280DA Rod Holder Installation Success!

[Gunn]

I finally did. I finally drilled two 2-1/4" holes in my gunwales. All the anxiety is finally over. And it was a complete success. I can see why there isn't one thread or post on this forum of anyone who has done it, it's not for the faint of heart. And Sea Ray made it difficult on the port side, but it is definitely possible.

Early this summer, I purchased Attwood 15 degree stainless steel rod holders. Due to the limited space on the port side gunwale, I was hesitant to try 30 degree holders. They may fit, but only if they angled straight down the back of the boat. To keep the fishing rods as far apart as possible, I wanted mine angled outward.

Since the port side was going to be the most difficult, I started there. Due to the space limitations, I had to keep it as near the radar arch as possible. But I didn't want it to look crowded up against it, so it's as far away from the arch as it is each side of the gunwale. I used masking tape to mark on and then drew a 45 degree line to align the holder (had to re-position a bit and draw a second line). I used the gasket as a template.

I then used a 2-1/4" hole saw on a drill press to drill a 15 degree angled hole in a piece of oak to use as a guide. I cut exact 45 degree angles on the guide to help me align it on the boat. Not having a place to clamp the wood guide, I used a hot glue gun to glue it down. It was firm and never budged during the process.

Now is when the hard part came. I didn't just have to drill a simple hole (like I would the starboard side). There is a 3/4" plywood cross support running under the hole, right in the path. I was aware of this during my scouting of the feasibility of this. So after removing the fiberglass layer and the top layer of plywood, I continued to drill down through this cross piece as far as I could until the hole saw bottomed out, then cut out the section. I repeated until my drill itself wouldn't go down any further. Then, I used the speaker access hole to get my drill in there and, using the same hole saw, drilled to the bottom of the access I would need. I then used a dremel and a wood rasp to smooth things out. It took an hour or two!

Here is what I ended up with as seen from the speaker access.

In the image above, you can see the port side EIM panel box I had to steer clear of, preventing me from mounting the holder any further towards the stern.

With the rod holder then mounted, here is a view from the engine room, looking up.

I used a self-centering bit to drill the screw holes with the rod holder in place. I enlarged the screw holes a bit with a larger drill bit. Then used a chamfer bit to ease the gelcoat around the hole.

I applied a thin bead of caulk around the hole and into all of the screw holes. Finally mounted it permanently!

Then on to the starboard side. This side was a piece of cake. Took awhile to measure (four times!) to make sure I had it laid out exactly in the same spot as the other side and at the 45 degree angle.

Again used my template to drill out the hole (flipped it over to get the angle going in the right direction!), and drilled out the mounting holes.

The starboard side took a fraction of the time to mount.

And there you have it, rod holders mounted in both gunwales. Hopefully this will help any of you who have posted in the past requesting anyone that had done this before. Now you know it can be done. :smt001

Weather looks beautiful for the weekend, so I'll be testing them out on some Rockfish and Bluefish in the Chesapeake Bay. :smt001

Tom

 

[Loneranger]

Looks good. I like it. I am not sure what part that is that you had to cut into on the port side. I guess opening that area up won't cause any problems.

Much more elegant solution than what I have. I am still using these:

http://www.perko.com/catalog/category/fishing_equipment/product/542/

I removed the screws that allow you to mount it to the bimini and replaced them with thumb screws so I can remove them without tools. They stay up a lot but if I put the camping enclosure up they get in the way.

John

 

[Bucit]

Nice job, write up and pictures!

 

[Gunn]

Looks good. I like it. I am not sure what part that is that you had to cut into on the port side. I guess opening that area up won't cause any problems.

I thought long and hard before I cut that hole...basically all of late spring and summer before finally going for it. And after the rod holder was installed, I was going to caulk all around it from the ER to seal it back up. But then I decided against it as that would make removing the rod holder (if there was ever a need?) a real pain. I did put a thin layer of caulk over the fresh plywood area I cut to seal that up in case it ever got wet. I think Sea Ray just put that there to neatly close up the ER area, not as a structural member, as the other side does not have this cross piece.

I do have a photo of -one- other 280DA of my generation that had rod holders on both sides, in basically the same area. I can't remember where I got the photo, but it was a factory install. I assume they would have done the same thing. The only thing I don't know about that photo was the angle of the holders.

Tom

 

[kkalsch]

I then used a 2-1/4" hole saw on a drill press to drill a 15 degree angled hole in a piece of oak to use as a guide. I cut exact 45 degree angles on the guide to help me align it on the boat. Not having a place to clamp the wood guide, I used a hot glue gun to glue it down. It was firm and never budged during the process.

Great Job!!:smt038 Hey.....want to mail me that oak template??? :grin:

KK

 

[E-man]

I wanna do the same thing except I want to mount a grill in the holder. I saw that support rib on mine also when I pulled out the speaker on the port side. I thought it would be easier because I assumed I would have to through bolt it... I guess not? I'm going to have to go further back away from the arch so the grill will clear plus I will need the angle to get the grill outside of the canvas camper (I hope). I'm thinking the best place for a grill is on the starboard side, next to the sink/cooler table and away from the seating area. Only drawback is I'd be standing in the entrance way. Also, not grilling on the fuel tank side would make me feel better.

 

[Gunn]

I added two more rod holders on the transom, on either side of the stern locker there. I use my Magma grill in one of these. I can stand on the swim platform and cook...a perfect spot. I never tried placing the grill on the rod holders near the arch. There is not a lot of room there for re-positioning the rod holder location itself, nor much room to use any angles of rod holders, so be very careful before drilling the hole!

 

[E-man]

Thanks! Pics of the stern rod holders?