Rail mount rod holder experience - Stealth vs Scotty vs Fish-On

[Timmer92]

Hi all,

I was looking for rod holders to fit the 1" rail on my new Nitro. My experience:

Scotty - I started with Scotty mounts, as I had holders and accessories from my old boat and just needed to buy the rail adapter. In their design, aside from the bolts holding the mount pieces together, there is a set screw on the bottom of the rail half of the mount. On my boat, for 2 of the spots I wanted to put the mounts, the space was too tight between the mount and the boat and I couldn't get an allen wrench in-between, so there wasn't a way for me to tighten the set screw. I wasn't loving the idea of the set screw marking up my rail anyway, even if it was on the bottom. I thought about going without the set screw, but there was quite a gap between the top and bottom half of the mounts and I thought there was likely something out there that just fit better.

Fish-on - What I liked about these is they were affordable, and they came with a piece of vinyl with each mount to ensure it doesn't slip. However, they state it fits 7/8" and 1" rails, for which I was absolutely disagree. The half-circle on each side of the mount would MAYBE fit a 7/8" rail, but is too small for a 1". The material only comes on contact with a small portion of the rail, and leaves a big open arc within each side of the mount. From a functional perspective I didn't trust it would hold given the small area for which it contacted the rail.

Stealth - I found positive reviews of Stealth on some kayak forums. I obviously don't own a kayak but it looked interesting to me. One thing I liked is my previous Scotty's were quick release mounts, for which Stealth had a quick release model. They also sated they fit up to a 1.25" rail, so I was confident it would fit my 1". I REALLY like the design of these. The top half of the mount is rubber, so that makes for a tight and slip resistant fit. I added a thin sheet of rubber gasket over the hard plastic bottom half of the mount for added grip. By the way, you can turn the top mount 90 degrees and it will fit a square rail. They are really tight and seem like they won't budge.

https://www.stealthrodholders.com/pr...lti-mount-base

https://www.stealthrodholders.com/pr...sal-rail-mount

[Hookem2004]

I prefer the Scotty rail mounts because they don't stick out as much as the Stealth mount shown in the pic. That way your not bumping into it when you walk by without the rod holder. Just my preference.

[Timmer92]

Originally Posted by Hookem2004

I prefer the Scotty rail mounts because they don't stick out as much as the Stealth mount shown in the pic. That way your not bumping into it when you walk by without the rod holder. Just my preference.

The mounts themselves are nearly the same. I do believe you are correct as far as the rod holders. The rod holder stem could be centered more. These are probably 2"+ further back just going off my recollection.

[Fin Bender]

You can take a cheap allen wrench and cut it down. It'll then fit in a very small space, like 0.25".