just to confirm...nothing under Ranger Gunnels?
 

i'm thinking about flush mounting some rod holders (can't justify the price of tracks) and the dealership told me that there were no wires etc directly under the gunnels of my reata 1850vs...but i'd like to confirm.

has anyone here flush mounted rod holders on their Ranger?

I removed the side panels on my 2050, expecting to see foam in every nook and cranny, like I was lead to believe. There are about two inches in the 'top rail', and the rest of the area had all the wiring and such laying in it. Looked like someone dropped a plate of spaghetti in there.

Jinx,
Since "things" can end up in strange places during assembly, it is really up to you to figure out what is in YOUR boat.

If you are sure that you want a flush mount rod holder mounted in a particular spot, you can take a 3/32 inch drill bit and drill - just - through the gunnel.

Then, take a wire and use it as a probe to probe all around the small hole to verify that you will be in good shape to drill a larger hole.

If you find your way blocked, you can easily fill the small hole so that it disappears.

Take care
REW

It'd probably be easier to take off the side panel, and remove small pieces of the foam, rather than drill holes into the fiberglass.

I'm with Hombre - take off the side panel and get a good look at what you have. Not sure what an '07 has under the gunnel but a '12 has a rigging tube just under the gunnel (and foam too). It's not difficult to remove the panel - just a bunch of screws.

Let me know and I can send you the pointers my dealer gave me for removing the panel. It might be different for your boat but should give you a good idea.

--Tim

Yep. The rigging tube on the starboard side is exactly why my 1860 doesn't have 3 flush mounts on each side.

Jinx, I just mounted six Driftmaster flush mounts on my 2006 Reata 210 earlier this week. I chose the Driftmaster's cause they are essentially a stainless round disc with a nut welded to the back of it. They don't need the hole depth that some flush mounts need. My boat had some plastic conduit just below the gunnel holes so drill SLOW with the hole saw and don't set the pilot very deep. I know it can be done cause I just did it!

H

X2
 

[QUOTE=Hombre Robusto;1407981]I removed the side panels on my 2050, expecting to see foam in every nook and cranny, like I was lead to believe. There are about two inches in the 'top rail', and the rest of the area had all the wiring and such laying in it. Looked like someone dropped a plate of spaghetti in there.[/QUOTE]

Quality ain't job 1 anymore

[QUOTE=THROWINWOOD;1408062]Quality ain't job 1 anymore[/QUOTE]

How do you expect to run all the wires and cables from the front to the back if the sides are filled with foam?

It would piss me off if there WAS foam in the sides and it impaired my ability to run cables from new installs.

Sheesh....Go take the tour and see exactly how much foam is actually in those boats. You wouldn't be complaining one bit if you actually knew.

Just my .02 cents.

Juls

Juls,
I guess he would be happier if they ran everything, wired it and then sealed it in foam completely? Imagine how much fun it would be if something went wrong in the wiring or you wanted to run wires yourself?? Guess you can't make everyone happy anymore. It has become a negative world where people just look for something to complain about.......