Outrigger placement help

[bigeasy1]

I'd eventually like to put some outriggers on my 23 Tsunami,but am not sure of the best mounting location for them.
I only troll for Salmon on the great Lakes,and mostly run planer boards to get the lines out from the boat,however,when it's rough the boards don't perform the way they should,and can actually flip over and act like a diving planer,(not good at all).

From the pictures I've attached,can any of you saltwater guys tell me where the best place to mount them would be.I would like to mount them off the radar arch,but don't know if that would be feasible.
The aluminum mounting plates are (I think)1/8" channel,and are very strong,but not sure if they are sturdy enough.
I also though about the gunwales,but my canvas comes down just past the end of the window.
I run four downriggers and usually one wire rod off each side.

What length riggers would be the best?I was thinking of maybe 18 footers,or even 20's
Also are there any affordable good quality ones on the market?,or would I be better off buying used?
Any info would be appreciated.Thanks guys

THE ARCH BEFORE INSTALL SHOWING THE MOUNTING AREAS.

[Ryank]

I thought most or all Salmon trolling was down deep? I dont really know much about salmon fishing other then I like to eat them raw with sticky rice and Wasabi
Looking at your set up I would think either on the two flat bridges running fore and aft on the radar arch the only issue is you would have to climb up on something to access them unless they came thru as the more expensive outrigger mounts do. with 1/8" plates you may need a welder to reinforce it just a little. A better spot is where the window ends on your gunwale (both cheaper and easier to use) , looks like you have a rod holders there already. I would mount them there personaly and run 15 OR 16'. I have 16' on mine and think anything longer would be a PIA

[Rainmaker]

I agree....

Normally I would say the radar arch is the place because it does not create anything extra to fish around but with the way your boat is set up I do not think you are running from the stern to the bow much when fighting fish. The Gunwale mouts should work well for you. One thing to keep in mind is that you can push them furter forward and run the line back to where you can reach it if you need to. I assume you only need to spin them out once and back in once a trip.

Good luck.

[bigeasy1]

Thanks guys.

I was leaning more to the Gunwales,but thought they would be out of the way on the tower.As it is now,I have to stand on my toes to get a rod out of the rocket launcher.I have a little plastic 8" high folding stool for that purpose.How much reinforcement would be required on a gunwale mount?

Salmon on lake Ontario, are all over the place depending on what time of year it is,and what the water temps are.We fish them off the down riggers,off wire diver rods,and off the planer boards.
In the summer,Steelhead fishing is usually hot ten or fifteen miles off shore,and that's where high lines do their damage.
We run our lead core and copper lines off the planer boards all year round,and those lines will be anywhere from 20 to 60 feet down.
We use the boards to get the spread away from the boat,and that's what what we want the outriggers for.I figure I can run the leadcore and copper rods off them when it's a bit to rough for the boards.

If anyone is interested,Here's a real time live action camera of the Oswego harbor lighthouse(in the background)They are calling for 19 footers tonight and tomorrow.
It was flat when I looked at it this morning,and now they are starting to come over the wall.

http://lighthouse.selfip.org:81/Jview.htm

[Rainmaker]

The reinforcement depends on what you are using for poles. I ran with 12'-14' perko cheep riggers for a long time mounted on the Gunwale with little backplating with no issue. The riggers worked well but did break after a year or 2 in the bumpy seas. They were cheep enough that replacement cost was not an issue. I actually used to find them at garage sales and buy them when I saw them so I always had a couple extras. I think the last time I had through bolted the mounts and used a large washer behind the nuts relying on the wood in the gunwale for support... I would not recomend that but it did work. I would think a piece of angle or some other metal would work well for a back plate. It should not take much more than your rod holders.

If you go with longer and heavyier riggers you may need to use a thicker piece.

If you go on the arch you can still run the line from the rigger to a lower point, you do not need to get to the pole very often so you would not need your step as often as you think. I have my riggers mounted on my T-Top and have a fancy Top-Gun mount with a handle inside to turn them out. I attach the line down on the pole that holds up the top so I can reach it easily. This keeps the gunwales clear so that I can fight a fish past the rigger without having to go around the line. I fish a center console so getting to the bow is a feature I use.

[jongolds]

The ones I removed from my Tsunami were on the gunnels, just astern of where that fiberglass wraparound that the windshield sits on comes flush with the top. They're available if you're interested and could stop by to get them. Unfortunately shipping them is prohibitively expensive. You'd probably need to get new rigging for them too. You can kind of see them here from when I tried to sell them a few weeks ago. Like I said, the shipping cost scared off any one who would have been interested. If you're coming down through SW CT and want them, let me know.

http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...b=4&o=&fpart=1

[strick]

too bad you could not have a bracket made that mounts to that horizontal pipe on the middle of the tower on the side view. Maybe there is a clamp on attachment (rod holder type) that you could use in your fabrication. Then they will be out of the way up there. Just thinking out loud

strick

[Wags23]

I have the taco mounts you weld on for the grandslams but you might not have the clearance with the bimini.

[htillman]

Try to get the placement of the tips of the outriggers vertically slightly passed the transom of the boat. Notice the placement on many sportfishers of the tips of the outriggers and then the spread of the tips when they are in use.

[bigeasy1]

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys.
I'll have to do a little brainstorming on the options everyone mentioned.My buddy is a good aluminum welder,so maybe we can get something rigged up that will work well off the arch.
If not,I can move the two rod holder brackets back a bit,and mount the outriggers ahead of them.