securing rods in a rod locker?

[jbmaine]

Hi all,

 The new boat I'll be picking up in the spring has a rod locker (my first) and I'm assuming the rods stay in there full time. I've got sleeves to go over the rods but what is the best way  to secure the rods, not from theft, but to keep them from bouncing, sliding, etc, mostly during trailering the boat. I'm thinking maybe Velcro strips or a bungee cord, but I thought I'd see if I could get ideas about what others have done for this.

             Here's a pic of the rod locker.

                       Thanks

                               Jim

[MickD]

Use the sleeves you have, then cobble up a pad to go over the rods right at that rear cross member that accepts the butts of the rods.  Then, if it does not compress when you close the locker cover, find a piece of compressible packing material to put on top of your pad, thickness as needed to provide compression when the locker is closed, and before closing the locker, put these two pieces on top of the rods right at the cross member. They will provide adequate force to keep the rods stable while travelling. When you open the locker, simply place the pieces under the rods until you pack up to leave.  Very simple, effective, free.

 

I used a camping sleeping pad piece and a piece of the blue compressible packing material that comes with electronics.  

 

Make sure no rod tip is bottomed out in the rod slots.  If it is, that rod will likely break no matter what else you try to protect it.

[Fishing Rhino]

I stagger the rods so the reels are not adjacent to each other.  I'll lay out five or six rods, then place an old bath towel over the reels and stagger the next layer over the lower layer.  All the rods are in rod socks so there is no contact of eyes against the other rods around them.

 

Don't have any type of rod dividers in the locker.  Worked out well for the nine years of fishing and trucking them around the country.

 

You could also get some thick crew socks, cut the toes off them and slip them onto the rod and over the reel.  That will also keep them from clattering together in your journeys over the water and the highways.

[A-Jay]

  

Just pack it full ~ 

A-Jay

[jbmaine]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll see what I can come up with.

A-JAY- I would always want the rod on the bottom 

                    Jim

[TOXIC]

Just a note of caution that depending on how you store your boat, leaving rods in the locker full time can invite mold and mildew on them.  

[jbmaine]

7 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Just a note of caution that depending on how you store your boat, leaving rods in the locker full time can invite mold and mildew on them.  

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the heads up.

                                     Jim

[WIGuide]

I use rod and reel gloves on all my setups and then my way of securing them in place is to make sure I cram my rod locker full of enough combos that there's no room left for them to bounce  In all seriousness though, as long as you protect them, they can be jostled a bit and completely unaffected.  

[WRB]

Reel covers work to protect them.

I also use terry cloth bath towels in between layers of rods/reels for added cushioning.

The towels come in handy for lots of uses in a boat.

Tom

[Further North]

On 11/26/2017 at 8:45 PM, A-Jay said:

  

Just pack it full ~ 

A-Jay

Nailed it...

 

I thought I'd want a rod locker with the neatly organized rod tubes at the front and holders for the rod butts...

 

...turns out that's not what I want at all.

 

I can get more rods in there is I don't have those restrictions...and as a dedicated multi-species guy who has no idea what I'm gonna want to use until I get out on the water and see what's working...that's what works best for me.

[fishwizzard]

Does anyone sell a stand-alone rod locker?  It seems like there would be a market for something like in A-Jay's picture, but free standing so you could say mount it to the bed of a pickup or the back of an SUV/wagon. 

[MickD]

On 11/28/2017 at 11:26 AM, fishwizzard said:

Does anyone sell a stand-alone rod locker?  It seems like there would be a market for something like in A-Jay's picture, but free standing so you could say mount it to the bed of a pickup or the back of an SUV/wagon. 

Sounds like a business opportunity to me.