Boat Modification - Rod Locker Extension?

[MarkH024]

I have been contemplating this for over a season now and would like some input from you guys who know your boats in and out.  I have a 01' Ranger R73 which is only a 17.5' bass boat.  It is dual console and in result the rod locker allows only up to 6'6" rods.  I do not own or fish with a rod that is less than 6'8" with most being over 7'.  I have been thinking about cutting out the wall that separates the rod locker and where the passengers feet are to accommodate my rods and allow me to use the locker as intended. I would frame it out nicely with some sort of plastic or rubber fitting so that it's not just some gnarly hole.  I'm thinking about getting into a bass club for tourney fishing in the next year or two and while my boat would work, I need to make it more ideal for myself and the co-angler.  I would also liek to be able to store the rods in the boat and not have to lug them around all the time.

 

Do you advise not doing this?  What are my pro's/cons?  I'm almost certain there are not electrical wires that would be of any issue there. I'm a bit concerned that it could weaken the boat in that area but again, would need some expert opinions. This obviously is a move that can't be undone so this is why i'm very hesitant.  Over all my boat is in pretty good condition and I'm really not even worried about selling it right now or anytime soon.  The way I see it, the modification would be a perk for a new buyer but you never know. 

 

Let me hear some thoughts.  FYI- buying a new boat just isn't an option so lets weed out those answers from the get go.  If I have to just deal with it, so be it as I've been doing so for 5 years.

 

 

[slonezp]

Riddle me this. How would you be putting in and taking out the rods with the console still in place? Is removing the console and extending the deck an option, or does the wife or regular partner tag along alot? Removing the console frees up a ton of space. A buddy of mine did that on his Stratos and it turned out pretty nice.

[MarkH024]

With the extension hole cut....I could just put it in butt end first to clear the tip of the rod, then slide forward into the existing rod locker holders. I basically just need an extension for the butt ends of my rods.  Ideally 12" or less will do the trick for most of my rods.  I'd prefer to keep the console only because hacking it all the way out would seem like a lot more work than I intend. I want to keep it as nice as I can so that when I do decide to sell it's for the most part the "original" boat.

 

Slonezp...to further clarify...the space under the second console goes all the way up to the wall that divides the rod locker from the open space of the console.  I'd basically just be cutting a hole in the wall.  Probably a thickness of no more than 1-2".

[slonezp]

I would advise installing another "wall" of sorts further back to prevent the co angler from kicking the rods.

[MarkH024]

I would advise installing another "wall" of sorts further back to prevent the co angler from kicking the rods.

Agreed.  I do fish solo quite often so I'm not entirely worried about that. Besides I can always give the verbal warning or the charlie horse punch to the thigh.   

Do do you think by cutting a hole down there would weaken the boat or be hazardous to do so? 

 

Off topic- do you know of any good plastic cleaner to restore the plastics on the consoles?  My plastic has this weird white speckling on it and it was always like that. I could never seem to find something to take it off. I need to do a little TLC come spring time.

[slonezp]

No, I don't. I've seen a number of deck modifications without adverse effects. The top cap is a separate piece than the hull and the part you want to cut is part of the top cap. I would leave a slight lip, maybe an inch or so around the top and sides as support for the console that's still attached http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

[MarkH024]

No, I don't. I've seen a number of deck modifications without adverse effects. The top cap is a separate piece than the hull and the part you want to cut is part of the top cap. I would leave a slight lip, maybe an inch or so around the top and sides as support for the console that's still attached http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

Thanks man. Appreciate info and the link.

[cadman]

Hey Mark,

    If you need something custom made, I am a sheetmetal design engineer. You could have something made as an extension out of aluminum, bolt or rivet it in and then either paint it or cover it with carpet. Just a thought. If you need any help you have my e-mail. We can talk about what your ideas are and what would work. E-mail me a pic of the inside you want to cut and maybe I can come up with something for you. We can also do brushed stainless steel if you don't want paint or carpeting

[MarkH024]

Ted,

Thanks a bunch for the offer, that is mighty kind of you. Not sure if I'll be needing your expertise or not but I will definitely keep you in mind.  A fellow co-worker brought up a good point to me about just drilling holes instead of cutting a big giant hole.  The only worry about that idea is I have to be able to back the rod butt in far enough to pass the tip down in front by the tubes in the front end. The current holder for where the reel and butt end sits is the "V" shape kind against the walls of the locker.  I am now thinking if I can cut holes to accommodate the holder that is in there already, that would be even better.  I'm going to snap some pictures when i can get to it. I'll do some photoshop work to diagram what I'm thinking so you guys can give me a better idea.  Appreciate all the help.  This should be a fun project..........I hope. lol

[cadman]

Ted,

Thanks a bunch for the offer, that is mighty kind of you. Not sure if I'll be needing your expertise or not but I will definitely keep you in mind.  A fellow co-worker brought up a good point to me about just drilling holes instead of cutting a big giant hole.  The only worry about that idea is I have to be able to back the rod butt in far enough to pass the tip down in front by the tubes in the front end. The current holder for where the reel and butt end sits is the "V" shape kind against the walls of the locker.  I am now thinking if I can cut holes to accommodate the holder that is in there already, that would be even better.  I'm going to snap some pictures when i can get to it. I'll do some photoshop work to diagram what I'm thinking so you guys can give me a better idea.  Appreciate all the help.  This should be a fun project..........I hope. lol

Mark,

   No problem, somehow if we all think about it we'll come up with an answer for you.

 

BTW Very nice looking boat     

[Phil_M]

  My plastic has this weird white speckling on it and it was always like that. I could never seem to find something to take it off. I need to do a little TLC come spring time.

 

 If the plastic is black, Mother's "Back to Black" is awesome stuff. 

[Crappiebasser]

My old 393V only held 6'10" rods and I cut the front wall to make it longer. I had to cut out some of the foam under the deck but I got about 8" more out of it. I used rubber molding from Grainger to cover the cut edge.

[ksboy]

On 10/31/2013 at 9:10 AM, MarkH024 said:

Off topic- do you know of any good plastic cleaner to restore the plastics on the consoles?  My plastic has this weird white speckling on it and it was always like that. I could never seem to find something to take it off. I need to do a little TLC come spring time.

There's a product called "Pro Tec". It looked like an excellent product so I placed an order earlier this week. I should have it soon. It reportedly restores fading of the gel coat. I'll let you know how it does. It was a bout $30 for two different products, one to clean and one to seal.

[MarkH024]

My old 393V only held 6'10" rods and I cut the front wall to make it longer. I had to cut out some of the foam under the deck but I got about 8" more out of it. I used rubber molding from Grainger to cover the cut edge.

I looked into this already. The tubes for my tip ends pretty much go all the way to the very front of the boat. I don't believe I could even sneak more than 1 or 2 inches more up in that spot.  

[MarkH024]

So i finally got around to doing this project over the weekend. It turned out functionally as great as I imagined, cosmetically it will take a little more touching up to get it perfect but for my season starting around the corner, this will work for now.  I will post this in order as I went.

 

First image was just pulling the carpet off the sidewall which separates the rod box from the passenger console foot area.  I have already removed the rod rack at this point as well.

 

I was fortunate to only have to cut through about 3/8th inch of fiberglass so the cut was farily easy to do with a sawsall. I chose to leave the carpet on the underside of the console just for cosmetics and less framing work for later.

Reinstalled the rod rack quickly to see if I have enough exposure to utilize most of it. The only two that will be useless are the very tops but if I end up with a short spinning rod or bc rod, I can end up using them. EIther way not a huge deal to me.

Back to the hole I cut, I ended up using a dremel tool to even out my cuts and do some minor extending of the primary cutting I did.  I then used a 60 grit sandpaper bit to smooth the fiberglass and round out the edges. After I wiped it clean, I used 2 different self adhesive materials to frame out the cut for protectiong agains my rods and reels.  The first was a window sealant foam (grey color) that I ran along the inside of the cut all the way. The foam has excellent recovery from memory so I think it will last quite some time before I may need to replace it. If not, it was very inexpensive.  The black rubber that you see along the edge of the hole cut is auto and marine rubber sealant. The adhesive is extremely durable and stuck to the uncut fiberglass like a charm. This allows great protection for when I'm passing the rod butts through the hole and back into the rack for storage.  It will also protect if they happen to slide out and move while towing/or driving the boat.  For the exposed fiberglass, I'm either going to try and reapply the carpet around that edge to finish, or I might paint it. I haven't decided but for now it works as is.

Here is a view from under the console. Carpet still intact, but I still might try to improve it slightly. Not a huge issue since its not visible. All in all, I went from having a rod locker with a 6'6" max length capacity, now to over 7'6" easily. I'm happy I did it even though I was very timid to cut into the boat like that but this will make my fishing days more convenient and better protection for my rods.

 

Also mentioned in the thread earlier was plastic restoration. I ended up getting Meguiars :Ultimate Black. http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g15812-ultimate-black/  Here is a before and after. The before pictures I had some terrible sunglare but you can see the significant improvement.

[slonezp]

Sweet!

[MarkH024]

Sweet!

Thanks, its not the prettiest job as of now. I'm still trying to think of ways to frame it off and make it look a bit nicer but it's functional. 

[slonezp]

Thanks, its not the prettiest job as of now. I'm still trying to think of ways to frame it off and make it look a bit nicer but it's functional. 

Google "flexible U channel molding"

[WIGuide]

It looks good although I'm pretty sure you could have taken the extra out of the front end of the locker. I had the same issue on my 320 which is a 16 footer. I took some foam out and extended it from about 6'8" to just shy of 7'6" and with a little more foam removal it would hold a 7'6".

[MarkH024]

It looks good although I'm pretty sure you could have taken the extra out of the front end of the locker. I had the same issue on my 320 which is a 16 footer. I took some foam out and extended it from about 6'8" to just shy of 7'6" and with a little more foam removal it would hold a 7'6".

I already opened it up and looked months ago before I did this. I would have only gained a couple of inches, and probably not even enough to fit a 7'. Even a 6'6" rod was a tight fit on this boat.  Believe me, I searched all options before cutting into the boat as I really didn't want to go that route and I even consulted with Ranger directly about it.

[WIGuide]

I already opened it up and looked months ago before I did this. I would have only gained a couple of inches, and probably not even enough to fit a 7'. Even a 6'6" rod was a tight fit on this boat.  Believe me, I searched all options before cutting into the boat as I really didn't want to go that route and I even consulted with Ranger directly about it.

Bummer, but hey at least it works out and stays hidden!

[MichBassMan]

Please forgive me for being the devils advocate here. I'd hate to see your ruin some of your rods. I do think you have a great idea and are on the right tract. However I think you very well may damage your rods on rough roads or rough water. The graphite on your rods is going to be "stressed" just ahead of the handles, also because of poor balance they are going to bounce considerably when they get a rough ride. Perhaps you could move the handle support to the other side of your cut-out so the handle supports the weight of the rod and reel, and also will balance better.

   Good luck