Question on Gimbal Mounts

[leeccoll]

It was a pre Covid indulgence

And thank you No Bail.

 

[luckydude]

I was coming back to this, looking to order the mounts. Went out to the boat and looked at my rod holders. I think you guys saying that they aren't strong enough, they are pop riveted, that must be on older boats, right? Mine is a 2020 and my rod holders are beefy and held in with 3 counter sunk stainless bolts and some washers. Maybe the washers could be bigger, I might replace those, but those holders are strong. I put all my strength pulling and pushing the lower end of the holder and I couldn't budge it nor could I see any flex in the gunnel.

So for anyone who has seen those 3 bolt mounted rod holders, do you think there is any need for a gunnel mount rather than a gimbal mount?
I'll ask Grady White as well.

 

[luckydude]

I asked Grady White about this and they said this:

We believe using the gimbal mount should not cause a problem. We have
utilized gimbal mounted downriggers (not Scotty's) on some of our
company boats without issues. We haven't used the pot puller so
I can't say that this will not cause gel coat stress cracks around
the rod holder. You may want to reinforce the underside of the rod
holders with a metal plate or other solid material just to help
reduce the stress on this area produced when pulling up a catch.

 

[Holokai]

I was coming back to this, looking to order the mounts. Went out to the boat and looked at my rod holders. I think you guys saying that they aren't strong enough, they are pop riveted, that must be on older boats, right? Mine is a 2020 and my rod holders are beefy and held in with 3 counter sunk stainless bolts and some washers. Maybe the washers could be bigger, I might replace those, but those holders are strong. I put all my strength pulling and pushing the lower end of the holder and I couldn't budge it nor could I see any flex in the gunnel.

So for anyone who has seen those 3 bolt mounted rod holders, do you think there is any need for a gunnel mount rather than a gimbal mount?
I'll ask Grady White as well.

The holders may be through bolted but the gimbal pin could be a failure point. The top piece of the holder is likely cast and tack welded or press fit to the pipe/tube that the gimbal pin is in; tack welds can fail over time. The gimbal pin itself also presents another point of failure as some are drilled/pressed/flared/mechanically fit into the tube and the mounting holes wear/elongate over time or the pins themselves fail.

If you have the same rod holders as shown in this listing I’d be weary. The areas circled in red are the potential failure points and indicate that these are not actual heavy duty rod holders no matter how “beefy” they appear. Grady White part number referenced is 10-321-17 and they’re noted as factory direct.

Grady White Flush Mount Rod Holder for Large Boats https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WV684BF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_Q2NZFb1VM30FR

 

[Fishtales]

I think aluminum is best, but to be honest even a square piece of 1/2" PT plywood with thru bolts and big washers would do the trick. The SS mount pictured is pretty heavy duty. The Scotty mounts come off the boat (except for a flat mounting plate topside) if not using and you can store with the downrigger(s). The latter is good for those that are not hard core users and want things out of the way when you are cruising or entertaining.

 

[Fishtales]

I would recommend against using the gimbal mounts. As the pic shows the GW rod holders are riveted. All the pressure of weight and water is on the 2 pins. May work for a while but if you snag something or there is a large force applied the rivet could snap, the mount would snap back and who knows what could happen. Just my 2 pennies, but I would not trust them.

 

[Holokai]

For comparison, here’s a link to the CE Smith holders:

Flush Mount Rod Holder Heavy Duty 80 Series

Share this product in the CE Smith Online Store and receive $2.00 off. Stainless steel round bottom rod holder, 80 Series 80 Series Cast Bottom: 0 Degree - 53680CA; 15 Degree - 53681CA; 30 Degree - 53682CA.

store.cesmith.com

Note that the gimbal pin is casted/integrated as part of the tube and that the connection to the top plate is fully welded.
These are purpose built for heavy use and are in a whole different category than Grady White holders. CE Smith also offers backing plates for these; they will distribute the load better than fender washers.

 

[luckydude]

I would recommend against using the gimbal mounts. As the pic shows the GW rod holders are riveted. All the pressure of weight and water is on the 2 pins. May work for a while but if you snag something or there is a large force applied the rivet could snap, the mount would snap back and who knows what could happen. Just my 2 pennies, but I would not trust them.

I get that you are be careful but you do understand that I talked to Grady White and they use the gimbal mounts in their company boats and have had no problems, yes?

I put far more sideways force on the rod holder than a downrigger or pot ever would and it didn't budge.

I was on board with bolting down mounts but I'm liking it less as I realize the little cleat I put on will be sort of in the wrong place if I do that.

 

[Fishtales]

Maybe, but it didn't look that solid to me at the time. Can always try the gimbal mounts if you want.

 

[luckydude]

Maybe, but it didn't look that solid to me at the time. Can always try the gimbal mounts if you want.

Maybe I was unclear, I already have the gimbal mounts and used them in my previous boat. I was all set to switch over to the bolt on
mounts until I went and looked and they look plenty strong to me. Checked it out with Grady and they say they use them in their
company boats.

If the rod holder breaks, I shrug and move the the forward one for that trip and buy a new one. If the gelcoat cracks I'll fix it. This boat doesn't get used that much for salmon or crab, I'm more of a rockies/ling cod/halibut person. I think I'll be OK, thanks for all the advice. It really does seem like Grady has made these stronger. $99 for a rod holder that breaks would sort of suck.

 

[Doc Stressor]

The problem is the Scotty gimbal mount, not the Grady rod holder. I used Penn gimbal mount on my old Grady and never had a problem. But I wasted money when I bought just a single Scotty gimbal mount just to be sure that they would work. It turns out that the mount will only work if the rod is pointed directly toward the stern of the boat. You can't swing the downrigger pole off to the side the way that you would ordinarily run a downrigger. It's not nearly stable enough. Scotty will even tell you that.

I ended up using gunwale mounts with 1/4" aluminum backing plates. Cutting the backing plates to just the right size for the 226/228 gunwale is tricky since there is not a lot of room under there. I drilled the holes for the gunwale mounts and used a piece of cardboard that would just fit under the gunwale to make a template for drilling the aluminum plates.