Gunwale sturdiness when deploying down rigger ?

[baz]

Subject: Gunwale sturdiness when deploying down rigger ?

I have installed a Scotty down rigger 1106 with a 6" riser so the boom clears the cockpit port side railing. When I deploy the boom that can extend out some 60" I notice the swivel for rotating the boom outwards is very hard to activate without providing some hand lifting on the boom to facilitate this. I also note there's a considerable bending moment at the down rigger's attachment to the gunwale! I'm concerned that the gunwale is possibly not up to this task (the bending moment). My cannon ball is 12 lbs and along with it and the extended down rigger's braided line extending down some 60 feet with the cannon ball at its end there's considerable drag on this combination as the boat moves along and the bending moment force acting on the down rigger's attachment to the gunwale is going to be considerable.

Should I be so concerned ?

 

[jimschu]

Barry,

I have had Scotty downriggers on several different vessels. I usually only extend the boom out about 30"
and typically go as deep as' with a 12lb weight. Never a problem.

You may want to shorten the boom a bit.

Jim

 

[bob daily]

Berry I too was concerned about the strength of the gunwales on my boat, I have a track system with 4" risers, I use cannon downriggers, they come up fast and put a lot of stress on the mounting area.
To eliminate this I use a snubber to ease the shock, I do not extend the boom, only use it in the short position,and use 8 lb balls, if you look at a blowback chart the difference of a 8lb vice a 13lb weight is only about 10 to 15 ft at trolling speed of 2-3 mph, with 160 ft of cable deployed. To compensate I just let out a little extra line when I'm going deep. I just got back from 20 days of fishing with a freezer full of fish, I believe the fish don't care what size balls you have!
Bob

 

[baz]

Yes, my solution that alleviates my concern some is to shorten the boom length. Thanks for the reassurances. 🙂