Downrigger Placement on 23SF with Engine Flotation Bracket

[afterhours]

Looking for comments/pictures regarding placement of downriggers on a 23SF. Particularly interested in experience with outboard engine flotation brackets. Primary use will be trolling for salmon.

I have Scotty 1106 electrics with 36"-60" extendable boom and swivel base and will be using heavy weights (15lb+) due to currents. I can mount them forward of the hawse pipes or on the corner of the stern where the bait tank lids used to be. My gunnels and stern cap are overlain with +3/4" solid teak and will be using backing plates so I am not worried about strength issues.

I like the idea putting them over the bait tank area because I can either swivel them over the transom, directly aft, or over the gunnels when not in use. My only concern is how close it places the lines to the motors when turning. I intend to get a prop guard for the kicker.

The kicker steering, tilt and throttle are controlled at the main helm so I am not worried about the downriggers getting in the way of the kicker.

[afterhours]

Here's one with a bracket and radar arch. Downriggers are in front of the hawse pipe. I guess you stand on the swim platform to net the fish. I don't think there are enough rod holders though.

[afterhours]

deja vu?

[natecert]

I used penn swivel down riggers for years on the troll but not for the last ten. Mounted where the stern hatch would be, P&S. On the troll it kept the cable/line away from the motor and transom also very easy to see what was going on with the cable and line.

I looked up your DR and they swivel 360* so the application would be about the same. I too ran them pivoted bow to on the run. When attaching the line would swivel bow to and was easy. The only concern would be if you store items in the stern corners on the troll.

How about having someone hold them in place and get a feel for comfort level?

Ed

[afterhours]

Thanks Ed. I mounted one over the bait tank and will see how it works.

[bigeasy1]

This may not be of help as I run a Tsunami(scepter) so the mounting is a bit different.
I also run 4 Scotty 1160 electrics with 14 lb Shark weights.
I run a T8 Yamaha 4 stroke high thrust kicker off the starbd side. I have two of the riggers mounted at the stern and the other two on the port an stbd sides just a bit fwd. of the hawse pipes.I do worry about getting a rigger cable in the prop of the kicker,but 9 years now and no issues.
I should add that the boat is powered by an I/O.
I'm also a salmon fisherman predominately Chinook and Coho with a lot of Steelhead mixed in.
As for tangles,most are when a king decides he wants to hit a deep spoon and get into the other rigger lines along with the copper and wire lines that we run off the planer boards.Rarely do we get tangles in the rigger or board lines.Our trolling speeds are most commonly around 2 to 3 mph(these speeds are at the down probe)Surface speeds like gps sog can be 1 or more mph faster or slower depending on the currents from the Niagara river

[afterhours]

Thanks Bigeasy1. With my motors on a flotation bracket I wondered if mounting the downriggers over the baitwell places the lines too close to the props but I will see. Having two pairs like you do, you must have preferences when running only a single pair?

Hard to see on your pic, but do you still have the stock rodholder in front of the hawse pipes or did you mount the second pair of downriggers there? I have the original gunnels under the teak and the glass still has the rodholder holes. I was thinking of putting rodholders there again as I would only have to drill through the teak.

[Capt Chuck]

Those Penn Fathom Master Swivel mounted base ones sure worked good on my bracked 23' . Having bolt thru rod holders vs the screw down type gave me the option to place the downrigger in any rod holder .

[bigeasy1]

Originally Posted by VancouverPotter23

Thanks Bigeasy1. With my motors on a flotation bracket I wondered if mounting the downriggers over the baitwell places the lines too close to the props but I will see. Having two pairs like you do, you must have preferences when running only a single pair?

Hard to see on your pic, but do you still have the stock rodholder in front of the hawse pipes or did you mount the second pair of downriggers there? I have the original gunnels under the teak and the glass still has the rodholder holes. I was thinking of putting rodholders there again as I would only have to drill through the teak.

I closed up the holes for the original angled gunnel rod holders.. If you can expand the picture you will see the side riggers are mounted right next to the hawse pipe openings.
These riggers seem to produce the best so if we are only going to run 2 riggers then it will be them.

I smiled when I saw all the rod holders in your boat, but as they say , you can never have enough rod holders.The picture I posted was when I first set the boat up.
As of now I have 24 rod holders between the Arch, gunnels, and riggers.We run a lot of what we call junk rods that consist of- lead core, -dipsy divers on wire, -dipsey divers on braid, -and braided copper in 150' to 300' lengths. New york allows only 3 rods per angler, so with three to four of us on board we are normally running 9 to 12 rods.

[afterhours]

I smiled when I saw all the rod holders in your boat, but as they say , you can never have enough rod holders.The picture I posted was when I first set the boat up.

Sorry Bigeasy1, mine is the yellow seacraft 23 with the teak gunnels which currently has no rod holders. I bought the bare hull in 2016. The boat had originally been customized around 2000 and put up for sale in Florida. It created quite a stir here on the classic seacraft site because they wanted a lot of money. I don't know what it sold for but they were asking US$75,000. Below is a link to the original thread:

http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...hlight=seventy

It was resold in January 2003 for US$53,000:

https://www.yachtworld.com/listing/y...isting_id=1796

It originally had twin 200hp OX66 engines but the guy I bought it off kept the engines which were very low hour. I don't think it got much use. He said it sunk at the dock (scuppers?) and he bought it for salvage. It went up for sale in 2016 and I grabbed it because he was selling it for less than the value of the installed equipment (kplane tabs, twin Stainless bracket, dual Seastar, etc). I knew nothing about Seacraft but was quite excited when I read the reviews on its rough water capabilities. I rigged it with a single 250hp OX66 and a 9.9 yamaha ht and have been working at converting from a "picnic" boat back to a fishing boat. It is a heavy boat. The previous owner said it weighed about 5,500 lbs with engines, gear and fuel.