Installing rod holders on 240DA

P

papogator24

New Member
Feb 20, 2007
639
Miami, Fl
Boat Info
2007 240DA - Stolen
5.0L Bravo III
3Kw Westerbeke
Engines
5.0L Bravo III
I am thinking about installing rod holders on my 240DA as I grew up fishing with my dad. I know my 240DA isnt a fishing boat, but I would like to go out and fish every few times and when I do go fishing, I mainly fish for dolphins. Would installing rod holders diminish the value of the boat?
 
Absolutely not. I did it on my 340. They hold gas grills, if nothing else!
 
papogator24 said:
I am thinking about installing rod holders on my 240DA as I grew up fishing with my dad. I know my 240DA isnt a fishing boat, but I would like to go out and fish every few times and when I do go fishing, I mainly fish for dolphins. Would installing rod holders diminish the value of the boat?
Click to expand...

Yes, if you screw up drilling those big holes. Consult with someone about how to drill them without chipping or cracking the fiberglass. I think they might need to be drilled at a slight angle. Make sure you have enough depth to insert the rod holders. Finding out after you drill that there is something immovable in there would not be pleasant.
 
Messing up any aspect of your boat will decrease its value. Having rod holders will not. I additionally drilled the hull and installed a scoop to feed the live well I installed on my swim platform on my 250. It sold nicely.
 
Hampton said:
Absolutely not. I did it on my 340. They hold gas grills, if nothing else!
Click to expand...
You'll be fine!
grill-mount.jpg
 
Ive got rod holders on my 240DA put in by the previous owner. With the back seat folded up and the camper canvas poles removed, you can fish quite nicely on the 240. Its not an Amberjack, but it'll do. And the rod holders can also be used for holding your grill. Its definitely a nice little mod.

Mike
 
Hampton said:
Messing up any aspect of your boat will decrease its value. Having rod holders will not. I additionally drilled the hull and installed a scoop to feed the live well I installed on my swim platform on my 250. It sold nicely.
Click to expand...


Sorry for the hijack, but I would love to see a pic and hear about the install of that livewell on your swim platform.
 
My 2000 260 has two rod holders previously installed. I think they're great - fishing rods, grill, nets, etc. I am planning on picking up some clamp-on ones as well, since the kids actually enjoy fishing. Just trying to find ones that are reasonable affordable...
I know, I know, boating and affordable are oxymorons...
 
KeithD said:
My 2000 260 has two rod holders previously installed. I think they're great - fishing rods, grill, nets, etc. I am planning on picking up some clamp-on ones as well, since the kids actually enjoy fishing. Just trying to find ones that are reasonable affordable...
I know, I know, boating and affordable are oxymorons...
Click to expand...

You got me thinking... I have three of these and would never have bought them at this price... but they came with the boat...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...e&storeNum=19&subdeptNum=11157&classNum=12451
 
well that is great to hear. I will see if I can have my grandfather help me out as he used to own a boat building company in Rochester, NY. Thanks guys, and I definitely would like to have a rod holder for the grill.
 
I know this is an old thread but I want to add rod holders to my boat and was wondering about the location that others selected for the 240DA. I don't fish from the boat more than a couple of times per year but I would like to use it for the grill.

Pictures would be great. And did you drill at an angle?
 
I installed them on my 270 - the angle of the hole being cut needs to match the angle of the rod holder you want to install. I installed 4 of the 30 degree models and used the rod holder as a guide to angle the cut. The reason is the material you are cutting through is thick - mine was about 1" or so of fiberglass and wood - and the rod holder starts the angle at the top. Make sure you have room under where you plan to install it - make sure there are no wires, lights, doors, etc to get in the way. Also - mine have drain fittings at the bottom so make sure you can attach a hose and route it somewhere - mine goes into the bottom of the bilge. For cutting the actual hole - I used blue painter's tape to completely cover the area I was working on and rubbed the tape in well to ensure good adhesion. This helps prevent chipping and in case the drill runs a bit it will help protect your finish. Make sure you get a good hole saw with a good pilot bit.

BTW - if you want to have a spread behind the boat - you can angle the rod holders to help with that. The back 2 would be straight back and then the other 2 would be turned slightly to allow that spread of your lines. Make sure the front ones have enough room to be able to turn vs. be straight if you go that route.

Here's a picture similar to what I installed to give you an idea:


31163.jpg
 
Fishnut said:
I know this is an old thread but I want to add rod holders to my boat and was wondering about the location that others selected for the 240DA. I don't fish from the boat more than a couple of times per year but I would like to use it for the grill.

Pictures would be great. And did you drill at an angle?
Click to expand...

Just make sure you have a flat surface for a flush mount.
And have the needed space down below where the tubes will go.

If you went with a 0 degree flush mount.
You would not need to cut at a slight angle.
 
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Cutting through at an angle sounds like fun. I am still scratching my head on how I do that without making a mess of the decking. Knowing that it is only an inch thick is helpful. I was contemplating putting them as far back as possible and angling them out to the sides of the boat. If I do it further back toward the stern I don't interfer with the step over the side.

I have thought about drilling straight down and then taking a rasp and filing enough material to make the angle work that way I know I won't get into screwing up by cutting in on the angle.
 
The first time I drilled a 2" hole it was intimidating! Here's what I did - bought a hole saw with a longer than normal pilot bit so it would engage before the hole saw and not jump around. Then cutting at an angle was not a problem. I started the pilot hole with an approximate angle and then once the hole was started I held the rod holder near the drill so the angle would be close. I had to file slightly to get the final fit to really be flush at the top but it looks nice now.
 
Fishnut said:
Cutting through at an angle sounds like fun. I am still scratching my head on how I do that without making a mess of the decking. Knowing that it is only an inch thick is helpful. I was contemplating putting them as far back as possible and angling them out to the sides of the boat. If I do it further back toward the stern I don't interfer with the step over the side.

I have thought about drilling straight down and then taking a rasp and filing enough material to make the angle work that way I know I won't get into screwing up by cutting in on the angle.
Click to expand...

Another thing to look at.....
The size of the mounting surface on flush mounts differ from the manufacturers

The Smith flush mount has a wide surface mount area.
Worked great for my stern.

I used a smaller type for the sides, So they would fit.

If you did a minor srew up on the drilling.
You could fill in the edges with epoxy.
Thats the way they recomend doing a thru hull fitting.
 
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