Folbe rod holder on 2015 Hobie Outback

Just got my new Hobie Outback at the end of October 2015 and now it was time to get it rigged for some winter king fishing here in Alaska.  First things first - a rod holder!

I've used Folbe's on my boat for years so I'm kind of partial to them.  And, I picked up a Folbe Jr. hoping it might be just the ticket for the kayak.  It fit my rod/reel combo perfectly.

Now for the mount.  I decided to go with the pedestal rather than the flush mount.  It sticks out a bit but it's much stronger and I don't need to make a large hole in the kayak - just the four small holes for the mounting screws.  On Folbe's web site it says the flush mount is not recommended for the 8.5" extension post as that extra leverage might weaken it.  I plan to use only the 4" extension post but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I plan to mount a fishfinder too so I had to plan the layout of both ahead of time to make sure there would be no conflicts.  I decided to mount both devices on one side to leave the other side open for re-entry should I wind up in the water - and for landing fish.  With that in mind I decided to put them on the starboard side.  The most logical place to install the rod holder was just forward of the molded-in forward rod holder on the starboard side.  There was a flat area there large enough to hold it and, since I wanted to back it up with a 1/2" piece of UHMW under the surface (on the inside of the hull), there was enough room under there for that too.  There was one thing I would have to be careful of - the "Down" rudder cable was routed through this area.

In the first photo you can see the "DOWN" rudder cable pull and the flat area just to it's right where the Folbe rod mount will go.  Next is a picture of all the parts ready to assemble.  I wanted the UHMW piece to be a bit larger than the base of the actual Folbe mount to better distribute the loads but I was limited by the concave shape of the area underneath the gunwale and the necessary clearance for the Down rudder cable.  So it had to be a little wider on one end to match this internal area.  I used all stainless steel fasteners, of course, and nylock nuts.  The fit was plenty tight so there was no need to use any sort of sealant on the holes.  The third picture is the pedestal fully installed.  And the fourth a side view.

Next is a view looking inside the hull at the UHMW backing plate.  If you look closely you can see that there's no conflict with the rudder cable - it's close, but not touching at all.

Then there are a few more pictures of the rod holder ready to go.  I've been out fishing with it three days now, caught two kings so far and, I'm happy to report that it's working out quite well.  It's out of the way but within easy reach, and seems very sturdy.

Now to get that fish finder installed...

Very nice, clean installation!

I love rigging posts; we don't see enough of these. Thanks for this. Love the pictures - great install.

The Folbe base is a locking base, in that you need to push the button on the side of the base to release the rod holder.  This is good.  If you decide to go with the Scotty "Orca" rod holder, which is similar to the Folbe rod holder, be sure to use a locking deck mount, not the regular deck mount.  If you use a regular non-locking Scotty deck mount, when you get a strike and jerk your rod out of its holder, you can pull the rod holder part of the way out of its base.  If you didn't turn the rod holder before inserting it all of the way down into the base, you could jerk the rod holder all the way out of the non-locking Scotty base and lose the rod holder overboard.

The Scotty flush mount base is waterproof, but the Scotty locking flush mount base isn't water proof, and shouldn't be mounted in the hull of a kayak.  Are the Folbe locking flush mount bases waterproof?  I haven't checked them out.

pmmpete,

I don't know if Folbe's flush mount bases are waterproof or not - never used them.  I've used only the pedestal or rail mounts (on my other boat.)  Good point about the locking mount.  Yes, the Folbe is locking, as you say.

I like the installation and I'm seriously considering getting one as my buddy's alumaweld has them , my only concern is as a short guy will I be able to release the rod easy with tension on the line as they lift and rock to the side to unlock requiring a firm steady upward pull on his while salmon are on the other end.

I like the installation and I'm seriously considering getting one as my buddy's alumaweld has them , my only concern is as a short guy will I be able to release the rod easy with tension on the line as they lift and rock to the side to unlock requiring a firm steady upward pull on his while salmon are on the other end.

The Folbe Advantage and Advantage Jr. rod holders and the Scotty "Orca" rod holder are quite similar.  Try them both out and decide which holder you like better.  After trying both rod holders out at stores, I decided that I liked the Scotty Orca better and got one, but a lot of very experienced kayak anglers use the Folbe rod holders.

Another issue about rod holders in general is how large of a rod handle the holder can accommodate.  My regular rod holder (a Scotty 280 baitcaster/spinning reel holder) won't accept the thick butt of my Ugly Stick Tiger rod, but the Orca rod holder will.

pmmpete,

I don't know if Folbe's flush mount bases are waterproof or not - never used them.  I've used only the pedestal or rail mounts (on my other boat.)  Good point about the locking mount.  Yes, the Folbe is locking, as you say.

The Scotty locking flush mount can be waterproofed if you slide a rubber folding chair slider/foot over the bottom of the hole and goop it. 

Nice jog on the rig-out.   The extra bracing inside the hull should serve you well - very sturdy looking.

I do have two questions for you though, and maybe you'll have to come back to post after you have fished a while with that set-up. 

First - it looks a bit far forward, a long reach from the seat to the rod holder.   How tall are you and how is this location working out for you?

Second - I like the orca quite a bit for the sturdiness of its frame and clamshell, but it doesn't accommodate Rod 'trigger' handles well without rotating the rod about 60- degrees .  This works ok when I trolled for salmon, it turned the rod-eyes out correctly, but it's not ideal design for other scenarios.  How does the new Folbe do for accommodating rods with trigger on grip. 

Looking forward to meeting you on the water Keen-Eye. 

Hi AKRider,

Good questions, both!  The forward placement was a concern during the planning stages but has worked out just fine.  I'm 5'10" and it's a bit of a stretch, but not bad.  The nice thing is it keeps it well up front out of the way and you don't have to crane your head to keep an eye on the tip for bites.

The rod in the last two pictures above is a 6' 0" Shimano Trevala with a trigger.  There is an opening for the trigger in the Folbe Jr. holder which holds it nicely.  In fact, the trigger is what keeps the rod from rotating in the holder.  It keeps the reel on top and the guides in the position shown all the time.  There are certainly many rod/reel combos out there that are too large for the Folbe Jr.  Then you can just go to the regular Folbe rod holder.  It fits right into the same base and extension arm.  I've had the regular Folbe's on my gas burner for over 10 years now and they accommodate rods with triggers nicely too.   There are several other brands of rod holders out there to choose from but I've been happy with the Folbe's so I decided to stick with them for the new kayak.

The ideal thing, of course, would be to mount it on a rail so you could move it around at will.  I just didn't see any way to mount a rail on this Outback without covering up some of the nice little built-in trays and cup holders, so I decided to mount them directly.  I think I've had the chance to fish in it only 5 times now but, at this point, I'm quite satisfied with the placement and, if I had a rail, I'd probably have it in about the same position anyway.

It'll be fun to see you on the water!