Surf Rod Holder

For the most basic surf rod holder design you will need:

1. 4 feet of 1 1/2 inch schedule 40 pvc
2. A drill with a 1/4 inch drill bit
3. A hacksaw and sandpaper.

Cut a 45 degree angle at the bottom of the piping, use sandpaper to chamfer the top edge andget the pvc burs off.. and, drill holes for your rod-stops, an you are done.

A rocking motion on the top of the pipe coupled with downward pressure will dig it into the sand.  Rock horizontal to the surf so that you don't loosen the sand that is holding the surf rod holder against the bit that is coming.  The consistency of beach sand varies considerably, in loose sand you may need to set the rod holder 2 feet deep or more.

Simple and cheap, but the design has some flaws. Namely, you have to remove the rod from the holder to set the hook, and the angled pvc isn't the most effective way to drill the holder into the sand. An errant wave, a stiff wind or a decent bite could send your expensive gear into the sand.

A variation of this design uses two size 32 automotive hose clamps and 2-5 feet of aluminum angle stock. The pvc pipe is clamped on to the angle stock as illustrated below:

The aluminum angle stock allows you to drill the rod holder deeper into the sand and the angle stabilizes the rod holder.  You can use

a rubber mallet (or a rock) to pound the aluminum into the sand.  While this design provides a more stable platform for your surf rod, it still requires you to left the rod out of the holder to set the hook.  Whie this may not be a problem if you are using circle hooks, it may be problematic for other hook types.

Yet another variation is to cut the pvc pipe in half

length wise for several feet.  Drill holes

in the pipe for your rod stops.  Dowling or 1/4 inch wire will do nicely.  Now your surf rod holder simply cradles your surf rod, allowing you to grab the rod and set the hook without having to take it out of the holder.

However since the rod is simply cradled by the pipe it increases the risk of the rod being bumped and falling out into the surf or the reel winding up in the sand.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 4:37 am and is filed under Build your own surf rod holder. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.