Outrigger advice

[Russell]

Pitou, I see that you have the very nice Lee junior outriggers. Did you have to remove the hand rails to put on the wishbone holders? There is a removable panel inside that area but I have not taken it off to see what is behind it. Do the mounting bolts fit behind it or do they show on the inside? Do you have a backing plate? If anyone has another type of outrigger that they would recommend, let me know. Thanks.

[Pitou]

I have the Rupp Sidekicks with 18ft poles w/ 1 spreader. This set-up was recommended to me by Standish Boatyard in Tiverton,RI. They sold me my boat. JackK has the same set-up and I believe they did his install.

I did remove the stainless grab rails, but they could be left on. The panel inside the pilot house can be removed and there is plenty of room to mount a backing plate and be able to reinstall the panel leaving a nice clean job. I had the backing plate cut from stainless by a local fabricator. For me, finding the right angle for the riggers was the difficult part. I think they came out pretty good. The local tackle shop has seen me coming up the river and commented on what a fine job and a nice line . He grew up in a family that owned a boatyard catering to the big sportfish guys and building customs so I value his opinion.

CIMG0907 (800x600).jpg

Side Kick backing plates.bonded.jpg

Rupp Side Kick 18Ft. Poles . 1 Spreader.jpg

[Russell]

Pitou, thanks for the quick response. Yes the outriggers look great on your boat. I have been admiring it for many months. A 90 degree side view would be good to help me match the angle. It looks like you followed the angle of the roof support. I got the rod holders you recommended for the radar arch from River Marine and they have the Lee juniors for $749. The Rupps are quite a bit more and I do not see much difference between the two. Lee juniors also appear on eBay from time to time.

[JackK]

Pitou is correct, I have the same Rupp Sidekick outriggers.
Mine were installed by the dealer (Standish Boat Yard) prior to delivery. I haven't had any issues with mine.

Jack

[Mariner]

The purpose of these outriggers is simply to dangle birds for stability in rough seas, or do they have some sort of fishing related use?

Out here, only the most serious of offshore commercial boats carry outriggers. And even then, it's only the very few who take smaller boats out into the worst of conditions.

It's always been my impression that our offshore conditions were much more dangerous up here, so I'm preplexed as to why I see so many on what seem to be boats that wouldn't go out in any sort of rough seas.

[JackK]

The outriggers allow you to put more lures / bait in the water without tangling. We run 2 lines from the forward rod holders out to release clips on the outriggers. Two more lines are run from the rear rod holders straight back.

The whole point is to mimic a school of bait being chased. We use splash bars (birds) with mirrors to generate even more attraction.

Blue fin tuna are the primary use for the outriggers on my boat.

I think I have a picture of the spread behind the boat. I'll look for one.

Jack

[Pitou]

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[Mariner]

Interesting. I guess the reason you don't see them up here is because you generally aren't allowed to run more than a couple lines off a boat at at time anyway. The more common method is to place them at different depths using downriggers.

We fish mostly Salmon and Halibut up here.

[Russell]

Thanks Pitou. The wishbone mounts are probably the best but that grounding wire is giving me second thoughts. I always wonder about that practice for lightening protection. I always heard that a car is safe in a thunderstorm because it is not grounded and the charge is looking for a route to ground. In addition a friend with an identical sailboat to mine bonded everything for protection and he has been hit twice. Even if the bonding did not attract the lightening, each time all the electronics were fried, so I am not sure what help the bonding does. If you get hit will it blow out the rudder and sink the boat?

[Pitou]

electronics were fried, so I am not sure what help the bonding does. If you get hit will it blow out the rudder and sink the boat?

Hopefully the bonding will ground or isolate the damage. I would rather replace a piece of electronics or two than go to a funeral. No guarantees. Might it blow out the rudder post / maybe / hope not. Keep a bung handy along with a rubber mallet.
Ask 10 different guys what is the best way and get 10+ different answers. I followed the advice of my boat mechanic and did some reading. The outriggers will come with the manufacture's warning about lightning and leave you on your own to figure something out. I ran the wire under the cover boards to the stern and then down to the rudder. I saw 2 boats get hit this summer. On one the VHF antenna got hit / sizzle, crackle, smoke / VHF, radar and one bilge pump fried. The other boat was struck through an outrigger pole (not bonded) and half the wheelhouse blew off. Holy crap batman!

Give yourself a chance and bond those poles somehow and when on board lay them down when the lightning comes around.