I didn't like the side seat layout. With one person driving the boat, it sits perfectly level, but when I put a passenger in, it leans a little bit. Not much, but enough to drive me nuts. When I add 60 pounds of kicker motor and bracket on the port side, it would increase that problem. So, I moved the buddy seat to the center. I went with a cubby instead of the hatch, and put a 3/4 inch pin base on it, so I can now move the seat to the bow to fish from when I am not bass fishing.
Still need to paint the inside of the cubby.
That 1/4 inch plywood template was to see what shape I need to make my piece to hold rods. The original seat box had a rod ramp, but the only problem was, it was too steep, getting in the way for flipping off of, or pulling fish in the back deck. This new one will allow the tips to be on the edge of the deck, so they are below the level of the gunwales, and therefore not in the way.
Well, as some of you know, I am starting to striper fish, thereby needing a way to carry shad (which are not easy to keep alive) in the boat. I decided my tank needed to be under 200 pounds loaded, needed to have a small footprint, due to my boats layout, and all shad tanks need to be round or oval. I joined another striper forum, and saw one of the local members made a 20 gallon tank for his 16 foot jon. I saw he had some more of the barrels in the background, so he sold one to me for 10 bucks. It is a 20 gallon white plastic barrel.
It fits snugly in front of the buddy seat box, as long as that person sits sideways (not the greatest, but to fish for as many different species as I do out of a boat as small as mine, you have to take hits somewhere. Small boat blues).
It will be very similar in design to this.
https://seeinstripes.com/bbt.htm
Also, I had mounted some of the 30 degree flush mount rod holders around the boat, but didn't like them. I can see them being useful for trolling in a boat with high gunwales, but they don't work for downlines or anything like that. So, I went back to my original idea, that I stole from one of fowlmoods posts.
I started by making some bases out of 3/8 thickness, 4 inch wide aluminum bar. I cut them to 6" lengths, and drilled and tapped a hole for a 1/2 inch bolt. I figured that if I didn't like the rod holders I would make, I would buy the driftmasters that all the striper guys worship, and they thread into a half inch aluminum base. Of course, my base is significantly more substantial, with a wider spread for the fasteners, so there is absolutely no reason not to like them.
I then drilled 4 holes for 3/16 rivets, and countersunk them, both to gain a bit of grip length, and to give a more finished look. I just hit the corners with a palm sander, but I could have run a roundover bit around them if I so desired.
The holders themselves were made of 4 inch PVC. They have a slot cut in them, and a 1/2 inch by 6 inch carriage bolt running through them. I need to pick up some 1/2 inch wing nuts to put down at the bottom, so I can thread them into the base, then tighten the wing nut onto them, locking them in place.
I went with a 1 3/8 hole for the rod butt, and wish I went with a 1 3/4 like fowlmoods post used. Certain rods don't like to go in there right. They may be redone at some point.
Pulled an old Zebco out of the closet for testing, so I don't mess up the cork on my expensive rods, before cleaning the burrs out of the hole. They can be adjusted from about vertical, (probably about 75 degrees), down to lower than horizontal. I will keep a cheapo 3/4 inch wrench in the boat to hit the nut with to change the angle, depending on if I am downlining, or casting live bait/bottom rigs.
I have got them layed out where I have 4 at various angles off the bow deck, and 2 off the transom, so I can have 6 downlines in the water. I will be making a few spider rigging bars that will thread into these bases too.
Still need to paint the inside of the cubby.
That 1/4 inch plywood template was to see what shape I need to make my piece to hold rods. The original seat box had a rod ramp, but the only problem was, it was too steep, getting in the way for flipping off of, or pulling fish in the back deck. This new one will allow the tips to be on the edge of the deck, so they are below the level of the gunwales, and therefore not in the way.
Well, as some of you know, I am starting to striper fish, thereby needing a way to carry shad (which are not easy to keep alive) in the boat. I decided my tank needed to be under 200 pounds loaded, needed to have a small footprint, due to my boats layout, and all shad tanks need to be round or oval. I joined another striper forum, and saw one of the local members made a 20 gallon tank for his 16 foot jon. I saw he had some more of the barrels in the background, so he sold one to me for 10 bucks. It is a 20 gallon white plastic barrel.
It fits snugly in front of the buddy seat box, as long as that person sits sideways (not the greatest, but to fish for as many different species as I do out of a boat as small as mine, you have to take hits somewhere. Small boat blues).
It will be very similar in design to this.
https://seeinstripes.com/bbt.htm
Also, I had mounted some of the 30 degree flush mount rod holders around the boat, but didn't like them. I can see them being useful for trolling in a boat with high gunwales, but they don't work for downlines or anything like that. So, I went back to my original idea, that I stole from one of fowlmoods posts.
I started by making some bases out of 3/8 thickness, 4 inch wide aluminum bar. I cut them to 6" lengths, and drilled and tapped a hole for a 1/2 inch bolt. I figured that if I didn't like the rod holders I would make, I would buy the driftmasters that all the striper guys worship, and they thread into a half inch aluminum base. Of course, my base is significantly more substantial, with a wider spread for the fasteners, so there is absolutely no reason not to like them.
I then drilled 4 holes for 3/16 rivets, and countersunk them, both to gain a bit of grip length, and to give a more finished look. I just hit the corners with a palm sander, but I could have run a roundover bit around them if I so desired.
The holders themselves were made of 4 inch PVC. They have a slot cut in them, and a 1/2 inch by 6 inch carriage bolt running through them. I need to pick up some 1/2 inch wing nuts to put down at the bottom, so I can thread them into the base, then tighten the wing nut onto them, locking them in place.
I went with a 1 3/8 hole for the rod butt, and wish I went with a 1 3/4 like fowlmoods post used. Certain rods don't like to go in there right. They may be redone at some point.
Pulled an old Zebco out of the closet for testing, so I don't mess up the cork on my expensive rods, before cleaning the burrs out of the hole. They can be adjusted from about vertical, (probably about 75 degrees), down to lower than horizontal. I will keep a cheapo 3/4 inch wrench in the boat to hit the nut with to change the angle, depending on if I am downlining, or casting live bait/bottom rigs.
I have got them layed out where I have 4 at various angles off the bow deck, and 2 off the transom, so I can have 6 downlines in the water. I will be making a few spider rigging bars that will thread into these bases too.
