I bought a couple of angled pole holders. I’m prepared to install in my Manta Ray. What do you recommend cutting the holes out with? I figured a holesaw for the initial hole, but the hole will have to be oblong. So a round hole isn’t gonna get it.
Take them back and get a couple of
Scotty’s. If you must have the tube kind, Scotty makes those too. Since you fish saltwater, you’ll find the tube type flush mount rod holders are horrible for your reels, they’ll stay wet. What most people do who have them, to keep reels above the salt water and spray, is stuff 1 1/4 or 1 1/2" pvc pipe in the holes to elevate the rods and reels. Its no joking matter the damage constant soaking in alstwater will do to reels.
Jigsaw
Just be sure that where you put them is where you want them. Don’t be in a hurry.
While a jig saw may be the tool, the
installaation is not a good thing to do to reels. Reels need to be 6-8" above the deck of the kayak. Scotty and Ram are the best way to go to protect reels from salt spray. PVC stuffed in flush mounts the second best. Oval rod holders don’t take PVC well.
Another suggestiion, low cost. If you
use a milk crate in the tankwell, attach PVC pipe of an appropriate length to the corners…two or all. I’ve done so with both cable ties (get the black ones, better in UV light) and bolts. Keeps the reels out of the spray and is cheap. If you carry a cooler, and don’t mind, you can attach the pipe to the cooler with bolts and silicone to seal the holes.
Dont
The warning posts are right. I have them on one boat and I use extension sleeves to get the reels up higher. They were on the boat when I bought it. Scotty makes a new flush base that takes a single hole if you have access to the inside. Cabelas carries them. If you dont have access use the 4 bolt flush mount and use rivets. I had the tubes on another boat and had to replace them because they cracked and leaked. I replaced them with tubes I made from pvc and a flat plate to cover the holes. I would never install them again. Ram mounts are good too but expensive.
Dremel
I used a Dremel with a cutting/drill bit to get it done. Worked like a charm!