BoardFisher products

[GLPsup]

Has anyone used the BoardFisher Tie-Downs or BoardFisher Rack? How do you like them? I am trying to put a trolling setup on the back of my 12' Hobie atr. I will be catching mostly striped bass & bluefish typically ranging from 15" to 30". I will use either of these products to attach a crate that will hold my rods while I troll. Do the tiedowns adhere strong enough to hold on if I get a 30" striper on? Same question for the "rack". Also, I would be attaching the Rack to the back of the board to keep the lines out of my way while trolling/paddling, will the rack slip off the back when I have a fish on?

http://boardfisher.com/Products2.html

[lucabrasi]

The straps are just nylon webbing with a buckle and if you are attatching them to your Hobies mounts they are fine. I wouldn't use the rack. Just attatch the crate to the board with the straps. My board has mounts similar to the Hobies and I loop a piece of leash cord through them to make something bigger to thread the webbing through.
I use the Safari pack and/or a milk crate and attatch it to my mounts with the nylon webbing. Plenty strong. No issues. Lot's of use.

[lucabrasi]

sorry, to clarify a little better, the tie down kits are anchors and straps, if I follow you right. You don't need the anchors on the ATR, you already have built in mounts. You only need straps. With your built in mounts you don't need the rack either. Straps are all you need for a secure fit. I think you would only want the rack if you don't have any other attatchment points.
I will say I think the Safari Pak is a great thing to have if you are really into fishing and spending lots of time on the water doing so. It is way handy and a great durable design.

[GLPsup]

Thanks, all good stuff.

I actually have an older version of the Atr that didn't come with built in mounts and I'm having trouble finding the screws and mounts that I was eventually able to get the rep to send me.

What do you like about the safari pack that makes it better than just a milk crate with rod holders? Is it just that everything is more custom to SUP fishing?

[lucabrasi]

Are the mounts under the pad? If you talked to a rep I guess not but I think some of the Hobies came with them hidden underneath. If I remember right they were an inset nut kind of thing you screwed into.
The paddle pocket/sleeve on the Safari pack is way handy and real nice to have. The outrigger rod holder is great for trolling. Pretty secure. I wondered at first but have not had anything come close to falling out. I have not had a huge fish hit while in use tho. The cover keeps everything secure and still lets it drain. If mounting it behind you then you have two rod holders for trolling, one upright and one outrigger. It is well designed and more useful than the milk crates I have used and fabricated. I guess it is because it is custom to using on a board vs. a kayak or a general fish basket. Very durable and well thought out. 
The anchors in the tie down kits aren't the greatest. They also come with the Safari pack I don't think there is enough surface area and you need perfectly flat surface to mount to which means mounting on the deck a ways in. A couple of mine started to pull up after a few weeks. The openings are slim and it's a pain to thread the straps through every time. I have a board without built in mounts I set up. I replaced with NSI mounts that have loops on them and are flexible so you can mount more on the rails than in on the deck. Those are way better and have had no issues with them. Spendy tho.
Good luck.

[GLPsup]

My tie-downs look like this...
(having trouble taking the pics off the manual PDF, so here is the website)

http://www.hobie.com/stand-up-paddleboards/downloads/Hobie_atr_manual_web.pdf

On Page 6 you see the screw and trap assembly that is used on my ATR. The dealer didn't have them so I had to get them from the rep and I never installed them for two reasons... 1) I havent fished off the board yet. 2) I wasnt sure I wanted the metal trap sticking up where I might step on it when not fishing. So of course now that I need them I can't find them. I will probably just get another set from the rep.

The new ATR II has a built-in attachment point molded to the board that is flush with the board as seen in the manual below. A much smarter design.

http://www.hobie.com/stand-up-paddleboards/downloads/Hobie_bcx_manual_web.pdf

Thanks for the info on the Safari Pack. I do like the looks of the paddle holder.

Also, nice name... "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes"