My rod holders are angled out towards the side of the boat like many others. When I put them on the boat to check them out, I noticed my rods were pointing down at the water. I took them to a local metal machine shop. They cut the weld and re-angled them. It cost 20 dollars and now they work great. If your rod holders point to the rear of your boat, you will not have a problem.
I use these for trolling rod holders in my forward gunwale mounts. They work and look fine. The cable is handy for clipping a rod on or anchoring it to the boat