RAM Mounts

RAM Mounts -- Dirty Dave

You have just brought that new kayak or canoe home and are downing a six pack wondering where to place your gadgets. You or your significant other has bought that G.P.S. unit that you always wanted and are now asking yourself-“How can I mount this thing so it doesn’t fall over board, but still be within easy reach to use?” You feel the need to mount a camera somewhere in front of you so you can take pictures of yourself to prove to your wife and friends that you actually do catch fish.

These and other scenarios are the makings of an age old dilemma- Where and how to mount all this stuff! I say, “Ram It!” No…I am not implying that you stick that G.P.S. unit where it will be of no use. I have for you a simple and well designed solution that will solve all your problems.

You have probably heard of Ram Mounting Systems or seen their products in the Cabellas’ catalog. NPI -short for National Products Inc. is the Seattle based company that manufactures the RAM Mount (Short for “Round-A-Mount”). The RAM system consists of just eight components made from marine-grade, powder coated aluminum along with stainless steel hardware and rubber balls which come in four sizes.

In the standard Ram system, a ball and socket rest at each end of a multi piece rod, allowing movement in any direction. The main reason this system holds tremendous weight and withstands high vibration is that under pressure, a rubber ball doesn’t compress but instead displaces and changes shape from a sphere to an irregular form. Any material that changes shape under pressure, yet is resilient enough to return to a sphere when pressure is released, can be used for the balls.

The RAM system bases can be mounted to any flat surface using screws or rivets. I use mine to hold my Garmin Etrex within easy reach to operate all the features. There is a mount in their product line for every imaginable electronic device and gizmo imaginable. If they don’t have a mount for it, then it doesn’t exist.

The mounts can be a little pricey though, at about $25 bucks a pop. With the rod holders the sky is the limit, but all of their products are covered under a lifetime warranty so there is a good safety net for the paddling consumer.

When mounting the base to the hull of your kayak. I recommend using stainless-steel screws and nylock nuts when you have access to the inside of the hull. This will ensure that the base will never pull away from its mount because it holds so well and has no give once the arm is tightened down. The pictures I have included show how I mounted my G.P.S. mount to the side of a Scotty rod holder. With this set-up, the G.P.S. is easy to function because it is within reach and the whole set-up is compact and will not be struck by my working rod as I walk a top water plug.

To do this, I simply drilled and tapped a hole in the bottom center of the base. I then removed the factory screw from the Scotty mount. Next I placed the base on the inside of the rod holder and screw it down with the Scotty screw. To keep the base from spinning loose, I drilled a small hole through one of the RAM base holes already drilled into the base and added a S.S. set-screw.

Of course, this is only one of the many ways you can mount an accessory such as this. With the RAM system the possibilities are endless. If you go onto their website, www.ram-mount.com, you will see that many attachments are also available to expand your mounting options. For instance- You can get a base with three balls so you can now mount three accessories on one base so you can now have the G.P.S. on the right arm, the rod holder on the center arm and the fish finder or FRS radio on the left arm. If you need to have the G.P.S. closer to you then get the extension that consists of an extra arm and a short rod with a ball at each end. Log onto their web site or go to Cabelas.com and see all that is possible. With RAM almost no mounting solution is impossible.

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