Please be careful using any power tools and wear protective glasses. Also be careful fitting the holders to
your kayak to avoid any unnecessary damage to it.

Firstly find a suitable position that suits you and your needs for the holder to be fitted. Unfortunately for the Drifter there is only really one place to fit these and it s directly behind the seating area. Using the supplied rubber seal hold this against the body of the kayak where the holder is to be fitted. Mark with a felt tip pen where the drill hole is to be.

Using a Drill core tool fine the correct size hole core for the holder. The poly is around 8mm thick at this point. Carefully drill out the hole. Keep the plastic waste plug that is off the kayak for later.

Because the Holders are angled the hole then has to be slightly widened into an oval shape to allow the holder to fit flush. This can be done with a large sharp drill bit using it to score the shape oval  be careful not to take too much away. If the rod holders are supplied with an open bottom as many are this has to be sealed before fitting takes place. Using the waste plug from the hole what I did was glue this directly to the bottom of the holder then with a heat gun heat up the plastic plug and holder and with a knife bond and shape the 2 pieces together. Once done seal the drill hole that was in the centre in the same way shaping the plastic with the knife while it is hot. Finish off with some black tape as shown. The holder is then perfectly sealed against water ingress.

Slide the holder in place and mark the 3 drill holes for the securing screws. Pre drill the holes with a 1mm drill bit. Remove the holder and apply silicon mastic to the underneath of the holder and refit to the kayak. Push down firmly and carefully screw the 3 self tapping screws down tight. This may cause the mastic to seep out the holder base. Carefully wipe away and surplus mastic with some dry rage until clean. Leave to dry 24 hours before using the holder.

Fitting Flush mount Rod holders to a Fishing Kayak ..