Trolling Set Up on A Cutwater 26

[Aurora_WA]

Hi All,

I want to set my Cutwater 26 up for some salmon trolling, and I am thinking about installing either a kicker on my Cutwater 26 or installing the Volvo trolling valve on the D3 220 engine. I was wondering:

• 1. Are the trolling valve available? (They aren't an option on the Cutwater 26 website) Does the trolling valve work well? I read on the forum that they aren't good, and I wanted to see if other Tugnutters (or any C26 owners) had better luck. (http://www.tugnuts.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5353&p=38303&hilit=kicker#p38303)
  2. If I get a kicker, where should I install it? I'd rather not cut or modify the swim step, so could I install it on the swim step? I am worried about performance (and safety) issues with putting that much weight so far aft.
  3. Is there a solution which would work better? (i.e. getting the "slow speed" add-on from Volvo or something else I'm not thinking of)

Thanks in advance,
Nick

 

[Bruce Moore]

We're in Ganges and there's an R-27 rigged for fishing. I talked to the owner when he came in late this morning (with a nice spring Chinook). He has open ended conical sea anchors attached with a line to his forward cleats. He tosses them out and runs at idle. The sea anchors slow him down about a knot. Says it works pretty good.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Hydraulicjump]

We spent 40+ hours trolling this month with the (expletive deleted) trolling valve. It is fluky, imprecise, and other unflattering comments. I recommend a kicker mounted on your swimstep, which gives you a nice get home motor if things go south. The hassle is dealing with an additional fuel source. You may want to check out the propane motors as a unique, somewhat safer alternative. Search this site and you will find lots of examples of how to mount it.

But Bruce's recommendation is elegant and simple, although lacking in precision. We will try that out and report back. It's a great idea!

 

[jimschu]

Our tug is a R-29 equipped with the Yanmar and the trolling valve. I sometimes fish alone and prefer fishing for coho which pretty much means you have to troll using downriggers. I manage to slow the tug to nearly dead slow having a rod in one hand and trying to turn the knob to slow down with the other hand.
I finally hooked up a light line to the throttle/gearshift which is placed on the stove top within easy reach and I find this works pretty well. The better option is to always have another person on board to help.
I would like to see an electric motor to control the transmission with a remote control. The trolling valve is somewhat cumbersome to operate but doable.

 

[Tug@myHeart]

Yes the step was a big consideration. But we fish so that was more important than a large swim platform. We installed a 20hp yamaha with lorance auto pilot. We fish in Tahoe for Mac and the wind would not let us be....so the kicker keeps you on path. The trolling valve is a lot of work, constantly correcting. The auto pilot running the 20hp kicker pushes the boat at hull speed at about 75%. 1mph trolling at a idle or just over that, is perfect for our type of mooch trolling with long lead core in 200ft and on the bottom. 4 - 20 lb fish all the time. And a very easy cruz home. The kicker can be used as a rudder while running the diesel engine at hull speed or under.
.
Check out the pic in my album and PM should you have some questions. Reno

 

[ronnieg]

The low speed/trolling valve on the Volvo works really great it actually slows the boat down to 1.5 to 2 knots at idle. The only issue is that Volvo does not have the option for the D3 that we use in the 26 Cutwater. The kicker is an excellent way to go, but really like what Bruce posted with the sea anchors.


Thanks
Ronnie Gonzales
Cutwater Customer Service
ronniegonzales@cutwaterboats.com
425-220-3932

 

[Aurora_WA]

Hi All,

I've been researching my options. I'm definitely interested with the kicker (though the sea anchor is a good low cost alternative), but I have some lingering questions:
If I go with a kicker, has anyone successfully mounted one on the swim step?
Can the swim step "take" the wait of a kicker and the thrust when it is operating?
How many HP do I need for a CW26?
Will the auto-pilot still work with a kicker, or will I be sitting on the swim step steering with the kicker?

Thanks for all the help!
Nick

 

[ronnieg]

Hi Nick,
The swim platform will hold a kicker. We offer a HD trolling Bracket from Bolton P/N BG0027. As for HP to push you at a trolling speed I would not know.
The auto pilot will not work with the kicker, it in not tied into the system.

Ronnie

 

[STELLA L]

NICK, message sent to you about this issue.

Jim
STELLA 25SC

 

[STELLA L]

Since I do a lot of fishing (both fresh and salt waters) from my 25SC Ranger Tug the post here on using sea anchors from the front cleats caught my attention. I installed a trolling valve at the beginning of our trip last year and have now used it for 2 yrs. This year we went to Bella Bella from Seattle and trolled whenever possible. I say trolled "whenever possible" as the trolling valve, to say the least, can be a challenge during winds and currents.

Before installing the trolling valve I tried one sea anchor from the swim platform and that only lowered the speed from 3.8 mph to 3.6 mph so that was not an option. Need to reach lower speeds of 1.5 to 1.7 mph in a lot of instances. I then tried an 8hp Yamaha on a bracket on the swim platform and the speed was there but steering was very limited or the boat "slid" with any wind. Looking back a high thrust prop might have been the solution but at the time I did not realize that. I saw the same boat as mine in Canada using an outboard but there was a lot of customizing to the swim platform and motor in center next to hull. However, I never saw the operator so did not get a report.

I know sea anchors are not sophisticated but, hey, if it works it will be a cheap fix when I cannot use the trolling valve. Will have the ropes dragging the sea anchors with a float and long enough so they do not get in the prop. Boat will be back in the water soon after a thorough cleaning from 3 months up north so will give a full report as to what I find.