Jump to content

14ft boat set up


Recommended Posts

anyone one on here troll out of 14ft deep v bottom with tiller control? looking for some help as to how to mount downriggers and what downriggers work good for people out of these boats. was thinking of getting short arms and mounting them in the back corners but i see people post pics of downriggers off the sides in these. would this allow you to run dypsy rods aswell? trying to get most comfortable set up possible and be able to run a decent set up efficently. mostly fish finger lakes but would like to be able to venture to ontario on calm days for kings. that being said i would like riggers with good spool capacity. also anyone have any ideas on what rods to buy for this situation at an affordable cost? looking for 2 downrigger rods(dont think they need counters) 2 dypsy rods and a couple cores but is that efficent? have been a seth green fisherman in the past but looking to upgrade to something a little more sporting. thanks for your help. tight lines

Edited by suttontroller94
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would put the riggers on the back so you can get them ez and then put dipsy rod holders in font of you so u can get when sitting down and I would get two more rigger rod so u can run in line Planer boards and you should run your lead core off them so could run two cores so you'll need four rod holders in front of you that you can reach

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a small tiller boat having riggers mounted further up the gunnels makes it easier to get at the rods and work the riggers. Also makes rods accessible if a second person is in boat. Boat's seating layout will dictate where you have to mount gear. If riggers come forward just mount other rod holders further forward.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this was one of my biggest issues cuz i really dont want to have to get up and get over the center bench to reach a rod holder if fiahing solo. kinda dont want to get that far away from tiller even if i do lock it in place however would like if second person can atleast reach diver rods

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know when I was fishing out of my 13 ft Whaler there were times when a large fish would actually pull the boat backwards a bit while fighting and it helped having the rods forward a little so they didn't tangle was helpful while fishing solo. It is a whole different ballgame fishing by yourself and definitely something to be taken into consideration

Link to comment
Share on other sites

suttontroller94 - I had the Sport Model with the steering wheel in the center not at the starboard side like most. I had the mahogany seats that went totally across the width and actually had my 4 ft boom (Rivieras  then Cannon electrics) downriggers mounted to the center one that I sat on  and 15 ft. outriggers mounted to the dash crosspiece. I had so much equipment on it that during ESLO derbies it became a problem as many boats would come up too close to me to take pics :lol:  The real beauty of it was being able to steer with my leg or foot while fighting fish :)

Edited by Sk8man
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i had a 14ft starcraft but with a steering wheel.  I rigged up a tiller motor to use the wheel and it gave the advantage of steering with the tiller while fighting fish if needed.  fishing solo still led to some fun though.  With a boat that small you dont want to reach to far over the side to grab a rod or set a rigger it causes the boat to turn and can be unsafe.  mounting the riggers on the bench seat is a great way to avoid this.  it also puts the torque more center line so it wont pull the boat to the side as much.  for dipseys more options is better you may want one set of holders in back for when fishing along and one set in front for when you have company.  You can rig a holder to the middle of the center bench that goes from the floor to just below the level of the bench and it can be a net holder to make it easy to grab and out of the way or if you put it in securly enough a great place for a homemade planer mast. I am planning on selling my little boat (bought a new to me one) so at some point I will take a bunch of pics there is a lot of homemade rigging on it and its funny i have had similar issues as sk8.  i have had people come up to me at gas stations and ask to take pics i had a guy U-turn on culver and follow me to the bait shop just for a closer look.  I even had a guy who re-furbishes older boats offer to buy it many years ago (where is he now right). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wish i could post pics of boat but its hard on this phone i figured out what to do with riggers thanks to some pics by lil ripper and figured out where i can mount my 4 down eastern rod holders exactly for that reason. 2 for solo 2 for when have company and they will allow me to still fish seth green rigs and serve as rod holers for flat lines when needed. i also mounted some pvc to front sides of front seat for core or coppers on boards or other flatlines as needed thanks everyone for the help will try to figure out how to post pics when boat is finished. and there will be plenty of lakers and hopefully some kings caught out of it this summer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Should you ever hook into a muskie fishing alone, those Down East rod holders will double as a net holder, keeping the net and fish in the water while you unhook it for a healthy release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wish i could post pics of boat but its hard on this phone i figured out what to do with riggers thanks to some pics by lil ripper and figured out where i can mount my 4 down eastern rod holders exactly for that reason. 2 for solo 2 for when have company and they will allow me to still fish seth green rigs and serve as rod holers for flat lines when needed. i also mounted some pvc to front sides of front seat for core or coppers on boards or other flatlines as needed thanks everyone for the help will try to figure out how to post pics when boat is finished. and there will be plenty of lakers and hopefully some kings caught out of it this summer

I run a 16ft. Lund and fish solo often, let go of the wheel for long and your going in circles. I can use my bow mount electic with the foot peddle to controll the boat when setting lines or fighting fish, workes well.Have a good summer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best part of that little Whaler came at the end when I sold it.... I received $300 more than I paid for it after 22 years of use :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Decking out small boats for trolling is a blast.  I used to have a canoe that I ran 4 lines off of, and picked up a 14' wooden drift boat this winter for $500....  Of course I put 5 times that $$ into gearing it up....it's powered by 2 Minn Kota's dropped in on each side of the driver seat...  It's killer on Canadice & Hemlock.

 

 We run a pretty neat 6 rod spread, with copper and lead off boards, divers off the middle set of rods, and 2 riggers off the back...  I have some cool pics of the set-up I just can't figure out how to post...  I think my files are too big.  New to the site!  How do you shrink images into attachments?  Thanks for helping me out...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...