Rod Holders - Lee vs. Smith

[Skunked Again]

The old rod holders in the boat are coming out and new ones are going in. The problem we've had with the current holders is over time the tubes have begun to seperate from the mounting plate. To get through last season I had them spot welded back on but that is a short term solution so now it's time to replace. Looking through different catalogs one thing that caught the eye under Smith's description was "The 100% welded tube-to-cap joint is heavy duty and will not break." ...Sounds like a quality product but I know Lee has been around for quite some time and has a great reputation as well. Do you have any feedback on either? Will one last longer than the other? Are they both quality products and it's simply personal preference?

[gmoney]

http://ldmarineproducts.com



look into these....

[First Light]

second for the LD marine holders, it's all we sell now.

[Skunked Again]

Gmoney and first light.. Thanks for the info, I will keep those in mind down the road. For this application we're planning on using something with a 3 bolt pattern (matching the current bolt pattern) to avoid drilling more holes in the fiberglass.

[mvfish]

I have a bunch of the Smith I put on the boat 2 yrs ago. I'm really happy with the workmanship and the finish they use on the rod holders. I have a 34' CC and installed 6 forward the consel. I've used Lee and have been very happy with those too. I actually was a rep for the company and think their products are great. I've seen the LD Marine stuff and it looks very well made. I think you won't go wrong with any of the above mentioned. I guess it comes down to price. I hope this helped.

[fmoore]

I've had no problems with my Lee's Outriggers or rod holders. They seem to be a top quality product. I have no experience with Smith

[sashamy]

lee is the best

[Clint3240]

im in the middle of the same thing, i was pointing towards LD but i dont want the 13 inch straight swivel holders...are the 9 inch ones ok for 130 class rods? i was gonna then drop a extension in for the smaller bent butts

[AT Grimaldi]

I have all lees in the gunnels and LD marine for bulkheads.

If I could do it over again, I'd do all LD marine.

- ATG