines
 
quote:
Originally posted by profishnsea

If the boat is sitting still your fine. If not you need to add a 1/8-3/16 rod thru the bottom of all those tubes to keep the rods from rolling round and round as most if not all rods have notched bases for this purpose. Also need to check your depth of the bar so as to put it low enough but high enough to clear any reels on the poles. Also, I would be worried of the rods bashing back and forth in such a wide opening at the top. Not sure how you would reduce that now without looking like you didn't plan for it and I also don't see what is going to keep your bar they are zipped to from sliding back and forth after wear time and seas. Also some bungies handy for if you are moving so you can lock them in from the reels to the bottom tube and protect your investment.

All in all it looks good but just some ideas for you keep in mind. Tight lines

Click to expand...


Thanks for the tips. We used it for a day fishing and got some pretty good chop when the afternoon wind came up -- also got waked by the ferries a few times.

Rods don't seem to roll. My boat rods have pretty beefy foam grips, but no notches in the bottom -- that sounds like a good idea. I also sized the tubes to match the boat rods so the reels would sit in a good place.

I do have some beautiful, older rods with turned hardwood handles I love to use, but they go into the forepeak when not actively in use.
 
Robert you might want to try Bandits they are a metal wire tie coated with rubber, they are used for securing antenna cables to towers and side arms on radio towers. They will not break due to the Sun's UV rays gettting to them.
Bill
 
On a slow moving boat, Gimbal pins in the bottom of rod holders and gimabal butts for the rods may not be required but........ It is called a rocket launcher. Foam grip rods make removing the rods from a holder more difficult especially if a fish is on the line.

My question, are the stainless steel tubes held in place by screws?

Nicely done, more so considering the use of scrap materials.
 
IF you wanted to get decorative and functional you could get some line and weave inside and out and around the stainless.

And people say you never start threads in other forums...hmmmm
 
Looks nice Robert.

I built one for my hardtop several years ago, great for getting rods up and out of the way.

Tim
 
Thanks all. Bill, I'll Google "Bandits", thanks for the tip.

Aubv, the tubes will be held in place with a set screw when I'm finished -- and the ends of the tubes plugged.

BoatCrazy, I'd thought about your idea -- particularly if I got my Sea Scout officer daughter to do it with hemp, and then epoxied and varnished the hemp -- would look very shippy. I may do that after more time in use and I'm sure of the best spacing.
 
quote:
Originally posted by robedney

I've been using the exterior approved ties for years on boats. So long as they are not continuously in the sun they last well and are easy to replace.
Click to expand...

Quality ty-wraps will last years and years in the sun. In a previous job, we used black ty-wraps in an outdoor enviroment that looked like new after 10 years.
 
Where's the Duct Tape?

Don't leave the lead weights swing about and beware of low bridges.....
 
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