Downrigger install?

[bigeasy1]

Ditto what big Lew stated.I've run riggers on my last six boats,and they do add a lot of strain to gunnels and decks.
We troll for eight to ten continuous hours for several days in a row,so all my down riggers have been mounted to solid sections of the boat with 1/4" aluminum backing plates.

I currently have four electrics mounted on my 23 Tsunami.I mounted two of them, just forward of the hawse pipes on each side.
I also mounted two on the stern cap,but during the restoration of the boat, I got rid of the baitwells that were original.
I backed up the cap with marine ply,and several layers of 1708,and a couple of roving.

If you run long arms on the riggers,it's best to mount them as close to an area with compound bends in the glass,as it can take the stress of the weight,which is considerable with long booms.
I wouldn't run them on the hatch covers,you'd be better off placing them on the gunnells,with good back up plates.

Here's a couple of pictures of mine,with the first showing just the rigger mounts,(they're Scotty electrics),and the second showing them with the riggers on them,and being used on the water.

PS* Pay no attention to the pigeon,he hitched a ride with us ten miles offshore,and rode all the way back to port with us.

[BigLew]

Just a follow-up word on down riggers in general.

The cannonball weights of 8 to 12 pounds is only a small part of the story. Any significant deck space could handle that. Even with a 10 pound weight plus 6 inch base plus 24 inch rigger boom, the hanging of weight would only generate 80 foot pounds of torque. What really drives the forces up is the resistance of the down rigger line plus fishing line through the water.

One way to think of it is take 100 feet of line with a diameter of one tenth of an inch. Thats one square inch frontal surface area per 10 inches of line or 1.2 inches per foot. Now take a hundred feet of that line and that is almost one square foot. Now push one square foot through water at 3-7 knots. I think you see the point, it's a LOFP. Thats a Lot Of F_____ Pressure.

If you have your weights set at 30 to 100 feet of water, (and maybe more), that is going to generate a lot of resistance to that verticle line being pulled horizontally through the water resulting in hundreds of foot pounds of torque at the outter edge of the mounting base. I'm not sure I would even know how to calculate it, but it is a lot.

Therefore, the mounting bases really need to be mounted on substantial surfaces.

[BigLew]

Hey JOHN123, Nice hitch hiker.

It reminds me a a sticker I had one time for the dashboard of my car as a kid. Attached in front of the front passenger seat it read, "Gas, Grass or ASS! Nobody rides FREE!"

Actually, that gives me an idea for a "notice" on the boat for fishing trips.

[Rlbol]

Thanks for all the input!

I will try and post some pictures of the transom. The boat was originally an I/O. Where the engine cover box was is now flush doors with the floor. The transom has two small doors on each side then two large connecting doors in the middle. I didn't really think about how much pressure is put n the mounting of the down rigger! Definitely will not work on those small doors. I was thinking it would be best to mount them as far back on the boat to not interfier with the rest of the lines in the spread. I may just have to mount just in front of the transom on the gunnels. I have regular cleats just to the sides of the small doors on the transom and rod holders where I believe the hawspipe normally goes on the 23's. once I get in to redoing the boat I would like to replace the cleats and install them with the hawspipe in the gunnel sides like the factory installation. I think that looks much nicer and I prefer the cleaner gunnels!

Is it better to mount the down riggers facing back or to the sides? If I mount them on the gunnels I would imagine they would have to face off to the sides?

[Rlbol]

Here is a picture of the transom. hopefully it will work!

[Rlbol]

I will try again
<a href="http://s692.photobucket.com/albums/vv281/Rlbol/?action=view&current=95054107_6thumb_550x410.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv281/Rlbol/95054107_6thumb_550x410.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[gss036]

Just get the swivel bases and it won't matter and you can move them what ever direction needed. I only use 2 Scotties and have then on the sides.

[BigLew]

It's the same setup as mine.

If I are going to mount down Riggers on mine, I would install a hawes pipe just aft of the rodholder on the gunnel. Then I would glass in underneath three 10" 8/4 x2-3" white oak strips laminated face to face so that the edge grain was facing up under the riggers and through bolt the rigger mounts to those where the cleat is now.

That said, I would also check with someone who I trusted in such matters. Some serious aluminum plate maybe all they'd recommend. My thinking is torn fiberglass is much more expensive and inconvenient to repair than using a little overkill to begin with.

Just my 2 cents.

[Islandtrader]

Here is a picture of the transom. hopefully it will work!

Here you go...