Fishing gear transporter

[Megabyte]

Some years ago I took a 2" receiver rack from Harbor Freight and fabricated rod holders for my 1999 Cherokee.

The rack had a dual purpose... to transport rods, tackle and gear to my boat, and also to act as a platform for surf fishing DE, MD, and OBX beaches.

Problem... when I bought my 2013 Wrangler, not only did I have to add a 7" extension to the 2" receiver to clear the spare tire, the barn door would not clear the rack with it mounted aft on my rig.

Solution... put a front-mount 2" receiver on the front of the new rig.

If anyone is interested, I have fabrication photos of the rod rack build that I can post.

 

[Megabyte]

I've had a couple of requests for details on how my transporter came together, so here it is in photos and words.
Any questions... just ask.

Trying to carry fishing rods and bulky gear inside of my 1999 Jeep Cherokee was always a pain, so I hatched this plan...

First I went to Harbor Freight and bought one of their basket type carriers that fit into a 2" receiver hitch.
After assembling the carrier kit, I fitted it to the Cherokee and began planning the rod holder portion of the project.

First thing I did was to select some finished exterior grade plywood as my base, then went about attaching it to the frame with U-bolts.

 

[Megabyte]

The next step involved a bit of math and planning.
First thing that I did was to lay out my bulkiest trolling rods on the garage floor to determine the spacing needed.
Next, I determined the amount of space I had to work with, keeping in mind where the braces, u-bolts, and other obstructions were located.

Next, I used a backsaw and frame to make square cuts on the PVC pipe that would make up the rod tubes.
My math determined I could get a total of 10 rod holders on my backing board, evenly spaced, while avoiding obstructions.

The next task involved placing each tube on my layout lines and clamping each in place.
Once clamped, each tube was drilled from the rear, but only penetrating the backside of each tube so no hardware would show.
I used galvanized carriage bolts with the heads inside, and the fastens on the backside of the board.
The holes in the tubes were drilled the same size as the bolts which allowed the square heads to sink into the PVC locking them in place.

 

[Megabyte]

Notice that as the tubes were attached during the mockup phase, each was numbered going left to right.
The reason for this is simple.
My construction method was not sophisticated, and it was being done with hand tools in my driveway.
I knew there were bound to be slight variations in the location of the mounting bolts no matter how accurate I tried to be.
Numbering everything during mockup would make it more certain of a proper re-assembly after blowing everything apart for finishing.

Once everything was assembled and I was satisfied with the layout, I took detailed photographs of the project for the next phase.
With all this very expensive fishing gear being transported, I wanted to make certain that motorists following me could see me.
Being a retired firefighter, I decided to contact a fire apparatus manufacturer who agreed to print me a properly scaled reflective chevron specifically for this application.
I had my option for what colors to use and I picked red and yellow as having the brightest impact.

The final photo in this series is the photoshopped image returned to me by the company, which I approved for printing.

 

[Megabyte]

Once everything was blown apart, the finishing of the plywood began.
Although I had no plans to leave this rack on the Jeep or to store it outside, the wood was finished as if it would be.

The first step was to mix up some epoxy and paint the entire piece of wood, sealing the edges and the front and rear face.
This also allowed me to seal all of the holes that I had drilled to mount everything.
Once the epoxy was dry, I applied several coats of gloss exterior enamel paint.

The paint was allowed to dry for several days, and then the outside face was sanded smooth with 220 grit, and given another coat of paint.
Finally, the face was sanded very smooth with 400 grit, and given a final coat of paint.
My goal was to make the face as smooth as possible before applying the chevron material.

After carefully measuring the chevron material, it was applied and rolled out carefully adhering it tightly to the backing place.
After that, all that was required was to assemble the pieces in the garage and begin re-assembly.

 

[Megabyte]

Re-assembly went according to plan. The backing was bolted on first with the u-bolts...
And then the tubes were assembled in order (by number) from left to right.

The next step was to test fit the trolling rods, and then the spinning rods.

After a test run to the marina and back, I decided the spinning rods needed to have notches to keep the reels from swinging in the tubes.
I took a Dremel with a sanding drum and notched the outboard tubes specifically for the spinners.

If I need to transport rods a distance, for instance to the beach for surf fishing, using a bungee across the reels holds them in place without any issues.

 

[Megabyte]

Ready for the season.

 

[GotChrist?]

Very nice. When I mounted PVC pipe for rod holders I drilled through the PVC pipe. First hole was the bolts diameter. Second one was in the outside only and larger than the bolts head. I used a dome head screw. That allowed me to not worry about a carriage bolt spinning in the PVC should I ever need to remove it. The front hole allowed me to slide the bolt in and hold it securely with a screw driver. Yours is more aesthetically pleasing. I tend to think of future maintenance needs, coming from a maintenance background in naval aviation where the Grumman engineers didn't give any thought to future maintenance needs. It's main reason the F-14 is no long around. Maintenance costs became prohibited. The F/A-18 placed ease of maintenance as a major design requirement.

 

[Megabyte]

Years ago, I made a set of rod holders for my 1978 IHC Scout II that mounted to my bumper, and used the bumper bolts to secure them.
When I fabricated them, the bottom bolt passed all the way through the bottom of the PVC and allowed the rod butt to rest on the bolt.

What I didn't like about that design was that the reels ended up being up 'in the wind' and didn't rest on anything.
With the tubes on this fab having hidden mounting bolts, the reels can now rest on the tubes and I can use bungees to secure them.

During construction, I installed and blew apart the multiple parts many times.
The carriage bolts sunk into the PVC, and made for some nice little pockets which made everything nice and secure.
At this point, maintenance (other than a soap and water wash) should never be needed. :wink:

 

[shawnee83]

Those are nice rod holders Kevin. I especially like what it's attached to. I really like those 4 door jeeps.

 

[Megabyte]

Well then you are likely to see that Jeep (without the transporter) in and around Beaufort between the 11th and the 14th of Feb. :wink:

 

[shawnee83]

Sounds like you are making your southern coastline tour you mentioned, checking out possible retirement places? The weather forecast in Beaufort this weekend is looking especially cold. Thursday looks pretty good for Feb though. Wish I could make it down and give you the water tour but the pesky job thing is going to prevent that as I'll be in Charlotte most of Friday. Since I can't be there to give you the tour, I'll offer you some basic recommendations. Best Hotel is the "Inlet Inn". A nice place on the water for dinner is the Front Street Grill (AKA Stillwater) also not on the water you can try "Beaufort Grocery" and "Aqua". "Clawson's" is a staple there with a nice bar area and a cool casual feel. For a drink the "Dock House" on the board walk is the center of night life in the summer with music outside but they may be only open on weekends this time of year. If you can, a must stop in the evening for a drink is "Backstreet Pub". This time of year they will have a fire going and it's just a cool little place. I don't know what kind of place that you are looking for but feel free to PM me for my number and I'll be happy to give you the 411 on anything from Beaufort to Wilmington as I know the area pretty well. I hope you have a good trip.