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rocket launcher arch


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I have access to one and used it alot on my boat, but i priced materials to build my own and I still went with. a GLP deluxe captains pak....

Yup Tony sells them at a good price and my time would make it more expensive to build one than to buy one from Tony.

 

Here is my setup from Great Lakes Planners. It has worked great. One thing I will recommend is to buy a couple extra handles as they do get a little sun rotted and break easily if you are adjusting frequently. Also I put mine up so it is about 6' 1" off the deck (i'm 6') and anyone short has a tough time grabbing rods. I can do it pretty easily but my dad (5' 8") has a tough time. The last picture shows I lowered the bar a good 8" to allow the rod tips to shoot higher in the air.

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My boat is on the left, You can see how I mounted my lights and the uprights. 

IMG950904_zpswegmx4qz.jpg

Edited by Chas0218
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The new larger knobs dont seem to fail, but if they do tony will send you them free no questions asked. My setup is the same except i have the reels on my trees and an 18 inch offset bar so the tow point is far enough in front of my trees that the rods dont interfere and i can reach the tow line with out a hook. My launcher is even higher but im 6' 3".

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The new larger knobs dont seem to fail, but if they do tony will send you them free no questions asked. My setup is the same except i have the reels on my trees and an 18 inch offset bar so the tow point is far enough in front of my trees that the rods dont interfere and i can reach the tow line with out a hook. My launcher is even higher but im 6' 3".

I have my mast mounted further forward to get the planer lines away from my poles. On tighter turns the line does get into the poles (the poles on the trees) for a moment but I try not to turn that fast because of tangles. This is only when I am running 5 rods/side on big boards. I have gotten away with 6 lines/side with big boards but your turns are a good 1/4 mile wide. The rocket launcher setup does let me run a lot more rods. 

 

On slow days walleye fishing I have ran 15 rods 6/side on the planer boards 3 downriggers. The worst is when we get a rookie working the rod and starts to work the fish before it falls behind the boat. Tangle city!

Edited by Chas0218
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I cant have a mast in front as im multi species and hard to cast or fly fish with a mast.

I remove it if I'm not trolling I try to keep it out of the sun so the planer line doesn'T rot on me or throw it in the cuddy.

You have a pontoon right? I could see where it would be a pain with the bimini.

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A pontoon is really the only type of boat that i can fit a mate and 4 guests easily trolling, 15 is my max on lines also, and still not draft a foot so i can fish in real tight and not have customers casting at docks in the dark and i can fish super shallow sand flats. We do casting trips on the bass boat and thats great, but not with customers...as i dont want all my gear getting stepped on, knocked into the water, or have someone fall overboard. I considered a removable mast but its common to troll and cast back and forth fishing tigers. Ill troll from spot to spot or to give a tired caster a break. I have an 8x8 wide open casting area and i can shut the bimini if needed, but I've guided a couple flyfishing tiger trips and its not an issue with it open. It's all about boat position and using the wind to your advantage. Shallow water anchor poles help immensely allowing the caster to pick water apart with the wind at their back without the boat swinging. Im getting a bimini enclosure this year so i dont have to freeze at night...i dont get cold when im fishing but when im guiding i do!

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For you guys that have rod trees. How tall are your trees, and are all the holders off the side at a 45* angle or something different? I'm thinking of putting a set of triples on my boat and am trying to iron out the details.  Would you do anything different if you were to put them on again?

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For you guys that have rod trees. How tall are your trees, and are all the holders off the side at a 45* angle or something different? I'm thinking of putting a set of triples on my boat and am trying to iron out the details.  Would you do anything different if you were to put them on again?

All of mine are at a set angle 55* but Tony does offer different angles. The ones he lists available are 55* (standard on all setups) 45*, 30*, 15*, and 5* (lists as dipsy setup). Tony has the vertical 3 rod holders for $174 and the 4 rod for $204. I had the 4 rod and upgraded to the rocket launcher setup. If you were buying the vertical rod holders I would recommend paying the extra money for a 48" vertical post.

 

http://greatlakesplaners.com/store/products.asp?cat=10&pg=2

 

For the GLP mast, do you cut the crossbar to fit the correct beam of your boat?

Yes cut to fit. You can order longer crossbar if needed, last time I called it was $10/foot.

Edited by Chas0218
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