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Author Topic:   MONTAUK: Adding Lobster Trap Hauling Gear

PMehegan posted 01-12-2009 05:29 PM ET (US)
This senior citizen hauled a half dozen lobster traps by hand in Massachusetts waters in 2008, and I thought I'd pull my arms out of their sockets! It was brutal work. I have new-found appreciation for the oldtimers who hauled by hand. Has a MONTAUK been successfully rigged with power winches of the type used by commercial lobstermen? I understand there is a pricy, battery-powered rig one can use. I heard of one old-timer who jury-rigged rollers from an old washing machine on a gunwale. I need some sort of mechanical advantage for hauling these incredibly heavy pots. I'd also like to find a way to protect my gel coat and side rails which seemed to survive one season of the wooden trap slides being hauled over them. Brutal work but the lobster tastes great! Pete
Casco Bay Outrage posted 01-12-2009 06:12 PM ET (US)
I think I remember someone adding a hauler to their boat. Maybe if you search, you can find it. It might have been for crap pots.
I see many Carolina Skiff, Eastern and similar boats rigged. Shouldn't be too hard. Hamilton Marine sells all the gear (hauler, pulley's etc) if you need a supplier.
swist posted 01-12-2009 07:41 PM ET (US)
I'm a little further "down east" in Maine from CascoBayOutrage, and it's amazing what you see. A 14-year old kid learning the trade on total crap boats rigged with a winch made of discarded car wheels and who knows where the motor came from. A Montauk would be total luxury to some of these people. So yes, it can be done.
But one observation - there are work boats, and there are play boats. It's a tall order to do both on one vessel and keep your gel coat (and the rest of the boat) pristine. If I ever dared wander out among the local lobstermen with my waxed and polished and washed daily Montauk, I'm sure I would be the butt of plenty of jokes ("Hey, you forgot to wear your commodore's jacket...").
DeeVee posted 01-12-2009 10:39 PM ET (US)
My brother in law and I had our boats (his Montauk, my Sakonnet) rigged with pullers for shrimping in the Pacific Northwest.
The pots we built were #4 rebar framed, 2'x2'x12" tall with 7/8" mesh, per WDFW regulations. The pots weighed 25 pounds empty.
We rigged a pulling deck on the bow of our boats by removing the bow rails and clamping a temporary plywood deck. The puller was mounted to the plywood deck. The deck was intended to protect the boats and they worked nicely in that regard.
The deck was only on the boats during shrimp season. Back in the day, when the limits were higher and before gear restrictions were as severe as they are now, we would load our boats with 8 of these pots and head out to our shrimping hole.
Doug
lizard posted 01-13-2009 09:44 AM ET (US)
http://www.redriser.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=3
The link above is for a product called Red Riser, made for your application. I do not know about its use on a Montauk.
andygere posted 01-13-2009 11:47 AM ET (US)
Here's a thread that may provide you with some ideas on pot haulers for small boats. http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/015237.html The toughest think is finding a location on the Montauk with enough strength to handle the load. I would suggest a removable system using a plank fastened across the aft portion of the side rails, using an Ace line hauler or similar unit. Protecting the hull may be more difficult. I have used a material called Hydroturf in paddle surfing applications, and it has very good self adhesive glue on it. A few strips could be put on the side of the boat where the pots get hauled in, and it would protect the hull, but probably not look that great. The stuff can be removed (some heat to loosen the glue, then acetone to remove the glue residue). Hydroturf is very tough, and can be purchased in flat sheets with various textures. Look at the website and check out the discounted stuff near the bottom of the page.
http://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets%20of%20Hydro-Turf& man=Hydro-Turf
An alternative would be to build a wood grating that could be hung over the side and clamped temporarily in place when lobstering. You might consider some ways to clamp such a device to the side rails or rail stanchions to keep it in place when lobstering. I've considered such a system for my Outrage for hauling wire crab pots, but haven't worked out the details.
If any of these ideas work, I'll be in Eastham in late August, and I'll tell you where to drop off the bugs:)
PMehegan posted 01-20-2009 05:03 PM ET (US)
Thanks to all. I'll never pass for a "real" lobsterman, nor will I try. But the ten trap non-commercial license Massachusetts offers lets us wannabees get a feel for the lifestyle while sampling fresh lobster. In these parts, it isn't that unusual to see a recreational boat doing double duty. Ive found the commercial guys ( many of whom I went to school with) to be friendly, as long as one doesn't plunk a trap right on top of their gear. Thanks for the outfitting tips, friends! Pete
kwik_wurk posted 01-20-2009 06:04 PM ET (US)
Yes I have seen something but it wasn't on a Montauk. It shocked me at first, but it worked. (And I am not sure how.)
It was for crab pots, I don't know how heavy a lobster pot is.
It was a used manual downrigger, Cannon to be exact. It was mounted on a swivel base, and it was cut open to expose part of the barrel.
The boom arm was sawed short to reduce the lever arm. A standard open block was hooked to the end of the boom arm.
The guy would somehow passed the line through the barrel on the downrigger and got 2-4 raps on. (This is the part that confuses me.) I think he actually cut the base open somehow to pass a line thru, and then would disconnect the buoy from the line.
He would then crank away. He go pretty go speed, on the think, and it didn't look like it flexed.
But I was a good ways off and was more worried about catching fish. And I was staring at the downrigger trying to figure out how to get a line around the barrel without bungling up the buoy.
However, I have my downriggers mounted with a L-bracket at the fist "T" on the aft port/stbd rails. I use three rail clamps to hold onto the railing (in the shape of a "T". I hang 12lb cannon balls, with the boom arm extended quite a bit. Sometimes I see a little flex when I get piles of seaweed, but I re-bedded the screws, so I am not worried they will pull out anytime soon.
I would get an Ace line hauler, and clamp something onto the hand rails that extends down to the gunnels for extra bracing.
capedave posted 01-21-2009 09:02 AM ET (US)
So far no one has said KUDDOS to you for even being out in that weather..... I hand pull a ten pot string and I gave it up a couple of months ago. I hand formed a plastic sheet to protect the stainless rail and the side of my boat. The other was a stick with a dowel out the top that I install in the RPS rod holder that holds the pot when working it..... Dave
Chuck Tribolet posted 01-22-2009 07:46 PM ET (US)
How about a rubber mat over the side to protect the gel coat?
Some of the Monterey divers do that on their inflatables.
Andy: how many coats of varnish would you put on that wood
grate? Teak or mahogany? ;-)

Chuck
Ernieo posted 01-24-2009 01:34 PM ET (US)
Peter:
In the 90's, my Dad and I had a 16'7" Supersport that we used for hauling 10 traps in Boston Harbor.
Some of my Dad's "secrets":
- Remove the railing on the side you haul on.
- Get a 6" diameter x 6' long PVC pipe, split it and cap
the gunwale with it (we screwed it into small fiberglass-
added areas on top of the gunwale) - the pot rope
slides pretty smoothly over the PVC and we usually
hit the PVC pipe with the traps rather that the side of
the Whaler.
- Retire the wooden traps (use for decoration) go with wire
traps and remove the brick weights and/or add half-bricks
to reduce the weight (Unless you are fishing in heavy
currents we found all the heavy brickswere not needed).
- Use a tarp or rubber roll-roofing or mats for covering
the inside of the Whaler when you are hauling.
When we started fishing 20 traps we sold the Whaler and bought a 20' Privateer Cuddy cabin with an electric winch/hauler mounted on a pole bolted through the deck and into a stringer in the hull. We didn't think having an electric hauler was do-able on the 16'7" Whaler.
I "retired" from lobstering 4 years ago, sold the Privateer
to a gentleman from Houghs Neck, and bought a 16'7" Montauk.
If I decide to "un-retire" I'm planning on doing it again with the Montauk and limit myself to 10 traps and no winch/hauler. Sometimes it is tough hauling by hand but it's just simple.
(That's my Boston Harbor Chronicle)
DYC/Ernie


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Author	Topic: MONTAUK: Adding Lobster Trap Hauling Gear
PMehegan	posted 01-12-2009 05:29 PM ET (US) This senior citizen hauled a half dozen lobster traps by hand in Massachusetts waters in 2008, and I thought I'd pull my arms out of their sockets! It was brutal work. I have new-found appreciation for the oldtimers who hauled by hand. Has a MONTAUK been successfully rigged with power winches of the type used by commercial lobstermen? I understand there is a pricy, battery-powered rig one can use. I heard of one old-timer who jury-rigged rollers from an old washing machine on a gunwale. I need some sort of mechanical advantage for hauling these incredibly heavy pots. I'd also like to find a way to protect my gel coat and side rails which seemed to survive one season of the wooden trap slides being hauled over them. Brutal work but the lobster tastes great! Pete
Casco Bay Outrage	posted 01-12-2009 06:12 PM ET (US) I think I remember someone adding a hauler to their boat. Maybe if you search, you can find it. It might have been for crap pots. I see many Carolina Skiff, Eastern and similar boats rigged. Shouldn't be too hard. Hamilton Marine sells all the gear (hauler, pulley's etc) if you need a supplier.
swist	posted 01-12-2009 07:41 PM ET (US) I'm a little further "down east" in Maine from CascoBayOutrage, and it's amazing what you see. A 14-year old kid learning the trade on total crap boats rigged with a winch made of discarded car wheels and who knows where the motor came from. A Montauk would be total luxury to some of these people. So yes, it can be done. But one observation - there are work boats, and there are play boats. It's a tall order to do both on one vessel and keep your gel coat (and the rest of the boat) pristine. If I ever dared wander out among the local lobstermen with my waxed and polished and washed daily Montauk, I'm sure I would be the butt of plenty of jokes ("Hey, you forgot to wear your commodore's jacket...").
DeeVee	posted 01-12-2009 10:39 PM ET (US) My brother in law and I had our boats (his Montauk, my Sakonnet) rigged with pullers for shrimping in the Pacific Northwest. The pots we built were #4 rebar framed, 2'x2'x12" tall with 7/8" mesh, per WDFW regulations. The pots weighed 25 pounds empty. We rigged a pulling deck on the bow of our boats by removing the bow rails and clamping a temporary plywood deck. The puller was mounted to the plywood deck. The deck was intended to protect the boats and they worked nicely in that regard. The deck was only on the boats during shrimp season. Back in the day, when the limits were higher and before gear restrictions were as severe as they are now, we would load our boats with 8 of these pots and head out to our shrimping hole. Doug
lizard	posted 01-13-2009 09:44 AM ET (US) http://www.redriser.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=3 The link above is for a product called Red Riser, made for your application. I do not know about its use on a Montauk.
andygere	posted 01-13-2009 11:47 AM ET (US) Here's a thread that may provide you with some ideas on pot haulers for small boats. http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/015237.html The toughest think is finding a location on the Montauk with enough strength to handle the load. I would suggest a removable system using a plank fastened across the aft portion of the side rails, using an Ace line hauler or similar unit. Protecting the hull may be more difficult. I have used a material called Hydroturf in paddle surfing applications, and it has very good self adhesive glue on it. A few strips could be put on the side of the boat where the pots get hauled in, and it would protect the hull, but probably not look that great. The stuff can be removed (some heat to loosen the glue, then acetone to remove the glue residue). Hydroturf is very tough, and can be purchased in flat sheets with various textures. Look at the website and check out the discounted stuff near the bottom of the page. http://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets%20of%20Hydro-Turf& man=Hydro-Turf An alternative would be to build a wood grating that could be hung over the side and clamped temporarily in place when lobstering. You might consider some ways to clamp such a device to the side rails or rail stanchions to keep it in place when lobstering. I've considered such a system for my Outrage for hauling wire crab pots, but haven't worked out the details. If any of these ideas work, I'll be in Eastham in late August, and I'll tell you where to drop off the bugs:)
PMehegan	posted 01-20-2009 05:03 PM ET (US) Thanks to all. I'll never pass for a "real" lobsterman, nor will I try. But the ten trap non-commercial license Massachusetts offers lets us wannabees get a feel for the lifestyle while sampling fresh lobster. In these parts, it isn't that unusual to see a recreational boat doing double duty. Ive found the commercial guys ( many of whom I went to school with) to be friendly, as long as one doesn't plunk a trap right on top of their gear. Thanks for the outfitting tips, friends! Pete
kwik_wurk	posted 01-20-2009 06:04 PM ET (US) Yes I have seen something but it wasn't on a Montauk. It shocked me at first, but it worked. (And I am not sure how.) It was for crab pots, I don't know how heavy a lobster pot is. It was a used manual downrigger, Cannon to be exact. It was mounted on a swivel base, and it was cut open to expose part of the barrel. The boom arm was sawed short to reduce the lever arm. A standard open block was hooked to the end of the boom arm. The guy would somehow passed the line through the barrel on the downrigger and got 2-4 raps on. (This is the part that confuses me.) I think he actually cut the base open somehow to pass a line thru, and then would disconnect the buoy from the line. He would then crank away. He go pretty go speed, on the think, and it didn't look like it flexed. But I was a good ways off and was more worried about catching fish. And I was staring at the downrigger trying to figure out how to get a line around the barrel without bungling up the buoy. However, I have my downriggers mounted with a L-bracket at the fist "T" on the aft port/stbd rails. I use three rail clamps to hold onto the railing (in the shape of a "T". I hang 12lb cannon balls, with the boom arm extended quite a bit. Sometimes I see a little flex when I get piles of seaweed, but I re-bedded the screws, so I am not worried they will pull out anytime soon. I would get an Ace line hauler, and clamp something onto the hand rails that extends down to the gunnels for extra bracing.
capedave	posted 01-21-2009 09:02 AM ET (US) So far no one has said KUDDOS to you for even being out in that weather..... I hand pull a ten pot string and I gave it up a couple of months ago. I hand formed a plastic sheet to protect the stainless rail and the side of my boat. The other was a stick with a dowel out the top that I install in the RPS rod holder that holds the pot when working it..... Dave
Chuck Tribolet	posted 01-22-2009 07:46 PM ET (US) How about a rubber mat over the side to protect the gel coat? Some of the Monterey divers do that on their inflatables. Andy: how many coats of varnish would you put on that wood grate? Teak or mahogany? ;-) Chuck
Ernieo	posted 01-24-2009 01:34 PM ET (US) Peter: In the 90's, my Dad and I had a 16'7" Supersport that we used for hauling 10 traps in Boston Harbor. Some of my Dad's "secrets": - Remove the railing on the side you haul on. - Get a 6" diameter x 6' long PVC pipe, split it and cap the gunwale with it (we screwed it into small fiberglass- added areas on top of the gunwale) - the pot rope slides pretty smoothly over the PVC and we usually hit the PVC pipe with the traps rather that the side of the Whaler. - Retire the wooden traps (use for decoration) go with wire traps and remove the brick weights and/or add half-bricks to reduce the weight (Unless you are fishing in heavy currents we found all the heavy brickswere not needed). - Use a tarp or rubber roll-roofing or mats for covering the inside of the Whaler when you are hauling. When we started fishing 20 traps we sold the Whaler and bought a 20' Privateer Cuddy cabin with an electric winch/hauler mounted on a pole bolted through the deck and into a stringer in the hull. We didn't think having an electric hauler was do-able on the 16'7" Whaler. I "retired" from lobstering 4 years ago, sold the Privateer to a gentleman from Houghs Neck, and bought a 16'7" Montauk. If I decide to "un-retire" I'm planning on doing it again with the Montauk and limit myself to 10 traps and no winch/hauler. Sometimes it is tough hauling by hand but it's just simple. (That's my Boston Harbor Chronicle) DYC/Ernie