(Yet another) downrigger mount option for an Outback

Several of you have asked to see pictures and a description of how I mounted my downrigger in my Outback...I'm happy to oblige...

pmmpete's original Revo design inspired me to use my Outback's cupholder to mount my Scotty 1050. I've been using it quite often for Kokanee and am thrilled with the results...Rock solid, accessible, easy to operate, doesn't take up much room, installs and removes in seconds.

I used two small scrap pieces of fir 2x4. The first I rough cut into a circle that was just slightly larger than the top part of the cup holder (it's tapered slightly). Then using my bench sander, I slowly worked in the taper until it was a nice tight (slight interference) fit. I had my boat right next to me so it was easy to mark/sand/mark/repeat.

Next, using the same technique I cut a slightly longer piece to fit the "tray"...once I had both pieces shaped the way I wanted them I joined them together (while installed) using some gorilla glue and a stainless steel wood screw.

It just so happens that the two aft mount holes for the scotty 1050 mount base align and center perfectly with the two small "Humps" just forward of your rudder handle...like it was made for it. I drilled two small holes and made a "nutplate" from a large stainless fender washer with a nut welded on top of it. Over the top of the nut I "gorilla glued" on a vinyl "vacuum nipple cap" to make the nutplate water proof when the mount is not installed. To mount the nutplate inside the boat, scored the surface with coarse sandpaper and used an Aircraft grade sealant (PRC Desoto 1750 B/2) we use it to mount nutplates and standoffs onto aircraft structure...works awesome, even in jet engine bays, so I figure it would be OK in my Kayak 

I generously applied a couple coats of marine varnish to the wood, and attached the mounting base to the wood using two stainless wood screws and used a couple "Thumb screws" that I had lying around to secure the aft portion of the base to the Kayak.

The downrigger itself needed some mods as well, I shortened the boom significantly and disassembled and rotated the brake assembly around so it wouldn't be in my way. I replaced the stainless cable with some 100 lb PowerPro braid.
 

   

 

Excellent.  Thanks for the detailed write up.  Now i just got to get some nut plates...oh and maybe a downrigger

Nangusdog:  Very nice downrigger mount!  I have a couple of questions and a comment:

1. What is the pinkish white stuff between the two blocks of wood?

2.  Can you post a picture of the vinyl vacuum nipple cap which you used to seal the back of your nut plates?

3.  You could reduce the friction and abrasion on your PowerPro braid by making a pulley assembly which mounts on top of the middle of your downrigger boom to direct the braid from the cable reel to the pulley on the end of the boom.

It would be nice if kayak manufacturers would (a) make kayaks with platforms on their gunwales on which various models of downrigger could be installed, with a gear track or cast-in nuts which can be used to hold the base of the downrigger in place, and/or (b) manufacture downrigger bases like your downrigger base which can be used to mount downriggers on their brand of kayaks.

I have a couple of questions and a comment:

1. What is the pinkish white stuff between the two blocks of wood?

2.  Can you post a picture of the vinyl vacuum nipple cap which you used to seal the back of your nut plates?

3.  You could reduce the friction and abrasion on your PowerPro braid by making a pulley assembly which mounts on top of the middle of your downrigger boom to direct the braid from the cable reel to the pulley on the end of the boom.

Thanks Peter. That's just some bondo that I applied to fair it all in and smooth out the contour. the marine varnish was applied over the top.

I thought about a pulley but that fairlead is super smooth and there's hardly any radius at all over it...I haven't seen any indication of wear on either surface after about 6 months of use...And I use it a lot!

I'll post a picture of the vacuum cap when I get back home

Can you post a picture of the vinyl vacuum nipple cap which you used to seal the back of your nut plates?

Here's the vinyl vacuum cap I was referring to...you can get them in various sizes at most auto parts stores

That's a pretty sweet setup... I think I'm going to do something similar, but use Starboard instead of wood.

Take a look at the Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger.  I like it a lot better than the Scotty Depthmaster.  I posted a description of the mount I made for the Cannon at http://www.yakfisher.net/smffiles/index.php?topic=9918.0 .  That posting is a cleaned-up version of an earlier posting I made on this forum.  Since I made the mount for the Cannon Lake-Troll, I haven't used the Depthmaster.

Pmmpete - Thanks for the heads up. I thought about the Lake-Troll, but I don't think it will be a good fit for me. I fish lefty, and like to troll off the port side. I think the position of the Lake-Troll's crank would be awkward if I mounted it on the port side.

Unless there's a way to dismantle the Lake-Troll and move the crank to the other side...

I actually had an idea earlier about how I could shorten the DR boom. Why not just replace the existing boom with a short piece of thick walled (type K) copper pipe with a couple elbows to relocate the pulley? See my artistic rendition below:



It turns out the 5/8" copper pipe has an O.D. of 3/4", so should be an easy swap for the existing boom. Should be rigid enough, but I could even reinforce it further by filling the pipe with some sort of stiff resin or epoxy to keep it from deforming.

That's an excellent idea for shortening the boom and raising the pulley on a Scotty Depthmaster.  It should work well, and would be a lot easier to construct than the somewhat elaborate system I built for raising the pulley on my Depthmaster. 

But shortening the boom on a Cannon Lake-Troll takes about ten minutes, and I think that the Cannon is easier to operate and has a better brake or clutch system than the Depthmaster.  On the Depthmaster, the brake is an all-or-nothing deal, and I have to push my thumb on the inside of the cable drum to control the descent of my downrigger weight.  On the Cannon Lake-Troll, I can control the speed that my downrigger weight is descending by feathering the clutch, which you do by turning the crank handle counter-clockwise.

There's always a trade off. If they made a Lake Troll with the crank on the other side, I'd be on it in a second...

Also, my Depthmaster's brake doesn't really feel like all or nothing. It is very "sensitive", but In my garage testing I've been able to control the speed of the drop by feathering the brake.

If they made a Lake Troll with the crank on the other side, I'd be on it in a second...

If you want to mount a downrigger on the left side of your kayak, you could mount a Lake-Troll pointing forward with the crank on the inside.  I corresponded with a guy who did that, and said it works fine.  He mounted the downrigger far enough to the left so that the crank handle and turning the crank didn't interfere with pedaling his Hobie.

Also remember that if you mount a Depthmaster on the left side of your kayak, the brake handle will be located on the front side of the downrigger, where it will be awkward to operate.

My DR needs to be on the port side.

Interesting idea. I think I saw that one.

Either way, I've already got the Depthmaster, so I'm gonna give it a shot. I think it'll work just fine for me.

If they made a Lake Troll with the crank on the other side, I'd be on it in a second...

If you want to mount a downrigger on the left side of your kayak, you could mount a Lake-Troll pointing forward with the crank on the inside.  I corresponded with a guy who did that, and said it works fine.  He mounted the downrigger far enough to the left so that the crank handle and turning the crank didn't interfere with pedaling his Hobie.

Also remember that if you mount a Depthmaster on the left side of your kayak, the brake handle will be located on the front side of the downrigger, where it will be awkward to operate.

Nangusdog said he relocated the brake handle to the other side. I'll probably do that, too.

Also, my Depthmaster's brake doesn't really feel like all or nothing. It is very "sensitive", but In my garage testing I've been able to control the speed of the drop by feathering the brake.

I have been told that you can adjust the brake on the Depthmasters by loosening or tightening the nuts on the big bolt which holds the cable drum to the base.  But I haven't been able to figure out how to adjust it.  On my Depthmaster, the weight is either stopped or in free fall.