Open Storage vs. Tackle Trays
WorldCat uses two-piece construction, meaning that the gunwales, interior sides and floor are all a single molded fiberglass part. In most cases, two-piece construction leaves dead space between the inner surface of the hull sides and the interior “walls” of the boat.
Many manufacturers make use of this space by incorporating inset storage units of some kind — usually rod boxes — that mount in cutouts in the inside wall of the cockpit.
On Tamsin and Sidney’s 295CC, the under-gunwale rod storage was located amidships, with a pair of open storage bins inset into the sides of the cockpit.
Open storage bins certainly have their merits; they just weren’t right for Tamsin and Sidney. “They’re nice,” says Sidney, “but everybody on the boat — including myself — has a tendency to just throw stuff in the box down there, like when you switch out a lure or something. You end up with chum baskets in there, everything. It becomes a mess and it’s a pain in the butt to clean at the end of the day.”
Tackle Bags vs. Built-In Storage
Meanwhile, the couple’s tackle was in search of a home. “We had a tackle bag that was literally the size of a large duffel,” says Sidney.
“With two coolers plus the tackle bag on deck, it just takes up a lot of moving around room you need for fishing. We got tired of stepping over it. It was also a mess from people just throwing everything in the bottom of the bag when they were done with it.”
“With two coolers plus the tackle bag on deck, it just takes up a lot of moving around room you need for fishing.”
It didn’t take long for Tamsin and Sidney to realize that these two problems added up to a solution.
By swapping out one of the open bins for a tackle storage unit, they could not only get their tackle off the deck and out of the way but also no longer face the hassle of cleaning out a junk catcher at the end of every day.
As a bonus, their tackle could stay securely on board and they’d no longer have to load the bulky tackle bag in and out of the boat. “We thought, ‘If it turns out good, then we’ll look at the other side,’” says Tamsin.
Designing the Solution
After some online research, Sidney and Tamsin settled on Boat Outfitters, mainly because of the huge variety of tackle storage systems showcased on the website and because of the company’s extensive experience with custom, one-off projects.
They emailed the width, height and depth of the mounting cutout and were soon connected with Eddie, a Boat Outfitters project manager.
“He drew something up and sent it to us,” says Sidney. “Then we’d give it a yea or a nay and sent it back until we got exactly what we wanted.”
“They really worked with us on maximizing the space … It’s more storage than we thought we were going to get.”
“They really worked with us on maximizing the space,” adds Tamsin.
“We had sent the dimensions, but at one point Eddie came back and said, ‘If you get me another quarter inch here, I can get your three more tackle trays. It’s more storage than we thought we were going to get.”
The final design features three doors hinged at the bottom, each concealing four 3600-size tackle trays. At the aft end is a single deep drawer for bulk storage.
Installing the Under-Gunwale Box
Installation was relatively easy, thanks in part to the fact that the perimeter of the cutout was factory-reinforced with thicker material. The unit came from Boat Outfitters with the 16 mounting holes pre-drilled and countersunk.
After removing the old open storage unit and dry-fitting the new box, Sydney says, he simply had his son hold the new unit in position while he drilled pilot holes for the mounting screws directly through the pre-drilled holes in the unit.
Installation was relatively easy, thanks in part to the fact that the perimeter of the cutout was factory reinforced with thicker material.
They then applied marine sealant to the flange of the new unit and screwed it in place with #8 stainless steel self-tapping screws. (Note that without existing reinforcement, Boat Outfitters typically recommends that inset tackle storage units of this size be through-bolted rather than screwed.)
Room to Spare
Remarkably, between its 12 tackle trays and large drawer, the new tackle unit accommodated Tamsin and Sidney’s monster tackle bag with room to spare.
Most of the trays hold lures, hooks and other terminal tackle. Others, at the bottom of the unit, are dedicated to weights.
“I was surprised everything fit. We’ve actually got three empty trays to fill.”
The deep drawer provides plenty of room for leader material. “I was surprised everything fit,” Tamsin says. “We’ve actually got three empty trays to fill.”
“Guess it’s time for a trip to Bass Pro Shops,” says Sidney.
The Next Project
The port-side open storage replacement went well enough that Tamsin and Sidney are starting to think about what to do on the starboard side. They’ve got plenty of Plano-style trays already but still need more room for bigger items like rigged trolling lures, rigging tools, de-hookers, descending devices and so on. Currently, that gear is stored in the head compartment inside the console, but having it organized and easily reachable in the cockpit would be another upgrade to the boat’s fishability.
