Fishing Rod Rack

bcpnick

Nick
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I've been hunting around for a while for what I felt was the perfect fishing rod rack for my boat. On my last boat, I made up a cheap one out of PVC that worked okay, but I knew I had to do something a little nicer for the new boat. Most of the ones I found were either black or white plastic or stainless and built for round rails. I finally found one I like that looks great on the Benny, so I thought I'd post some pics. 

It is a Taco 4-pole aluminum fishing rod rack. They are a bit pricey. I found mine on eBay for $100. Well worth it, in my opinion compared to all the plastic ones out there. I am really impressed with the build quality and look of it. It took two screws into the aluminum rail on the back of the boat and then I added a little rubber spacer on one of the pole slots so that it didn't torque the screws when it gets bounced around. It felt totally solid but it seemed like a good addition just to be safe. I think I'll add another one of these to the starboard side next. I'm very happy with it, particularly with how it looks on the boat. 

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Rubber spacer on one tube for support:

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The old DIY PVC one. I had to use it this past weekend because the new one didn't get here before I left on Friday. :(

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Taco Marine makes some good quality products. I had a set of rod holders by Taco on a previous offshore boat and they were topnotch. That set looks good on the Bennington rail.
 
Nice clean install. They do make some nice stuff. Can't wait to see more pics from your travels.
 
The rack looks great and looks like it was original equipment for your boat! Nice job!
 
That's a great looking holder! I think Bennington should work on getting a deal worked out on those as factory installs!
 
Looks great!
 
Looks great!  It looks ok, but just to confirm do you have any issues with the cover and how close it is to the rod holder?  My guess is no issue, but want to validate.
 
Looks great!  It looks ok, but just to confirm do you have any issues with the cover and how close it is to the rod holder?  My guess is no issue, but want to validate.

Thanks! No issues with the cover. I had to scramble to put it on as the storms moved back in shortly after installing today. It didn't interfere at all, even if I'd left rods in it. 
 
Thanks for sharing!   I've been playing with the idea of the Talon holders to mount on top of the rail, but this appears to be perfect!
 
And yet another item to add to my list.  It looks great.
 
Nice placement and installation!  Looks very factory! Very nice. 

Your "$10" PVC version was certainly a good test for placement though (for cover fit, rod access, etc).  The S doesn't have enough rails to do what you did with the taco and still clear the mooring cover buttons, but I would get the taco if I had the extra rails.

A nice little side benefit of your upgrade to the G!

Except your boat is going to list to port now due to the extra weight on the port side.  Better add another one to the starboard side.  Ha ha.
 
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I love your dog!! His colors are so cool. Oh yeah, rod holder looks cool too .... :)
 
I love your dog!! His colors are so cool. Oh yeah, rod holder looks cool too .... :)
Thanks! She is a great dog. A lot of that color is turning grey now. She's pushing 12 or 13 and can barely get around due to arthritis, but she absolutely LOVES the boat. Especially the loungers and extended decks. What a great way for her to retire after being my backpacking buddy for the last 10+ years. 
 
Sorry .... she .....  :wub:    

My dog is my best buddy. EVERY night when I walk in the door, he's waiting, tail wagging. Sits with me in my chair all night, and sleeps beside me every night.

He makes my shi**y days disappear real quick!!

When you installed the holders, what size screws and what type did you use? Did you pre-drill or use self tapping?

I just mounted a couple Scotty holders to my stern door on my RLi. Not quite as fancy, but at least it got my rods out of the way for now.

They sure aint as nice as my Taco aluminum ones I mounted on the ladder handles. I might pick one of these up that you got and mount it to my bow door.
 
I just used self tappers after seeing that is what Bennington uses on the snaps they drill in. I used size #8 x 3/4".
 
Oh, and the rubber spacer I used was found at Home Depot in the drawers by all the screws and bolts. It was a 13/16" x 5/8" 'rubber stopper'. I put a dab of super glue on the end against the rod holder. It was the perfect size between it and the next rail down. Probably unnecessary but I was a little worried about bumps on the water making the rack bounce around on those two screws. 
 
I added a second rack to the opposite side. I really like these racks. Should have all 8 slots loaded for my Powell trip next week. :)

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Nice. This should be a Bennington option!! Looks factory.
 
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