I'm not sure if you can view this without registering, but take a look a the last picture in my post. That is my PA 14 setup for offshore.
http://forums.floridasportsman.com/show ... ost1968443For fishing offshore, you want your reels to be well above the saltwater spray and right in front of you so you can quickly react to a strike.
What you see are Scotty rod holders mounted on Scotty gearhead extensions and Scotty mounts fastened to YakAttac mighty mounts on a YakAttac GearTrac (That is a mouthful of Scotty!). I tried other configurations, but my current setup is perfect for trolling. Everything is adjustable and removable. I recently put two of the Scotty extensions together, so my GPS/Sonar would be right in front of me and yes, it's durable and strong. Also, the Scotty mounts are the type with the push button quick release. This makes it much easier to break down / setup.
When I first got into this sport I bought a $400 kayak, West Marine Pompano 120, and made my rod holders out of PVC. I was like MacGruber or that Asian kid, Data, from the movie Goonies. Some of my garage made stuff worked well, but if you can afford the Scotty or Ram mounts it's worth it. For rods I prefer Scotty mounts, because they have fixed adjustment points and your setup is always consistent. The RAM stuff has too much freedom of motion for me and I'm also more afraid of the RAM stuff coming apart. However, RAM does have the advantage when it comes to things like cameras and fish finders, where you need more fine adjustment.
When I bought the PA I didn't want to be consumed with R&Ding new homemade gear. I wanted to focus on catching fish. What was good about initially owning a much smaller Pompano 120 is that it taught me to consolidate. You can really pile stuff in the PA 14, so I am glad it wasn't my first boat.
As for tackle, I have one small waterproof plano box with: pre-made leaders, hooks, swivels etc.. and another larger waterproof plano box with deep diving lures and jigs. I used to carry like 4 boxes and man... it's pointless. You start to figure this out when you fish for a while. The last thing you want to be doing is digging through 4-5 boxes, then trying to tie on a hook when there are hungry fish circling your boat. Have everything as pre-made up as possible.
You also have to have a system for loading and unloading your gear and boat in a reasonable amount of time or no one will want to fish with you! If you beach launch, get the Hobie Trax 2-30 Plug In Cart. It's all about the beach wheels. I plug mine into the middle, not rear scuppers and that makes it much easier to pull through the sand. The only downside is that you can't put the pin through the cart to hold it in place.
Good luck out there!