I didnt want the traditional rod rack, I got this to use for pulling the kids on the tube and sking also, and it is very easy to use when fishing off the back of the boat. I mainly use the top 4 rod holders for transporting the rods when running arround on the water, I cant stand having rods and reels on the floor of any boat, so I get them up and out of the way, there are a totol of 18 rod holders on the boat from front to back, most of them are recesed in the decking and flush mounted.