MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
nhungbirdy
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Re:MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby nhungbirdy » Sun May 19, 2019 1:41 am

What is the best way to mount Scotty downrigger on a MONTAUK?

Any idea?

Pictures would be great. Thanks.

jimh
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Re:MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Sun May 19, 2019 7:25 am

For ideas, read all the threads linked from this search.

For images, see all the images linked from this search:

jimh
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Re: Need Clarification on Criteria for "Best"

Postby jimh » Sun May 19, 2019 7:31 am

Will the Scotty Downriggers be manual or electric?

In the criterion "best" please identify which factor of the installation is most important:

  • cost
  • ease
  • location
  • permanence

Also, how many downriggers will be mounted?

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Sun May 19, 2019 7:46 am

A possible method to install downriggers is by mounting them to a wooden plank. The plank is slightly longer than the beam of the boat, and several inches wider than the mounting base of the downriggers. The plank is installed athwartship on the MONTAUK near the stern, possibly using existing rod holders in the boat's gunwales as a means of temporarily but sturdily fixing the plank to the hull. The downriggers bases are mounted to the plank. If the plank is installed near the stern, as many as four downriggers could be mounted, two with the rigger arms extended outward, one to Port and one to Starboard, and two with the rigger arms extended aft, over the transom.

rtk
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby rtk » Mon May 20, 2019 10:08 am

downrigger plank 1.jpg
Fig. 1. Plank for mounting downriggers.
downrigger plank 1.jpg (66.4 KiB) Viewed 15673 times


I did just as Jim recommends to accommodate downriggers on my 1966 16. The plank was attached to the side rails with U-bolts.

I limited the length of the plank to the beam of the boat. I found on earlier "prototypes" that if the plank exceeds the beam of the boat it can get hung up on docks. It is a very good thought to make the plank as wide as possible to spread the downriggers as far apart as possible for fishing purposes but it did cause me some problems.

A center rigger would round the spread off nicely- put six foot booms on the riggers and you have yourself a nice spread.

A liked the plank for normal old fishing too- it was nice to have it there for a handhold when doing any sort of fishing. Similar function as a rear rail.

Rich

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Mon May 20, 2019 1:11 pm

RICH--thanks for posting that nice image of your set-up for rod holders and down riggers on a plank. I was browsing through my collection of boat images (about 16,000 images) looking for something to illustrate that. Your image is just perfect.

Here is another approach to adding some fishing gear to the aft cockpit of a classic Boston Whaler; perhaps PAU HANA's set-up will give the OP some ideas; if nothing else, it gives the OP a picture.

pauHana.jpg
Fig. 2. Added fittings at aft cockpit of this classic OUTRAGE 20, PAU HANA, create rod holders, working space, mountings for down riggers, and a small table. Seen here in CRUISING mode, not fishing mode. very avid angler Kathy enjoys some morning coffee heated on the camp stove that is mounted on the bait preparation table.
pauHana.jpg (58.76 KiB) Viewed 15663 times

rtk
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby rtk » Thu May 23, 2019 7:22 am

Jim that is a really nice job on PAU HANA. Looks like it was done by a professional or the owner has excellent fabrication skills.

I am in my 50's and constantly bending down to the rail or down to the deck for gear etc. results in a sore lower back at the end of a fishing day. Having things elevated to waist/chest high for access and use makes a big difference for me.

Plus it is just plain fun to make stuff like this.

Rich

PeterO
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby PeterO » Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:21 am

One of the local Boston Whaler dealers has custom brackets fabricated for mounting down riggers on Montauk rails. I'm having similar brackets fabricated for my 21' Guardian, except the base will be an inverted, rubber-lined U-shape so it rests on the gunwales without having to drill holes through the sealed hull.
Peter O.
Down Rigger Mounts - Photo 1.jpeg
Fig. 3.
Down Rigger Mounts - Photo 1.jpeg (23.59 KiB) Viewed 14841 times

Down Rigger Mounts - Photo 2.jpeg
Fig. 4.
Down Rigger Mounts - Photo 2.jpeg (26.26 KiB) Viewed 14841 times

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:15 pm

PETER--that Boston Whaler dealer on Quadra Island is doing some nice work as you show above.

ASIDE: I visited your area in c.2003. It is great place for boating and fishing.

PeterO
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby PeterO » Fri Jun 07, 2019 1:41 pm

To clarify, the photos (in Figures 3 and 4) were of mounts custom fabricated for M&P Mercury Sales Ltd in Burnaby, BC. which they offer as part of their down rigger installations for boats they sell and service. I don't think they would sell them separately, but most welding shops could make up similar mounts.

Peter O.

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Tue Jun 11, 2019 8:18 am

Although the originator of this discussion has not made any comments about the several ideas presented nor replied to the several follow-up questions asked of him, I am very impressed with the several methods illustrated here for creating down rigger mounting bases. Thanks to all for your ideas and participation in this discussion

Hoosier
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby Hoosier » Sun Jun 30, 2019 2:52 pm

For Rich
Re: Pau Hana.

The outrigger assembly was professionally done by the previous owner. When I re-powered with the Suzuki DF-115 in 2004 I had to raise it since the Suzuki tilts up almost horizontal. It has eight vertical rod holders and room for four down riggers, but I can only deal with two.

Another approach to mounting a down rigger base on a railing is illustrated below:

RailMountBase.jpg
Fig. 5. Another home-made down-rigger mounting base for attachment to railings.
RailMountBase.jpg (59.79 KiB) Viewed 12917 times
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Thu Jul 04, 2019 8:10 am

DAVE--I like the construction of that home-made rail-mount for a down rigger base. I think those brass fittings must be fairly standard pipe fittings. They look like the supports used to hold the railings on early Boston Whaler boats.

rtk
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby rtk » Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:21 pm

Dave- thank you for the follow up. I also like the homemade simple mount that you just posted. It is a nice clean fabrication also.

I also stick to two downriggers- it is a new type of fishing methodology for me and I only have a pair of very small and simple Walker manual crank downriggers. I could not imagine cranking in more than two of those all day when fishing 60 to 90 feet of depth. It's quite the workout!

Rich

Hoosier
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby Hoosier » Mon Jul 08, 2019 6:58 pm

That homemade mount was on our 1986 Montauk, the boat we had before we got the 1978 Outrage V-20. We had one on each side with manual Cannon Easy Troll downriggers. We fish as deep as 60' in Detour Passage at the top of Lake Huron and cranking more than two of them would be too much. Jim is correct, all the hardware came from the local HW store, three pipe clamps, three short carriage bolts, a couple of nuts (including me), and some scrap 3/4" plywood. The wooden braces are important because the downrigger, when deployed, puts a lot of torque on the mount and it'll bend down without the braces.
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

kwik_wurk
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby kwik_wurk » Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:22 pm

The best option I have found, aluminum anodized L-beam that has three clamps for the railing T. (I don't have an engineering drawing to give you the hole pattern, but this has worked perfectly.)

The only modification to the boat was re-do the screw holes for the railing, making oversized and filling them with chopped glass filler.

Here's an angled view:

Downrigger bracket.jpg
Fig. 6.
Downrigger bracket.jpg (89.35 KiB) Viewed 12698 times

jimh
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Re: MONTAUK with Scotty Down Rigger Rail Mounted: Need Pictures, Need Ideas

Postby jimh » Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:52 am

The three plastic rail clamps (seen in illustration Figure 6 above) look like stock items. They may be these removable plastic rail clamps made by Seadog:

http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/3604-remo ... unt-clamps

Each clamp is about $13. Season sells them in pairs. Years ago I used two of them to fasten an antenna mount to a stern rail. They are handy items.

That large aluminum angle stock is going to be expensive to buy and perhaps difficult to source.

The fasteners for the original rail base are into wood reinforced backing. Using a wood filler or a bung or plug cut with a special plug-cutter saw might provide better purchase than just an enlarge hole filled with chopped fiberglass material.

Loose rail bases are also restored by using epoxy resin and a high-density filler. Epoxy will be a strong adhesive and make a better bond to cured polyester resin and wood than a newly applied polyester resin.