Blue Box Hot Rods

[tdobb]

So I have been a fan of modding my equipment for a long time.  I have also long been a fan of Vexilar flasher units.  Here is my latest rendition, Blue Box Hot Rod V3 along with V2.  Now I wont have to share with the boy, he can use one of own.  Looks simple, but there are a couple more things coming for this in the future, couple switches and possibly a UV LED for glow charging jigs.


FL-22 mounted on the new Blue Box Hot Rod V3, and FL-20 mounted on BBHR V2.


Here you can see the Pro/Ultra Pack rod holders.  I did not get a specific photo of how I modded these but it is very easy to explain.  When you get a rod holder for one of those packs, it has a pin that sits down in a specific hole.  The portion that I retained for use is held on to the pin with a screw and washer.  There is a small nub on the rod holder that indexes in an arc slot on the pin, that needs to be cut off.  Then you drill a 3/8" hole in the side of the blue box.  After test fitting the rod holder, I found the screw boss that is slightly less than 3/8" diameter is too long, so when I tighten the screw all the way down it didn't cinch down on the side of the box.  Quick fix in the garage with the dremel and grinder wheel, ground the screw boss down to about 1/8" total length from the 3/16" length it was before.  Back inside where it was warm, cinch it down and it holds tight.  This step is important or your rod holder just swings around and drops your rod.  Trimming it allows you to tighten it down to where you can twist it for a dead stick but retains enough tension to not spin freely.  The screws in this location are accessible for tightening without disassembling the entire unit (though not very easily).


A closer view of the rod holder, rotated slightly.


V3 vs V2


There will be a switch mounted on the front side here soon so I do not have to plug and unplug the flex light each time I want to use it.  I also plan to clean up the wiring so that the unit, light, and charger are all hooked up with a single connection.  The Vex will have a master switch to isolate it from potential shorts during charging as well.


Here you can see that though difficult, with the right tools I can get in there and tighten the screw for the rod holder without disassembling the back half of the case.

Happy with how this one turned out.  Nice and clean.  I used another Pro Mount on this one so that I can easily switch head units back and forth depending on fishing scenario or jumping into the boat.  The Pro Mount will also come in handy when I do use the rod holders for a deadstick.  I can turn and adjust the blue box as needed to position it over one hole for the ducer and the other for the second line, then swivel the head unit so I can see it for fishing.  Versatility is the name of the game for me.  If I can make something more useful with the simple turn of a drill bit and screw driver, I am certainly going to give it a shot.

Take care,
Tom

[Fishin_Chip]

I too am a fan of the compact size and simplicity of the Blue Box. 

In my other thread I rigged a double vision with the FL-22HD, then swapped that flasher for the FL8SE.  With the camera, the added features of the 22 were not being used to best advantage.  The end result is that the FL-22HD now resides on the Blue Box as my primary hole hopping setup.



I didn't end up doing anything extravagant, but I did move a couple goodies over from the pro pack. 

The first was the transducer support arm.  I modified a faucet washer as a spacer and attached it to one of the bracket screws.



Then I took the rubber transducer cup from the pro pack and added it to the transducer holder on the back of the Genz box, much more secure this way, better protected too.  A small divot out of the lower handle allows the cup to take its natural shape





Of course, I kept the tri-ducer, so the switch needed to be mounted to the Genz Box.  The charge indicator is wired into the system, it came too.  Fortunately, the blue box is pre drilled for both, a slight mod to fit the transducer coupler through the hole behind the charge indicator and its done. 



I am a fan of the soft pack, but it does prevent external mods like rod holders and such. 



Well, there you go..As I said, nothing fancy, just simple and effective!
                 

[just_a_beer_man]

Lookin good

[Clear_Ice]

Thats a nice job fellas! Do you guys like using a Genz pack? I got a pro pack and like it because it fits in a bucket.. opinions?

[tdobb]

I prefer the Genz pack in part for the nostalgia of it. I started with an old Genz box with an FL-8, put heavy duty PVC rod holders on it and that is how I started hole hopping. I love the durability of the Genz pack, oftentimes I use it to "kick" the snow from the hole. Sometimes that snow is a bit frozen. I don't run a soft case because I don't want it soaking up water and ice as I hop around. I also like to carry multiple rods with me. With a couple rod holders mounted up, I carry two additional rods rigged and ready when I hop around. I can fit two Genz packs in my Glide Lite too. With the ultra and pro packs, there really aren't many surfaces to mount accessories to. Genz pack has plenty of surface area. Depending on fishing situation I can grab either and go. Don't get me wrong though, the ultra and pro packs are great in their own right, I am a tinkerer though. Always wanting to mod something.

Thanks,
Tom

[Fishin_Chip]

Started off with the Blue Box.  When I moved to the pro pack I found it to be a much flimsier setup.  The fact that it fits in a pail is no advantage to me, in fact the taller configuration makes it more difficult to stow on my snowmobile.  The soft pack seems to be a better fit on the Genz Box as well, probably because the Pro Pack version is designed to fit the Ultra Pack too.  All in all, the Genz Box is a better fit for my style of fishing.



Kinda looks like a Marcum, though, from a distance or if you aren't paying attention....