Rod Box

Hey all
I’ve got an 18′ Lowe Olympic Jon with a center console.
I really want to put in a lockable rod box.
But, can’t really find the right thing,
closest I’ve found are truck tool boxes.
Does anyone make a decent aftermarket rod box?
At least 6′ long.
I’m about ready to just have one fab’d at the machine shop.

Try this one.

rod box

All I did was look on google for “rod storage box”.

Got many more hits so you can try this one or look some more, Good luck!

I found that one before.
It’s not the box it’s self.
It’s an organizer that goes inside an existing box.
I also found like $600 dock boxes,
but that seems kind of high to me.

One of these days I’ma gonna learn how to read!

Sorrrrrry.

But on a serious note, there were a lot of hits on google, If I find a better picture I will post it for you.

I’m in the same boat, so to speak. The built in on mine won’t hold anything bigger’n a 6 footer. I’ve been looking at Gander at the rod bazookas, and am tring to figure out whether or not there’s some way to make that work. If you come across a solution, please post it.

here’s one possibility, but it too only goes to 6′
http://cozywinters.com/shopping/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cw&Product_Code=ST-S3
It would hold a bunch of rods, lockable, and you could drag it inside.

I allso had a 6 foot rod box.what i did was cut one end out then cut out the side of my front bench fit them together and had a 7+ rod locker.

If you look at the polar craft jon boat they come with a optional rod box. It is a platsic molded box that looks pretty decent. The other storage box options look nice also. Some of them look to have a sloped side for fitting against the side of the boat.
Rotocast is the name on the rod box. I believe that is the name of the equipment used in the making of the box and millions of other plastic items. I havent found a place to purchase them online yet but am still looking.
My other thought for rod storage is to see if I can get the marine body shop down the road from me to make something up.
When you guys find something that works for you make sure and post it here. Im looking to do the same thing to my jon boat.

Why not build your own?

I just got done revamping an old lund.

I took out the center bench seat and replaced it with a carpeted floor via sheet of plywood, with ripped 2x4s for stringers underneath.

I built a “back deck”, going from 4″ in front of the rear bench, to the transom (carpeted too). I cut a center square hole (15″) so I have access to the drain plug, and that is where the battery is strapped down for the electronics and rear trolling motor.

I built a “front deck”, going from the front bench to the bow, with access doors inbetwen the bench and the bow bench. Here, I have 2, 6 gallon gas tanks, hosed together with a 3-way valve. I also have the battery here (separated via wood panel from the gas tanks for safety) for the front trolling motor and the lights.

My next project is to build a rod box and mount PVC tubes to hold the tips of the rods.

If you are handy at wood and enjoy working with it, try it. It is very easy, and when you carpet all this stuff, your boat looks great! I’m into my boat “conversion” for a mere $100 for the 3/4″ plywood, 2x4s, 3/4″ alum. angle iron, one “piano hinge”, and carpet. I stapled the carpet to the wood.

It is easy………

My pursuit of this lead because of my father of 80 years old. He is getting a little slower on his manuevering skills. It became difficult for him to be crawling over the benches all the time. So one day, we were in the back yard on a Saturday afternoon, drinking a couple of cold ones, when the idea popped into our heads. Out came the tools and we went to work!!!

Basically, you can build a 16′ Rebel out of an old 16′ Lund for about $200. And honestly, I’m very proud of my creation.

PM me if you have questions on what I did, or if you want more info.

I have also done something similar on an old boat. If you have access to a table saw you ought to be able to build a lockable rod box in one evening in the shop.
The only thing I would caution you about is that you can save yourself a bit of grief down the road if you use either marine grade plywood or a high grade furniture plywood (what they call “baltic birch”) coated with West System epoxy. It also wouldnt hurt to use stainless hardware.

The boat storage box I built was with baltic birch plywood and was impregnated with West System Epoxy. It held up perfectly for the 7 years I had the skiff. The only thing I would have done differently is stainless steel fittings. I used cheap hardware and they still functioned but they did not fair as well as the box.

Good luck,
Dave