Talk with Scott. He will modify the riser to fit your needs.
Hey guys,
I need some input for my first spider rig rod holder. I am leaning towards the Hi-Tek 4 rod system and it has an 18" Riser Post. I want to attach the base of the rod holder on my boats deck. The gunnels of my boat are 4" high. Do you think the 18" riser is my best bet?
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Charlie
Talk with Scott. He will modify the riser to fit your needs.
Team "Itch N 2 Fish"
!8in. is stock. If you sit on the same floor as the holder is mounted on they are fine. If the holders are mounted lower or higher you might wanna get a different lenght
MEMBER CRAPPIE MAFIA
Sit in your seat just like you would when fishing. Use a tape and measure from floor to your knees. That is a real good spot to start. You want to be able to reach them without any stooping or bending if possible. Having to bend over to reach poles makes for a miserable day.
Proud Member of Team Geezer
Charlie Weaver USN/ENC 1965-1979
Excellent advice, Cray! I'm glad I spent a good deal of time studying this before buying a set of Hi-Teks. The perfect height for me is about 10" higher than my seat. That puts the holder right at elbow height when I'm sitting in my normal fishing position.
My Hi-teks are the 18" length ... I'm 6'1" & 190lbs ... and I've fished in a boat with taller rod holders. I find the 18" length to be the perfect height, as I'm reaching forward & down to remove the rod ... whereas, when using a taller rod holder, I'm reaching forward & up (over the rod handles/rod holder grips) in order to remove the rod. This "forward & up/over" motion is a bit awkward, to me.
But, yes ... as has been suggested, sit in your seat & measure how high you want to have to reach. Understand, also ... that if you have your rods tilted down, so that the tips are close to the surface of the water, it will also mean that your rod handles & the rear seat of the rod holder will have to be reached "over" in order to grab the rod out of the holder. If the holder is high off the floor, the tilted forward cradles will add height that you'll have to reach "over". Too short of a holder, & you'll be bending & reaching farther than is comfortable.
I purchased my Hi-teks "because" they were 18" tall ... after having fished behind a set that was taller (probably 24"), and finding them just a bit awkward to use. From the floor to the top of my knee is ~ 23" ... so you would think that a 24" holder would be perfect. But, adding the height of the rod cradles, and any forward tilting adjustment to them ... means that I have to reach out & over, rather than simply down & forward, like I do when using the 18" riser.
As can be seen in this photo, my fishing partner (at 6' & 250lbs) has only to reach forward & down in order to grab a pole .... and if the holders were higher, he'd have to reach forward & over the rod cradle/rod handle in order to grab the pole out of the cradle :
Don't be misled by the picture, however ... as he is not reaching for a rod in order to set a hook. In this picture, he is actually releasing line from one of his reels. Even so, as you can see ... his reach is a good 6-8" beyond where he would have to reach, in order to get his hand on the pole & remove it from the cradle. So, if you remove that 6-8" from his forward lean, you'd have an idea of how easy & comfortable it is for us to utilize this length of rod holder.
We did the "setting in the seat & measuring" trick, several times, before any holes were drilled ... in order to come up with the proper spot & positioning, for ease of use & comfortable length of reach (considering the confines of a spot to mount the holder bracket).
... cp
Yep, you do not want to be reaching up to get the rod, you need to be reaching down a little so you have run for a good upward hookset. But you do not want to be reaching down to the floor. With the 18" riser on the Hi-Tek, the center of the rod will be about 20" from mounting floor. I find this to be a good height when seat and rod holder are mounted to the same level surface.
Scott Echols
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