I might be pathetic...

[YodaMage]

So I got the new ride, have ripped out the old VHF, the Lowrance 1000 Global Map, the Lowrance x25, The Humminbird 768. All in the name of upgrades! I have the Humminbird 958 and the Fish Hawk X4D ready to go in as soon as I get a chance to mount on the 3/4" Starboard panels I bought for transducers.

 

Now for pathetic...the boat came with two really nice condition Digitrolls. I left my UniTroll 6's on the old boat and was going to style...but I'm just hung up on the thoughts of losing a day to a rigger malfunction or a bad board that I can't fix on the water. I also have a vision in my head of the rigger doing something dumb (or operator error) and burying a Fish Hawk probe into the bottom never to return. So I just took delivery of two Dual Crank 6's I grabbed on eBay, lol. This dork is determined to run at least one manual and that one to hold the down probe. WHat I need to do is figure out how to put a chute rigger on the boat and run the manual and the probe right down the middle, but I haven't come up with a way to do it yet as the entire transom is wells and boxes with no usable transom to be found. Still need to figure that out if anyone has a Grady and has solved that riddle.

[Sk8man]

The manual downriggers aren't pathetic....very functional. Hopefully a 6ft boom would get you out and away in the chute.

[YodaMage]

I'm running a kicker on the port corner so a 48 is more then enough if I can figure out how to mount it.

[skipjack]

Do you want to sell the 768? I would be interested. You could buy or make a rigger board. Not a bad idea to do, might keep you from going in the drink to boot. I know my board kept me in the boat an a few rough solo trips.

[Rich D]

Need pics to look the transom over for ideas.

Capt Rich

[vogel451]

Pictures please!  Id be glad to try yo come up with ideas to mount your riggers.  Sometimes though small storage boxes just need to be covered.  Downriggers and rod catch fish not storage boxes.

[Sk8man]

Sounds as though a board going across with a hinged section for motor/transom access in it might be an answer

[Rippin'Line]

I personally prefer the probe to the side that in going to run the middle depth rigger in. I use my middle rigger to go below temp in the ice water with a meat rig or big board and fly. Everyone has their own preference tho and in just sharing mine.

[Rippin'Line]

You could also use a swivel base on the manual rigger and put it on one of the corners. The you could swing it towards the middle and with the longer boom you would still clear the motor. Then place your side rigger with a swivel base as well behind it and swing it out to the side. That's how in running mine anyways off a penn yan tournament. This also helps with betting fish as well because as the fish approaches the boat you can swing the middle rigger straight back and out of the way for a larger netting area.

[YodaMage]

I'll get some pics up today, have to get some for the insurance company as anyway.

[YodaMage]

 

 

 

 

[FLXTroutman]

You should remove the rear bimini hardware, and mount track on stanchions.  The track would create an "L" in port and starboard corners.  You would lose the "box" on each rear corner of the stern but could retain the center box.  The "L" would give you room for 2 riggers on starboard side, an out and down and rear rigger.   However with the kicker you may end up with on out an down rigger on port side.  I run 3 that way

[YodaMage]

The hardware for the camper enclosure is going, just haven't gotten to it yet.

[jimski2]

Why do you want a rigger in the middle? With sideplaners and dipseys out there,you should have enough lines out. There are a lot of boats now without downriggers.

[Tim Bromund]

Jim, that may be true for boats fishing for tasty boots (those funny looking yellowish fish that don't fight), but you'd be hard pressed to find many salmon trollers without downriggers.

 

Tim

[YodaMage]

Jim, that may be true for boats fishing for tasty boots (those funny looking yellowish fish that don't fight), but you'd be hard pressed to find many salmon trollers without downriggers.

 

Tim

 

That is a well played response, lol. 

 

I bought this boat from an Erie guy who left me his downrigger 'weights'. I think they are 6's...not sure if I should melt them into one usable weight or just drag them off the side with a dipsy rod    I have some 12lbs fish and some 15lbs keeled balls (old cast with long tail). He ran digitrolls off gimbals but I'd be petrified to run a 15# out 4' plus out of a gimbal. Going to do mount the good old way, with through gunnel with some epoxy fill and a backer plate with fender washers. 

 

I'm don't mind running two copper wide with two wire dipsys spread, but running boards all year round blows IMHO. Not to mention I don't want the mess in becomes in over 2' chop. (I've never seem boards run well in 3 to 5 plus but maybe I'm just a noob). I am a stacker old school, but more then a triple and a free slider is also asking for a mess. So that gets me 10 in the drink which isn't bad, but I'd really like to run a dozen hence my desire to get the third rigger in the mix, as well as the ability to roll back to a 'just rigger' spread and get LOW during the dog days of summer when I like to go 150+ deep looking for sharks. I don't think you can get a diver down much past 80 no matter what you do with it, and copper is pretty close to the same especially at an Ontario trolling speed (over 1.2 mph for the mud fishers )  So while you can get tangled up with a ton of Bows and Coho all day in the top 75 it isn't why I'm there in July and August. 

[LongLine]

Okay, so how about this. Make yourself a “bracket/bar†or both side of the boat. Put a large enough hole in to clear the “hole†gizmo that’s already there. (Guessing it’s for a stantion or gimbal or something)

 

 

Something like this:

 

Make yourself a removeable board, also with clearance hole, that can be screwed down to it. I attach my board to the bracket/bars with thumbscrews. I made thumb screws by putting a wing nut upside-down on ¼x20 slotted screws. You can make a cut out for the bracket you have mounted on the transom. (Guessing for a depth finder) or mount the finder on the board. Mount your riggers anywhere you want to on the board. Beef up the front of the board with a length of square aluminum angle or peg a piece of tapered 2x4 across front of any cut out. Some guys raise their boards up with stantions/gimbals on the ends.

 

Good luck,

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

 

 

 

[YodaMage]

Interesting thought...and the previous owner had a fish finder on the transom but it is already ripped out, just haven't pulled off the bracket yet. I'll be making a pass tomorrow doing final removal or random gear and chasing it with a tube of 5200 in all the holes.

[YodaMage]

So I have a thought and took some measurements, but it might be pushing how far things can go...

 

Here is what I am thinking, two 12" Traxstech tracks mounted as such:

 

 

 

The distance between these points would be just over 60" on center, closer to about 62". They are also off camber to one another by a few degrees as the rear deck is slightly curved. 

 

What i'd like to do is then add a pair of risers and cut down a trolling bar to about 68", covering the double doored transom box but leaving it accessible if I want to slide off the bar. I could use it for storage for access supplies and stuff I really don't need in any kind of hurry (Spare anchor, cleaning supplies, extra fenders, spare rope, spare weights, etc..)

 

Think this would work? Would the 'off camber' transom create any binding or issues? Can you run just over 5 feet of bar supported like this? In theory it would work out and allow the third rigger to be where I'd really like it, right between the outdrive of the main and the swim platform/ladder.

Edited May 17, 2013 by YodaMage

[YodaMage]

So I email Traxstech some questions but still haven't heard back. Today was the fun of pulling out the sander, the dremel and some sanding pads and grinding the heck out of the boat. Nothing structural or interesting, just some dock rash and what looks to be either trailer or anchor abuse on the bow. Worst was a blistered/spidered section on the face of the hard top about a foot long once I found solid glass. After a touch of resin and a bunch of color matching and laying in gel coat it looks like it will clean up perfect. Also pulled all the screws out of the transom, then cut some starboard to match dead rise, marked placement, then sanded down hull paint and filled old holes with 5200 that will now be under the new mounting boards. Looking for a good place to drill some 1/4 holes up above the water line for 4 through bolts, then I'll apply loctite marine and bolt them on. 

 

Some sanding, cleaning, buffing and waxing and this baby will be ready for the transition to mounting and assembly! Hopefully next weekend, I'd like to have it completely re-assembled and re-fit by the 26th. The 27th we're pulling the outdrive to change seals, bellows, oils, etc.. then paint it up and put it back. Want to soak this thing 6/1!

[Sk8man]

If it were me I'd make up a board to go across the back,  and use Cannon pedestal mounts to go down each of the existing internal rod holders and mount the board to them. Use downriggers with telescoping booms. I'd also hinge the board on each side so could get to the back easily if I had to. You could place either a sliding track arrangement on the board for rod holders etc. as well as the downrigger mounts on the board and place them where you want them. The nice thing is that you don't have to modify anything already existing and the whole arrangement just lifts out. I don't have the board but I have drilled only one hole on my boat and that was for the fish finder wires in the dash everything else is removable.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Sk8man

[REELTIME1]

I run a board on the back of my boat

[REELTIME1]

[Sk8man]

I hope you're not after kings with that pink Zebco

[REELTIME1]

Nope that's for the daughter lol 😂