strong rod holder

Just drove home with a revo on my roof--my first Hobie. I am getting ready to accessorize for fishing. I am concerned that built in rod holders will be too shallow. I will be trolling plugs and drifting bait for tarpon. Any advice and guiddance will be appreciated. I have seen rod custom rod holders made from pvc--simply inserted into the exisiting rod holders--some with a cross bar running between the two existing rod holders and multiple rod ports ( will this be strong enough?) Also wondering about the inserts that Hobie sells. Thank you for your time and help

Strength isn't much of an issue because you can only apply so much force to a rod which is sitting in a kayak - the kayak will move.

However, it pays to make sure you can't bounce a rod out of a holder. I like to extend my standard Hobie rod holders with the use of a piece of PVC or ABS tubing. I make them about 4 inches longer than the depth of the molded in holders. I also cut a short notch in the top edge to orient a rod (spinning reel stem or casting rod trigger). When you're under way, you'll want to leash the rod to the holder or kayak.

I use the built-in rod holders only for rods not in use. On my Oasis, they are behind me, so I don't think the design intent was for to use them as holders for rods in use. Most fishing setups use a Scotty or Ram mount somewhere ahead on the rail. For me, the only area on the rail large enough is just ahead of the rudder up & down toggles.

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2011 Oasis (papaya)
2012 Revo (dune)