Taco Transom Mount Rod Holder - 3 Holder Model - Part I & Part II

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I'm going to do a two part review on this product, Part I is the product upon purchase, how it looks, feels, value for money etc and Part II will be a review after it's been put to use in the 'field'.

In addition to your clamp on rod holder or gunnel mounted rod holders, a popular product over in the US are transom mounted rod holders/racks. This one is made by Taco Products and is a 3 rod model specifically designed to mount on the rear transom of a boat.

It mounts directly on the transom, thus freeing up gunwales and decks, while providing storage for up to three rods. Durable brushed aluminum finish is designed to withstand the rigors of prolonged use in saltwater conditions. Patent-pending spline technology lets you lock in the desired angle for the rack, which can be adjusted easily using a bolt-down installation to fit the boat?s transom.

Adjustable splines to set the angle you want and offset the angle on your transom.

The unit looks well made and has a nice polished aluminium finish. I was a bit disappointed to see it didn't come with any mounting hardware given it's price tag, although the rod holders themselves feel very durable and are lined to protect your rod. They feature a pin at the base of each holder to secure your rod in place.

Overall Dimensions from edge of flange to edge of flange:
F31-3502 - 26-1/4" (2 Rod Version)
F31-3503 - 34" (3 Rod Version)
F31-3504 - 40-1/2" (4 Rod Version)

The rod holders themselves are NOT adjustable, you cannot set the spread pattern further left or right and I'm surprised that Taco did not offset these slightly to provide a more comfortable rod spread. Their adjustable splines however are great as it lets you set the overall angle, which is important if you want to create flatter lines in your spread.

They don't come cheap at $159.99 available from West Marine but they do provide a great way to increase your rod spread if space is limited.

All that's left is to see how they perform when in use.

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Just to add to this, as it's now been installed. Where the two flanges join the main part at each end, which have splines so you can adjust the angle, the join isn't that neat/flush. The diameters of the main pipe and the flange with the bend and male splines are slightly different so it's not a perfect clean join.

I would imagine it would be hard to get it perfect but if you're one of those people who likes things to look perfect, do bear this in mind. Overall I think it's a good product but should be priced closed to $100 and considering it's made by Taco, as I mentioned above I did expect better finishing.

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Part II

Held up well to the elements being Aluminium, however the holders are placed a little too close together to make for using all three as practical rod holders to fish off.

I would say these are more 3 holders for storage and either one down the center or the first and third for fishing depending if you have any other holders on your boat and how far those push your rods out.

[anglers]

I have nearly the same thing on my boat my mine takes four rods. These are more for storage use than for fishing. The only way to get your rods fishing this way is to add some outriggers to your boat.

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Can Aluminium be polished again to bring it back to the factory look. After 3 years in use even though always rinsed etc it lacks some of the luste it had when new?

[malvizzu]

If being used just as simple rod holders, better go for the cheaper ones from eBay.

2 rods = £6.99
3 rods = £8.99
4 rods = £14.99
5 rods = £19.99

plus £9.99 P&P

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOAT-ROD-HOLDER-VERTICAL-2-3-4-5-TUBE-ACCESSORY-RACK-/390232962198?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&var=&hash=item99ab809b4e

[robby017]

try polish with Autosol skip

[fisheye]

if there are any scratches that you want to remove try steelwool and autosol if just polishing, autosol alone will be fine as Rob well said.

[benri]

I use Autosol Skip - All shiney

[skip]

Thanks everyone will give it a go. The factory finish was like burred never smooth but I'm sure that it will polish up a bit

[baghira]

Nick ususally you have to sand it with sand paper first, using thick grit, then slowly use somthing like 500 grit if I remember well. Then afterwards you use autosol.
If the material is not smooth enought, autosol on its own would not do the job.
Use water sand paper.
You will get a bit black, but the job will be done well.

[framerc]

Nick, it can be polished as others are stated but the best is to protect the aluminium with varnish or lacer because aluminium has the tendency that when the protection is removed the material will start its process of corrosion and is easily been contaminated with air than other materials. After it is polished give it the treatment as soon as possible otherwise back to square one.