Patent ID: 8453373

Claim:
A fishing rod holder assembly for being received on a boat rail, the assembly comprising: a u-shaped retaining member having a pair of spaced-apart walls that are interconnected on respective first ends by a connecting wall which extends along entireties of the respective first ends, the pair of spaced-apart walls defining a gap therebetween; a compression block selectively receivable within the gap of the retaining member and generally extending between the pair of spaced-apart walls when the holder is installed about a boat rail, said compression block having a round receiving recess defined on an upwardly facing surface thereof, said receiving recess being located in a middle portion of said upwardly facing surface so as to be spaced away from all edges of said upwardly facing surface; at least two spaced-apart fasteners that engage the compression block and extend through and between respective second ends of each wall of the pair of spaced-apart walls and are configured such that tightening of the at least two fasteners deforms at least one wall of the pair of spaced-apart walls into engagement with the compression block, thereby providing an interference fit between the pair of spaced-apart walls of the retaining member and the rail, wherein the compression block is maintained in a fixed position relative to the spaced-apart walls by cooperation of the at least two fasteners; and a fishing rod holder having a rod supporting portion and an elongate shank portion that is configured for being received by the compression block, wherein the u-shaped retaining member and compression block cooperatively form an opening in which the boat rail is received.