rigger question # 5

tubbed out

tubbed out

Active Member
a few questions for those of you who have mouinted riggers .

Taken a few weeks to get all the hardware together but im finnaly there.

SO

When mounting the flat mounting plate to the gunnel should I silicone them ???

I have a 60 inch and a 48 inch boom , that side should I put the longer ????

Wiring the sockets , do I make harness with the least amount of connections or is it better ro make an extra connection and have the fuse holder easier to get at ??? hope that makes sence ..

does is matter weather the fuse is at the gunnel end or by the battery ??

Thanks in advance I have been extra carefull in this install so I dont make the same mistakes as I did with my manuals . I want to get it right the first time

tubbed
 
When I mounted mine I used a square of teflon (3/8 " thick) for reinforcement to the gunwale proper and siliconed the finished effort.
I to have 48" and 60" arms and mounted the 60" arm on the kicker side to give you that extra distance from the leg when turning tightly , or being caught by the wind in a sharp turn away from the kicker side.
I kept the fuses in close to battery out of the weather.

AL
 
Put the fuse at the battery, as near as possible. If you had a short in the wire you want the fuse to blow so you don't start a fire. If the fuse is at the downriger, the wire becomes the fuse and turns red hot.

An exception would be if you have a fused heavy wire to a distribution block. The fuse to the downrigger would go at the distribution block.
 
makes sence thanks

attatching the 10 gauge wire to the female socket seems a little less slick than I thought it would be ,, am I missing something ????
 
It was a challenge from what I remember. If my memory is correct, I divided the #12 wire where it was bared into two parts, sort of like a "Y", and put the screw through the middle. Normally one would try to put it on one side and wrap it around he screw. I definitely was not able to use a ring lug on the wire and fit it into the socket base.
 
I ditched those expensive Quick-COnnects years ago. They always screw up, and giving your connector the "wiggle" when trying to bring up the line got tiring. First thing you have to do is put your riggers on a switch, the current running through them all the time speeds up corrosion. THe next thing I did was ignored Scotty's reccommendations on wiring, and followed ABYC for a 3% drop. From my breaker panel, I have big fat wires (4 guage), to terminal blocks mounted high and dry under the gunnel. I don't take my downriggers off a lot, BUT, I still can with a screwdriver if I need to. After doing that, I have not had to do a SINGLE SERVICE in 4 years for anything electrical, and this is using them HARD. And, not spending 80 bux every 6 months for new connectors does not hurt either. You can stuff the SCotty connectors with grease, di-electric grease, you may as well just shove Swiss Cheese in there for all the good it's going to do, as the electricity going through them is what kills them in a marine environment. Maybe if they had something with an O-ring like an outboard rigging cable, they'd last, but then they wouldn't get to sell the German made expensive plugs all the time, would they?

(BTW, they go up lot faster when they get FULL power instead of the necked down stuff they think you can shove through 12 guage wire). Look up ABYC wiring standards, and for the 25 amp draw they require you need MUCH heavier stuff then you could EVER get into a connector. For those of us with simple electrical systems, just put two 25 amp waterproof switches (Or better yet Breakers), on your rig, that what, when your downriggers are off, you don't have current going through your plugs and wrecking them, and you don't have to worry about replacing an in-line fuse somewhere in your bilge.


My $0.02
 
I solder all my connections even in lugs or crimp connectors then I use heat shrink - not the ordinary kind though I use shrink that has the glue on the inside - as you heat it the glue melts and the tube shrinks nicely. I also used 8 guage wire for a short run instead of a lighter guage you could also use 6 guage wire too. I put fuses near the battery as well out of the weather again I soldered the lugs on
 
LC, you use a larger wire from the battery to a breaker (a great idea), but what size wire actually goes from the breaker to the downrigger plug? As I recall, the posts on the plug are kinda small and awkward for attaching the wires.
 
LastChance hit the nail on the head. If you use the standard plugs in a marine environment with juice running to them constantly, you will be replacing conectors on a yearly basis. Same goes for your fishfinder... Install a power interupter switch or remove the fuses when the gear isn't in use.

Todd Rickard
Charter Fishing Prince Rupert B.C.
www.silversuncharters.com
 
quote:Originally posted by maddog

Scotty has a new plug out that seals allegidly? Looks like a better setup for sure.
Click to expand...

The only way to have a plug seal tottally is with a molded and and a postive-lock o-ring. However, since the other end will inevitbly be cut to be hooked to something, capilliary action will pull the water right up the line, and FZZZT. Or better yet, CLICK when you have that trophy fish on and two lines down at 100 ft!
 
I can only imagine the price on the new Scotty plugs, they do have an O-ring with a twist lock type fitting. I don't know if they are Bosch made like the old ones. I like to take my riggers off due to the theft last year at Cheanah, otherwise i would hardwire them in.
 
quote:I like to take my riggers off due to the theft last year at Cheanah
Click to expand...

Really? I and just about every boat in the marina left their riggers on our boats all season, I never heard of any theft? I always was a little nervous without a locking gate though.
 
My riggers are on all season, BUT, I have a pretty elaborate anti-theft system. It will take me half an hour to get 'em off and I KNOW how I got 'em on. I haven't seen any problems with the regular mounts going missing, they have video surveilance at Cheanuh now, and the guys they have down there seen pretty on the ball.
 
Yes they are very good with keeping an eye on things but a fellow forum member and guide was robbed of both riggers last season. I only had some flashers and some hali gear disappear. May have to weld some bolts on to the riggers this year.
 
if you're worried about theft, scotty has produced a series
of locks that will deter thieves.i just put some on my rigger's
look at their on line catalog.
 
I got two downriggers stolen.It was the first time I have been ripped off there.And i have been there for years.The survainlance video was too dark to see my boat.L.C. your boat is in good spot to see.those locks sounds good .
 
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