Rod Holders

D

Dan Tracy

New member
I would like to install rod holders for 3 to 4 fishing rods in my C-Dory 25, preferably in the interior. I would appreciate any suggestions anyone may have on the best way this might be accomplished. Thanks
 
LOL, I had to read your post twice. I thought you wanted fishing style rod holders installed INSIDE. Sorry, can't help you on that one. I have seen photo's in someones album where they drilled holes in the face of the overhead shelf up near the helm. They were big enough for the butt of the rods. Not sure how they supported the other end of the rods though. Or you could invest in the pocket fisherman rods. I understand they don't really quite fit in your pocket though. :smilep
 
I don't know if you can see the rod holders in this picture very well but it's the best pic I have at the moment. These are held in place by the thru bolts holding the railing on the roof. This is on a 22' but a 25 should be the same. The rods are up high in the raised part. You need rods 6' or less or break down rods. I have them on both sides and they work well for the boat hook also and aren't in the way.
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We use the Taco Snap Lock rod holders. Or the Starboard rod holders which screw to the ceiling. We alternate the rod butts and tips, and get 4 rods on a side--we usally carry two deep sea stand up rods and two spinning rods--size depends on the area where we are boat. On the Tom Cat, we have the rods athwart ships above the anchor locker hatches across the foreward bulkhead of the bunk area.
 
Just in case you couldn't find my album (thanks Roger), here's my setup. I used short pieces of wood (sealed and painted except for glued side), then a plastic molding strip from Home Depot screwed into place, 3 screws per piece of wood. And finally pole holders from West Marine without the rail system (just get the spare parts packages, cheaper). I will be installing vertical supports between the shelf and the ceiling, hot weather eventually allows the ceiling to sag a bit under the weight of the poles, I put the heaviest poles near the outside edge. More pictures here.

RodRack_640.jpg
 
Once your rod holders are mounted, that will, determine the length of rod you can best carry in them. For instance, my rod holders and the space I have works best for 8'6" rods - they're mounted on the exterior of the sliding windows (I think Rapala brand, holds 4 on each side). 9' will fit but they start to poke out too far into the access to the cockpit from the dock behind the cabin. They still fit, but I risk a clumsy or unknowing guest snapping off a tip. Shorter than 8'6" and they bend and flex too much in the middle. For the fishing I do, 8'6" is a great length. For the more stout halibut rods which are 6' or 6'5" etc., I carry them standing up in another location.

If you're mounting them inside the cabin, along the roof, consider placing them close enough together to handle 2 piece rods broken down. These might also handle the 6 ft. rods.

For the rod holders used while trolling off of the stern, I like rail mounted Scottys, NOT Fish Ons which are too whimpy.

One thing that concerns me was this comment from above "the ceiling to sag a bit under the weight of the poles". Seriously, from the weight of fishing poles? I just presumed the C-Dory ceilings were strong enough to walk or crawl on. Are they or aren't they strong enough to support a large human? Do they bend or sag if you crawl on them? Stand? CW
 
CW":4n624nd7 said:
One thing that concerns me was this comment from above "the ceiling to sag a bit under the weight of the poles". Seriously, from the weight of fishing poles? I just presumed the C-Dory ceilings were strong enough to walk or crawl on. Are they or aren't they strong enough to support a large human? Do they bend or sag if you crawl on them? Stand? CW
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I walk all over the roof of mine but I expect the 22 is slightly stronger that the 25. I think the 22 has a little more arc to it and is not as wide as the 25. There are a lot of 25's and 22's around supporting roof top a/c's.
 
My observation is that the cored roofs are strong--the non cored roofs, one has to be careful...Some have the full roof cored, some only the sides and some only the center....My Tom Cat has a sturdy roof--and I still made a wooden frame for the AC. The center of my CD 25 roof, is not cored, and flexes--I am not comfortable putting my weight on a foot in the center--when sitting OK...on the center because it distributes the weight out over a larger area. Also in the non cored roof, there is a danger of putting the screw thru the top..
 
My roof is about 1/4" thick in the center section, solid fiberglass. It's cored along the edges where the outside handles mount. I store my raft up there when I need a quick deployment where I'm going.

That picture was taken before I completed the rest of the rod holders across, 12 in all. Pointed the last few on the starboard side towards the front, shorter rods due to the bathroom. The bathroom walls actually provide some support to the roof towards the rear, the front section is the part that should be reenforced when adding weight like I have.
 
I think they must have made some changes in the roofs of the 25. I looked at a section cut out of the roof of a 2007 25 at Wefings that they were installing and AC on. It was as I remember between 3/4 and 1 inch thick and had some sort of thin core in it.
 
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