Scotty Depthmaster on Hobie Outback - Install Complete

What's up NWKA?

Just wanted to post up some pics of my completed downrigger install. Just finished it today, so no water time yet. But I think it's gonna work great.

It's right there in easy reach. Crank is in a comfortable position. All that good stuff.

It's basically two 8" strips of Yakattack Gear Track GT90, and a mounting plate made from 3/8" Starboard, Yakattack Mighty Bolts, stainless wing nuts and washers. The Scotty base is mounted to the Starboard using stainless steel Tee nuts and the 10-32 threaded screws that came with the DR (cut down to proper length with a hack saw). The Tee nuts are recessed into the Starboard to keep a nice flat surface.

The whole baseplate just slides into the Gear Track and hand tightens with the wing nuts. It feels VERY solid. Zero play, and the load is spread over a nice wide area. I'm looking for something less snaggy to replace the wing nuts.

Can't wait to try it out!!!

Anyway, here are some pics:

Looks like an excellent downrigger setup!  I like the extender you made for your "rudder up" cable.  If you want something less snaggy to replace the thumb screws, go to your local hardware store and look for plastic hand nuts, which are knurled plastic knobs which contain a metal nut.  It may be hard to find plastic hand nuts small enough to fit in the space available on the  base of your downrigger.  If you can't find plastic hand nuts which are small enough, look for solid metal knurled nuts, which are typically smaller. 

It's nice to have someplace to set or hang your downrigger weight so it doesn't swing around at the end of its cable.  Does your downrigger weight fit securely in or on the top of the cup holder?  If the mounting plate for the downrigger keeps the weight from sitting on top of the cup holder, you could cut a semi-circular indentation in the stern side of the mounting plate so your weight can sit on top of the cup holder.

Thanks, Pete!

I'm thinking I'll add a hook near the base of the boom for hanging the DR ball.

And I think something like these knobs will do nicely:

http://redmancbparts.com/4-black-wing-nut-knobs-14-20-thread-plastic-electronic-project-box-enclosure/

Plenty of options there. I just happened to have those wing nuts on hand. I'll probably end up sawing the bolts down a little shorter, too.

For anyone who might dig this up later, just thought I'd follow up with my solution for a compact, less "snaggy" thumb nut to replace the wing nuts.

It's a stainless steel "coupling nut" (hardware store) with a rubber vacuum cap (auto parts store) stretched over it. Makes for a nice compact fastner, but the rubber is plenty grippy to tighten by hand.

A couple of additions you could make to your downrigger setup:

1. The white tab which locks the downrigger into its base can be difficult to pull out to release the downrigger.  Loop eight inches of cord through the hole in the tab and tie and overhand knot in the cord.  This will give you something to grab when you want to pull the tab out.

2.  The downrigger will interfere with paddling.  If you only need to paddle twenty feet into shore after pulling up your Mirage Drive, you can leave the downrigger in its base and limp into shore.  But if you need to paddle further or in more interesting circumstances, such as a surf launch or landing, you'll want to pull the downrigger out of its base.  When you do that, you shouldn't leave it lying loose in your kayak.  I suggest that you attach a length of cord with a dog clip on it to the downrigger, so you can clip the downrigger to your kayak when it isn't in its base.

That is a one sweet and clean looking setup. 

I definitely plan to take the DR off the base and stash it in a hatch for surf launches and landings. Most of the spots I launch have at least a little shore break, so easy-on/easy-off was definitely a consideration. It'll also be leashed to the boat while its mounted, just like everything else that's expensive or important.

The loop of cord on the white pull is a good idea. Mine seems easy enough to pull, but I could see it being tougher with tired, cold hands.

I finally had a chance to try out this DR setup at a local lake. It worked flawlessly. Couldn't be happier with it. The side pull wasn't even noticeable on my Hobie. The drag/resistance was noticeable, but that was expected.

It's a little tricky to feather out line with the Depthmaster, but it got easier with practice.

Nice Work!

It's a little tricky to feather out line with the Depthmaster, but it got easier with practice.

With my Depthmaster downrigger, the brake was an all-or-nothing deal, so to control the speed at which the weight descended, I needed to hold my thumb against the inside of the cable reel.  To reduce the abrasion on my thumb, I was going to screw a strip of rubber or a piece of plastic hose to the brake handle so I could push on it rather than on the inside of the cable reel.  But I made a base for a Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger, and liked that downrigger better, so I quit using the Depthmaster,

It really wasn't bad on mine. In the beginning it seemed like all or nothing, but I figured out my technique. Keeping my hand/wrist planted against the hull allowed me enough stability and precision to control the drop speed. Now I can drop the ball at a smooth, controlled speed without too much effort.