Rod Buckles a Dilema

[lakes]

New boat to me, Triton 18ft, no rod straps, what to use, and process to put on, good bad and what ever, I want to hear your thoughts!

[stackenem]

You can buy rod buckle kits at Bass pro shop and they just screw down to your deck. Had a set on one of my older boats and they worked just fine.

[Cy]

I installed them in my boat...it wasn't that bad.  They come with a template.  Trace the template...drill a hole in the corner and go at with a jig saw.

Cy

[djkimmel]

They also have a Top Deck Mount Adapter for the boat buckle so you don't have to cut into your hull if you don't want to.

OFFER NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Or you can go low tech with just screw in velcro straps?

[lakes]

I have had the velcro before and the buckles, pros and cons to both.  Anybody have the bungee type and what are the pro's and cons of them?

Thanks,
lakes

[djkimmel]

I've been using two stainless steel half loops on each side of the deck with bungees for quite a while. Might be possible a rod hits the stainless steel loops, but I don't think that has ever happened to me. The only real drawback is losing a bungee and hooks getting snagged into the stretch material. Doesn't happen a lot, but can be a pain with crankbaits and jerkbaits.

I used to have solid rubber bungees but can't find them anymore so I buy the fabric covered ones now.

They might not hold rods/reels down quite a good as the buckle - more bounce. Depends on how much stretch you put into the bungees. I'll probably install boat buckles one of these days. Probably the ones I don't have to cut into the hull to install.

[Bender]

My boat came with the solid rubber bungees cords. There is a small hole in the hull for the cord to pass through and a low profile block on the deck. I've been pretty happy with these and the only thing I ever lost was a net on Mullett Lake but I got back in time to catch it. Rods stay in place very well and it would be a simple installation and takes up very little space. I'm not sure where to buy them but they came on my Stratos. I'll get pics tomorrow if the weather breaks so I can get out.

[djkimmel]

Yeah... I have seen those once in a while in the marine stores online. They never seem to be available when I'm looking which is why I ended up with my homemade version.

[fishstick]

You can get the rubber cord from mcmaster carr even comes in different colors! I think its called polyurethane cord or something and they also carry clips for the end of it. The stuff is pretty cheap and makes it easy to customize your rod straps to your needs. If anyone wants any specifics I can dig around to see the exact names of everything needed.

[smbassman]

I like the velcro style for holding a couple rods in rough water (4-5 rods max).  They will not come undone unless the velcro wears out.  Mine come from Basscat and they are embroidered, so they may not match your boat.  Basscat also offers my second favorite style, the bungee cord, and theirs is the solid rubber type.  These hold more rods and is much more secure than I expected it to be.  Here is a link if you're interested.

http://www.basscatstore.com/bungeerodstrap.aspx

[motocross269]

I second the Velcro style for rough water......They may be old school but they work like a champ...

[lakes]

Sorry guy's, bungees are going to arrive tomorrow!  Gotta try them to form an opinion I believe.
This is open for discussion later, many thanks for all responses!