Looking for rod storage ideas on my fish n’ ski

I’ve got a Skeeter SL 190 fish n’ ski combo. The boat has been 100% “fish” since we bought it. My daughter is 3 now but I suspect before too long she’ll like the idea of water sports. Anyway, the ski storage underneath is nice for 6- 6-1/2′ rods but it’s a little awkward anyway and anything bigger than that is tough to wriggle in and out.

I’ve looked at the bac-rac on ebay but I have guys that fish with me and they usually fish out the back while I’m in the bow. It’s fine for motoring across the lake but a major pain when you want to drop the bow mount and start fishing. If it were just me out there, then it would be slick. Wondering if anyone has put in rod holders or just used bungee cords. I’ve tried a number of things and invariably I end up with a pile of rods on the floor from the back seats through the walk-through. One of these days a guide or tip or worse is going to get snapped.

Any ideas?

Probably get a rod or two in something like this.

You mean the boat right?

I am looking at the one with the big rack on top.

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You mean the boat right?

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I don’t remember what brand mine are but I have 2 racks mounted in my fish and ski. One to the left of the front passenger seat angled so the rods run on the same plane as the windshield and one angled the same way on the walk through. I think they are rapala brand but not sure. One has a solid base that the butt end sits on and one has a row of holes so the butt end sits on the floor. I could post pictures tomorrow if I am not describing this well.

She isn’t trying to drive that boat through the windshield is she?

There’s a boat in that picture?

I’ve seen wooden rod holders that hold like 6 maybe more rods that are portable but kind square in shape and hold the rods pointing straight up, I can’t for the life of me remember where, of if it was a commercially made product. When I get a chance I’ll look around some more.

Here’s more of what I’m talking about…
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_7558____SearchResults
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=721000&aID=504T5&cID=FROOGLE_721000
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10204535____SearchResults
This maybe without the wheels
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10204537____SearchResults
Probably the best one (value/use), IMHO
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=netcon&id=0001994010319a&navCount=4&podId=0001994&parentId=&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=QL&rid=2146251080&parentType=&indexId=cat600026

Anyways you get the idea… I feel sympathetic to 190fs owners so I really spent some time looking (I have a Ranger 190fs)

I should mention too if you don’t use or haven’t used Rod socks they are great for keeping things organized and maybe somewhat a little more protected. (depending on which ones you go with), certainly makes it easier to keep my rods organized in my ski locker.

Wow, they don’t give you many vertical or horizontal surfaces to work with on that rig. Drilling into fiberglass probably isn’t an option. While you are resolving this issue, try using the nylon or braided rod covers…. rods are still out but after you run down the lake you haven’t tangled multiple lines around multiple reels and multiple rods and multiple lures and multiple bait boxes and seat bases,… you get the picture. Will be interesting to see what you come up with.

Pete

Yeah, there isn’t much space at all. To be honest, I thought the in floor storage would be plenty and would be a lot more convenient than it is.

Nick – I kind of like that “Anglers Tote” from Cabelas, I may have to look closer at that.

I do have a couple of the cabela’s brand nylon covers but my brother in-law uses the rod socks and those seem a lot nicer, of course they are 3x the price. $10 is a cheap price to protect $100+ rods though.

I’ve thought about putting one of the wall mount rod holders on the walkthrough and just standing them upgright but I think that will stick out into the walkthrough too far; especially since I have my HDS ram mount kind of sticking out there already.

I tried putting pvc tubes under the floor but the underside comes up to a hard V with the hull and the tubes wouldn’t work. (ala the Alumacraft storage I’ve seen).

I love the boat, I hate the storage. When I bought the boat, I only had 4 rods. Now I bring 5 or 6 baitcasters with me plus my wife’s spinning rod. I had no idea I would do that.

How about one of these behind the back seats.

You’ll need to have room to mount a base for it though.

What’s under the carpet in that area? If it’s storage it
should work.

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Probably get a rod or two in something like this.

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HEY YO!

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I am looking at the one with the big rack on top.

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THAT was funny

I have the same issue in my Crestliner fish and Ski, love the boat but the rod storage leaves somethign to be disired. I have 6 of the vertical holders up against the rear deck. Great for running across the lake, when we stop to fish I’ll leave one side full and take them out of the other side and lay them in the bow. My friends have to fish with 3 of them on one side in his way but I always ask “do you want me to move those” and they always say “no it’s fine”.