GigBob Modification Ideas

jwsiemers · Mar 11, 2022

I just picked up a used GigBob 2.0 from NRS and was wondering if anyone had some nuggets of wisdom or modifications they would like to share? I'm doing a multi-night float down the Smith River in Montana in June so I'm trying to get creative on ways to store all of my gear.

-Jeff

-Jeff

Freestone · Mar 11, 2022

Wow, you will have lots of room on a GigBob. Keep it simple! One expedition size dry bag for all your non-fishing stuff. Period. A couple of side pockets or a gear bag/pack for fishing stuff. A pvc pipe cut for a rod holder. Skip a cooler and do dehydrated. I have literally never taken a trip and wished that I had more gear/weight/bulk. Again, keep it simple!

jwsiemers · Mar 12, 2022

I've done this trip before on a raft with LOTS of stuff for the trip. I'm planning more of a backpacking on a boat style for this trip. Bears are an issue in this area of Montana (go figure) so I might have to do a Yeti cooler to meet the river requirements by the rangers on site.

Anyone have a good set-up idea for a Scotty anchor mount?

Salmo_g · Mar 13, 2022

jwsiemers said:
Bears are an issue in this area of Montana

Get a bear canister, way cheaper than a Yeti. If you're thinking backpacking style you don't need a cooler.

Freestone · Mar 13, 2022

Salmo_g said:
Get a bear canister, way cheaper than a Yeti. If you're thinking backpacking style you don't need a cooler.

Yep, on my Smith River trip in May, I am just going to use a bear canister for food. It’s much lighter weight and more compact than one of the bear-resistant coolers. Not to mention cheaper!

Bakerite · Mar 15, 2022

I made a motor mount out of PVC pipe that straps on the back of mine. Use a little electric motor, that makes the long trips on reservoirs much shorter. Also have a anchor mount back there on a piece of plywood. A plywood mount in front holds my Garmin. I would post pics, but they are currently about 300 miles away. Love the gigbob.

JayB · Mar 16, 2022

I've got a 1st generation GigBob and I've been very happy with mine.

Random unsolicited gear input: Check the screws that hold the brackets used to secure the oar mounting plates to the top-deck. They can work their way loose. Lose one and you won't even notice, but when the second of three falls out it'll become evident in a hurry, or at least that was the case with me when that happened mid-rapid. Thankfully it was a mild-drop, and could hike back to the truck to get a spare screw and a screwdriver, then finish out the float. If that'd happened on a multi-day trip my downstream progress would've been a fair bit slower...

Since I've used mine for multi-day trips, plan to do so again, and would like to avoid a repeat of the above experience I ditched the original screws, drilled through the oar mounting plates, ran machine screws through from the bottom, then secured them in place with screw caps + lock washers. Almost certainly overkill, but I'll have that serene feeling the next time I launch knowing that some other random mechanical failure will pop up instead of this one.

I wasn't exactly going light on my multiday (one of the plusses of these boats is that you don't have to go all that light, at least compared to backpacking) - but I found that using one of those elastic mesh cargo thingies made securing the load on the back fast, easy, and secure enough for anything that I'd want to run in a loaded GigBob...