Fitting a Rod Rest to the Hobie Revolution 16

I have been using a rod rest on my fishing kayaks for the last few years. It is a really useful piece of kit,  and perfect for keeping rod tips at a low level when bottom fishing on the drift or at anchor. It makes for a handy place to rest a rod whilst tackling, baiting up  and unhooking fish too. I would now struggle without one on any of my fishing kayaks so here is how i fitted my DIY rod rest to the Hobie Revolution 16....

Rod Storage on the Revolution 16

The Revolution 16 comes with 2 rear facing flush mount rod holders in the tank well as standard, which are fine for rod storage whilst pedalling, but there are no rod holders at the front of the kayak for when its time to fish. I have installed YakAttack GearTrac either side of the footwell so i can easily attach adjustable rod holders to these if i want to troll rods at right angles to the kayak, however i don't like these style of rod holders for bait fishing. I find them a nuisance to get the rods into and out of quickly when needed. Over the past few years i have been using a DIY Ram Pole Rod Rest on my fishing kayaks and this suits my needs perfectly! It allows for the rods to quickly and easily be put into position and picked up again when needed. It also makes a great place to rest your rods when tackling up, baiting up or unhooking fish. 

The DIY rod rest is made using Ram Mount components (more detail further in this post). This allows for almost infinite adjustability in the positioning of the rod rest. The rod rest is best mounted somewhere just past the footwell on the bow where it can be positioned at a lower angle. I find that this is perfect for drifting bottom baits and for bottom fishing at anchor, especially in choppy conditions where a more angled rod holder would cause the bait to be bounced more on and off the bottom. The rod holder is constructed in such a way that it can be fitted to any kayak providing there is a 1.5" RAM Ball on the kayak for it too attach too. This made fitting it to the Hobie Revolution 16 very easy. Here is how i done it....

Fishing Kayak Rod Rest Components

• 1 x Maver MX Ripple Rest
• 1 x RAM 1" Ball with 1/4"-20TPI Threaded Hole (RAM-B-337)
• 1 x Brass 3/8" Female Thread to 1/4"-20tpi Male Thread Adaptor
• 1  RAM 18" Long Extension Pole with 1" and 1.5" Open Socket Ends (RAM-CB-20-18)
• 1 x RAM 1.5" Wedge Mount for Hobie Kayaks (RAP-354) 

Fitting a Rod Rest to the Revo 16

As previously said, all i needed in order to mount my rod rest to the kayak was a 1.5" Ram Ball mounted on the kayak. I had the perfect solution which didn't require any holes to be drilled into the hull. RAM Mounts produce a wedge mount which is designed to fit the sail mount found on Hobie Kayaks! They make this in a 1" and 1.5" version - the 1.5" being the one i needed. Hobie do sell this mount themselves (under the part number 72023015) but it can also be purchased direct from RAM Mount under the part number RAP-354. 

It consists of a 1.5" rubberised composite ball on top of a split shaft wedge mount, which fits into the Hobie Sail Mount at the front of the footwell. 

There is a bolt holding the mount together, with the head accessed from the top of the ball. Simply put the mount into the sail mount and screw down the bolt until a solid wedge fit is achieved! 

The 1.5" Open Socket on the RAM 18" Extension Arm can then be clamped onto this tightly at the desired angle. 

The Maver Ripple Rod Rest attaches to the other end of the Ram Pole via a 1" Ram Ball with 1/4"-20tpi threaded hole and a brass 3/8" female to 1/4"-20tpi male threaded adaptor. The thread on the Maver Ripple rest is 3/8 BSF (British Standard Fine) however i couldn't find anywhere where an 'off-the-shelf' 3/8 BSF to 1/4-20TPI adaptors where available. The brass adaptor i'm using is a 3/8-16tpi which does not have the same threads per inch (tpi) as BSF (which for 3/8" i think has 20TPI). As a result the rod rest thread only screws a little way into the adaptor before the threads lock up - not a problem though as its enough to hold it well and with a good dab of superglue it is a solid fix! 

The 1/4"-20 male thread then screws into the RAM 1" ball with 1/4"-20 female threaded hole - again a dab of superglue makes for a solid fix. The rod rest can then be fitted into the 1" open socket end of the Ram Pole and positioned at the desired angle. The rod rest is complete! 

I can now position my bait rods at a nice low angle for drift fishing and fishing at anchor. When on the rest, the rod butts can be wedged under the Vantage Seat too, as a form of security incase of a hard or fast bite where you may not be paying attention! The rods can be positioned just wide enough apart to work the Mirage Drive too - this is perfect for pedalling in reverse and force drifting baits across the bottom to cover more ground, especially when there is a lack of tide or wind to assist you. 

The rod rest can be adjusted to alter its height and therefore angle at which the rods sit. Simple, easy and effective.... Job done!