auguste

This is the trailer I use and I wanted to be able to safely carry and store my rods. My first thoughts were to mount the rods on the walls but a THTer suggested mounting them on top and out of the way . . .



I bought the Berkeley rod holders from a local tackle shop. The rod holders would be attached at the front and rear of the trailer with the rod tips pointing towards the center of the trailer . . . this would allow me to carry twice as many rods . . . each Berkeley rod holder holds 3 rods and with 4 sets at each end I have 12 rod holders at each end . . . this way I can mix and match a variety of rod sizes and maximize the available space

I figured I could put five 50s or 80s at each end for a total of ten rods and reels. Lots of room to store my "gold jewelry"



I used 2 inch aluminum angle to make brackets . . . six feet of angle was sufficient for the entire job



The long pieces are for the Berkeley rod holders and the short pieces are to hold the horizontal bar that goes across the trailer at the centre and used to hold the tips of the rod

I use bungee cords to hold the rods in place



I bolted the longer pieces, about 7 inches long, onto the Berkeley rod holders . . . the extra two holes you see are to bolt the rod holders to the cross pieces on the roof of the trailer



I bolted the short pieces of angle to a 5/8 inch copper tubing (like for plumbing) . . . this would be the cross piece at the centre of the trailer . . . I used this tubing because the roof of the trailer is round and the tube has to follow the slope of the roof of the trailer



It took five of the short brackets to securely fasten the tubing to the roof . . . probably lots of overkill there, but what the heck



I covered the copper tubing with water pipe insulation to protect the rods



This is what the roof looked like before I added the rod holders



This is what it looks like with the rod holders in place and five rods inserted . . . there are bungee cords that hold the rod and reels into the Berkeley rod holders . . . and a second bungee cord holds the rod to the centre bar that crosses the trailer . . . the system holds the rods securely



I don't have a pic but there are also rod holders at the other end of the trailer, and the trailer holds 10 of my 50s, with the tips all pointing towards the middle.

Maybe this project will provide you with a few ideas for your next project.

It took me about 10 hours to complete the project, including going to the store for the material

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"Love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair"

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Themis Sal

Nice job......... Simple and elegant. My garage at my boat's new home has very limited storage. For the time being I have rods attached to pegboard from the ceiling, using big plastic zipties. I like what you did better.

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Mary Alice

aubrey

I like the idea. I am thinking I may mount the rod holders to a sheet of plywood and suspend the plywood from the ceiling of my storage unit.
Thanks

Tireless

Nice job Gus!

I am disappointed in one aspect of the pics........your shop is way too clean for me.

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31 Fountain with 225 Opti's

Bailey Boat

Gus, good looking job... Do you seen any possible adverse effects from the heat that will build up in the top of the trailer???? Weakened mono or anything like that???

BW23

Well done !

What brand of small chop saw is that?

auguste

Tireless . . . cleanded a small corner before taking the pics . . . did not want you to see the mess

Bailey Boat . . . the racks in the trailer are just so I can haul my rods and reels between home and the OBX . . . they will only be there for two days at a time . . . but I believe you are right in that if they are left there for a longer period of time the mono could deteriorate very quickly . . . you are a smart man

BW23 . . . it is just a cheap Balck and Decker unit that was on sale . . . my son in law had to cut 400 pieces of 1/4 inch re-bar 16 inches long . . . an excuse to buy a small tool, the big chop saws are too much money for the mini jobs that I do

__________________
.[________________________________



"Love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair"

photobucket.com