DIY Fishing Rod Storage Crate

For any of those avid kayak anglers, you know everything on board must be chosen wisely, as storage is limited. A majority of angler kayaks are made with two molded rod holders behind the seat. While fishing, it is hard to choose only two rods from your arsenal. Rod Crates from dealers can cost upwards of $30 to $200; this DIY will only cost you $12 with plenty of leftover PVC piping. Stay tuned to see how it is done!

Make sure to check out my shop on Etsy; SouthPaw Sculptures at www.etsy.com/shop/southpawsculptures

As I said in the previous step, this will only cost you $12 with leftover PVC for future projects.

Supplies Needed:

• Crate- Make sure you measure the space in your kayak before buying the plastic crate. I bought mine from Walmart for $6. It is 17.25"x 14.25" and fit perfectly.
• PVC- This can be bought from your local hardware store. I bought mine at Lowe's for about $6. This is a 10ft piece. As you see in the pictures it is 1-1/4" sized PVC but its up to you how much room you want to fit your rod handles. This size seemed perfect for mine and keeps them up straight.
• Zip Ties- You'll need quite a few of these. I used two on each of my holders.
• Hack Saw- Choose whatever you have that is handy and sharp. Any saw will usually do fine.
• Marker- Something to mark the cuts with.

As stated, make sure your crate fits snug in the space of your kayak. Bungee cords can be helpful if it is not tight enough for your liking.

Short step; on to the next one!

1. Stick the PVC Pipe to the bottom of the crate and measure up how high you want it. I made mine 10 inches tall.
2. Makes sure to test out your rod inside of the tube to make sure it is stable at the chosen length.
3. Cut several of the same length.
4. Put the pieces in each corner
   • On a side note, it is up to you to put the rode holders where you prefer. I put mine on the inside corner and made sure I could access them easy from in a seated position.
5. Get ready to zip tie them in place!

I used 2 zip ties per tube. It was plenty sturdy. All you have to do it wrap it around the tubes and through the holes in the plastic crate. Pull the zip ties as tight as you can and the clip off the tag ends.

Time for you to customize it to yourself! Test is out and fish some more. I'm planning on going back to paint the tubes black. It works great and my tackle box filled with lures from www.double-d-jigs.com fits perfectly.

If you are looking for some new rods to fill your self-made crate with, then check out Kistler Rods at www.kistlerrods.com and www.kistlerrods.com for some new Ardent Reels to pair with it.

Thanks for stopping by and tight lines from SouthPaw Sculptures at www.etsy.com/shop/southpawsculptures