Fishing Rod Holder w/ Quick Release System

Greetings,

I wanted to create a strong, long lasting, and easy to use rod holder for my kayak. Strength was the governing characteristic for this project. Something that wouldn’t break when moving the kayak and flipping it around. I went through many designs. I ended up on a design around it being somewhat fixed, detachable, and reinforced with metal. Otherwise, the parts would pull apart due to the weak layering of a 3D printed parts. In addition, this features a “quick release” system. The rod installed on the holder will not allow the rod to pulled downwards into the water. But it will allow the fishermen to pull the rod upwards and out of the rod holder with ease. It also has a quick detach for the upper portion of the rod holder by using a cotter pin on the base.

This is not something that is simply printed and used. It takes some craftsmanship and time. Pay attention to any exposed metal parts to avoid damaging your fishing rod during testing! Cut the wire in a manner that doesn’t grind against handles etc.

Printing: I would advise printing this solid. Or at least with many walls and heavy infill. Imagine the way the wire assist works in this design? The more air gaps in the print, the weaker it will be. The U-shape parts don’t have to be as strong as the other base parts.

Hardware & Notes:

Wire: Stainless Steel 18ga (1mm diameter)

—-Found in the hardware section at Home Depot. On the U-shape parts, make an loop/eyelet and wrap the wire around its base to remove slack and create tension. Otherwise, you can twist it, snip it, and cover the sharp bits with heat shrink.

Rods: 4.4mm diameter.

—-Normally used in gardening. You could also use long bolts of this size. After the U-shaped printed parts are installed on the rods. I pounded them on a vise to expand the ends. Thus, preventing them from sliding off. Alternatively, you could drill small holes in them to run a wire through them that would achieve the same thing. This rod is bent to form the “quick release” bar for the rod handle. Google that terms for a general shape. Then shape and test until you get it right. The last step of this project is to make a cotter pin with this rod.

Nuts & Bolts: x6 #8 32x 1 3/4″ Machine screws (Bulldog MA-531, Walmart)

—-x3 bolts for U-shape parts. This holds the wire, which attaches the quick release bar to the U-shaped parts.

Wood block:

—-You will need to make a wooden base for this rod holder. Wire is ran from the 15 degree angled base, all the way down through the wooden block. This strengthens the whole thing. i.e The base of this rod holder won’t detach unless the wooden block is removed. Drill holes in the wooden block and manage the wires as you prefer. I used a single bolt (above), recessed in the center of the wooden block, a washer, and a nut to fix it to the kayak.