Latest Industry News

Adding a kayak landing net holder

Posted on
The easiest place to carry a landing net is in a gimbal-mounted rod holder behind your seat. This works fine until you pull out the net and yank a stowed rod that got tangled with it into the water. Plus, in the heat of battle, that net handle is hard to find behind you; groping for it can get tippy.<p> You can resolve the problem by laying the hoop on the front deck and keeping the handle at the ready. This also works fine until a low-hanging tree sweeps your net into a river (ask me how I know).<p> A simple solution is to install a paddle holder to hold the net handle. It’s easy and adjusts to keep the net handle secure and out of the way, yet easy to grab.<p>We used a Roller-Ball Paddle Clip from RAM Mounts ($20) and a 16-inch plastic track from Scotty ($10). The only tools were a drill and a hacksaw. We mounted the track with three 3/4-inch stainless steel #10 pan head screws (16 cents apiece). <p> <em>All captions: Dave Mull</em>
The easiest place to carry a landing net is in a gimbal-mounted rod holder behind your seat. This works fine until you pull out the net and yank a stowed rod that got tangled with it into the water. Plus, in the heat of battle, that net handle is hard to find behind you; groping for it can get tippy.
You can resolve the problem by laying the hoop on the front deck and keeping the handle at the ready. This also works fine until a low-hanging tree sweeps your net into a river (ask me how I know).
A simple solution is to install a paddle holder to hold the net handle. It’s easy and adjusts to keep the net handle secure and out of the way, yet easy to grab.We used a Roller-Ball Paddle Clip from RAM Mounts ($20) and a 16-inch plastic track from Scotty ($10). The only tools were a drill and a hacksaw. We mounted the track with three 3/4-inch stainless steel #10 pan head screws (16 cents apiece).

All captions: Dave Mull

For the Old Town Predator PDL’s plastic mounting plate, 7 1/2 inches of track fit behind the rod holder base we installed for holding our rod when unhooking fish or changing baits. We marked the track with a grease pencil.
For the Old Town Predator PDL’s plastic mounting plate, 7 1/2 inches of track fit behind the rod holder base we installed for holding our rod when unhooking fish or changing baits. We marked the track with a grease pencil.
After determining the angle of the cut, we put the track in a bench vise and cut with a hacksaw. A light sanding removed the burrs.
After determining the angle of the cut, we put the track in a bench vise and cut with a hacksaw. A light sanding removed the burrs.
The Scotty track isn’t pre-drilled. We drilled three holes down the middle with a 3/32-inch bit. One hole was an inch from each end, with one right in the middle. Scotty says screws should be no more than 4 inches apart. Ours were 2 1/2 inches apart.
The Scotty track isn’t pre-drilled. We drilled three holes down the middle with a 3/32-inch bit. One hole was an inch from each end, with one right in the middle. Scotty says screws should be no more than 4 inches apart. Ours were 2 1/2 inches apart.
Then, without guide holes, we carefully drilled the screws directly into the yak’s plastic plate, attaching the track. Had we mounted the track on hull material, we would have through-bolted.
Then, without guide holes, we carefully drilled the screws directly into the yak’s plastic plate, attaching the track. Had we mounted the track on hull material, we would have through-bolted.
The RAM Paddle Clip can lock at different angles prior to tightening down. Ours easily adjusted to keep the net handle easy to grab, yet out of the way of the pedals, rod holder and depth finder. Nor did it bump the iPad (used for Navionics chart plotting and to play awesome music from the 1970s).
The RAM Paddle Clip can lock at different angles prior to tightening down. Ours easily adjusted to keep the net handle easy to grab, yet out of the way of the pedals, rod holder and depth finder. Nor did it bump the iPad (used for Navionics chart plotting and to play awesome music from the 1970s).

Related