Stainless Steel Downrigger Spool

ship happens

ship happens

Crew Member
Available Now

Made in BC! Stainless Steel downrigger replacement spools. Engineered and built to last. No more cheap plastic factory spools breaking and warping or brakes failing. No more anodized aluminum that will corrode. These can handle heavy weights, lots of line, deploy faster, brake instantly and perform with precision and reliability to meet the demands of fishing in high production or for pleasure. They are an efficient and affordable solution that will keep you fishing instead of fixing or stuck waiting for parts.


316 stainless bottom plate / brake rotor, and hand spun solid Delrin spool insert. Edge finished for easy thumb feel.

*No dissimilar metals or heat issues between the rotor, brake pads or other areas of the drum itself.

*Installation is simple with instructions included and all hardware is included. Support is available, if necessary.

$150 each and available for pick-ups in Vancouver, Delta and Courtenay

Lifetime Warranty

I will personally warranty any purchased parts to the original purchaser against defective material when used for sport fishing as intended, under normal conditions.


Shipping available. Typically 15 dollars per pair to major areas across BC




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Last edited:
Whole in the Water said:
Good on ya! Be great if you could build one for use on manual counter downriggers (i.e. 1106’s). Is that in your future plans?
Click to expand...
I would expect I'll have a working prototype as soon as it calms down around here. That is the plan. For the 1106 guys and the guys who run manual counter addition to their 21s
 
chris73 said:
Please say again what is the advantage of these over the Scotty originals? It prevents splitting the spool? Anything else?
Click to expand...

Since all of the load is on the bottom half of the spool, it cracks and warps for a few reasons...



Original bottom half is brittle plastic that has not enough support, where the support is actually needed.

Braided line and heavy weights

The heat from the thin stainless brake plate underneath the spool further induces the warping and cracking.


We made it simple as possible to keep the cost down without sacrificing quailty of materials. In doing that we killed more than one bird with a stone. The entire bottom half is now a brake rotor. No more thin stainless brake plate. Not only will the spool not break, you get more performance in deploying faster and braking power. Which means you can use 20lb or higher cannonballs, heavier line, and stay fishing instead of fixing. Another advantage is you won't loose cannonballs everytime when getting hung up on ghost traps or bottom snags when using heavier gear.


The aluminum spools are just an insert. In that regard they are still using the top half of the spool/hub and the bottom thin stainless brake plate. In doing that your now mixing metals with heat and saltwater. These stainless spools will outlast and out perform and cost less.
 
Last edited:
chris73 said:
Please say again what is the advantage of these over the Scotty originals? It prevents splitting the spool? Anything else?
Click to expand...
Just to add, the stresses of running heavier downrigger balls will stress the stock Scotty spools, these have excelled even when snagged to a ghost trap or snagged bottom
The heat is detrimental on those thin plates under the Scotty spools, warpage and heat will transfer to the brittle plastic and even those pretty alum ones, would love to see a head to head test for comparison
The braking is so positive, no need to feather the spool due to the thick 3/16, 316 stainless
 
kanuckle head said:
Just to add, the stresses of running heavier downrigger balls will stress the stock Scotty spools, these have excelled even when snagged to a ghost trap or snagged bottom
The heat is detrimental on those thin plates under the Scotty spools, warpage and heat will transfer to the brittle plastic and even those pretty alum ones, would love to see a head to head test for comparison
The braking is so positive, no need to feather the spool due to the thick 3/16, 316 stainless
Click to expand...
Are you going to drill them out the same way a high-performance brake rotor is drilled? Would that be an advantage to help with the cooling? Or would holes hold water and get the pads wet, which would affect the braking?

Now that you have strengthened what you consider the weak link, is it possible that you have just transferred the weak link to another part of the downrigger?
 
Aquaholic said:
Are you going to drill them out the same way a high-performance brake rotor is drilled? Would that be an advantage to help with the cooling? Or would holes hold water and get the pads wet, which would affect the braking?

Now that you have strengthened what you consider the weak link, is it possible that you have just transferred the weak link to another part of the downrigger?
Click to expand...


There's no need for vents with the plate thickness and diameter and the surface area of the pads themselves. That would imo be over engineered and could potentially cause unwanted issues. No need honestly

We built a spool that won't break. That has improved braking. You will 100 percent break a boom off or a swivel base before the spool can ever be damaged. No question. That's not really an issue here. I would imagine if that happens your obviously not paying attention to the boat itself.
 
Whole in the Water said:
Great to hear that you now make these for 1106's! What would you charge to ship 2 to Victoria?
Click to expand...
Shipping is cheap. Under 20 clams. Don't forget about the give away! It could magically appear on your doorstep!

Admin

Thread 'A Thanksgiving Give Away!'

With fall approaching and Thanksgiving on the horizon, someone is going to be extra thankful when they win this new to the market stainless steel downrigger spool!
Check out the details on the product in the Tackle Box forum (Click Here) and then get ready to enter the prize draw. To be entered into the draw, you simply have to tell us why you need or deserve to win this great prize package. Be creative in your response...tell us where and how you like to fish, why you think this product will benefit you, and share a picture of your rig, your setup, or a fish or two!

The draw...​
  • Like
  • Love
 
Update:


10% off a set, from Black Friday until Christmas, for all members of Sport Fishing BC. I am also offering 10% off to Crew Members, from now through all of 2025.

Anyone who entered the Thanksgiving Giveaway will still get 10% off until the end of the month.

Don't forget to watch closely during the Crew Members 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway as there might be a couple of heavy things near the bottom of that gift bag.
 
Whole in the Water said:
I just tried out my new stainless steel downrigger spools this weekend and they work great. The braking on these new spools is amazing!!
Click to expand...

I know, super happy with mine.

Thought I’d share my post that I made in the Thanksgiving Giveaway again

I installed a set this week, then went out to give them a go.

I sanded the brake pads for a fresh start, installation was really easy. Never knew the Scotty spool was actually 3 pieces besides all the additional hardware and the magnet. Here I thought I knew everything about Scotty downriggers.

Anyways, I took a 9/16 wrench out with me and tuned the downriggers, as was suggested to me. They both now operate exactly the same. I pull back the brake 1.5-2” and they run smoothly and quietly descending and the retrieval was just as silent and smooth. Like my 2106’s were when they were original. They no longer sound like a 20 year old set of dual belts.

My brake handles are precise on the retrieve and no longer make a bunch of noise as they slop around back and forth making a clacky noise (you all know what I mean), As soon as my auto stop kicks in the brake is engaged immediately.

What I don’t understand is why hasn’t this been done before.

I feel I’ve done well, I don’t foresee any issues and Seth (Ship Happens) promised to warranty all of his provided parts. Only $270 for a set after getting 10% off. Seth spent time with me on the phone and sent me pictures. He went over and above.

I almost went aluminum, would have been $450 out the door. Still using the floating somewhat stainless steel plate as a brake, set up against anodized aluminum and salt water without a barrier. It’s just doesn’t make sense to me now. Think about it. Though I do like the colors that are available they could match my Islanders. This had me thinking about my Islanders I need to strip the line off of them and clean the residue seasonally and they still get corrosion. I just think this is a superior product and I THANK YOU. @ship happens

I look forward to the Black Friday sale as I will be purchasing a couple of more sets.

Thanks Again,
 
Tomic Slayer said:
I know, super happy with mine.

Thought I’d share my post that I made in the Thanksgiving Giveaway again

I installed a set this week, then went out to give them a go.

I sanded the brake pads for a fresh start, installation was really easy. Never knew the Scotty spool was actually 3 pieces besides all the additional hardware and the magnet. Here I thought I knew everything about Scotty downriggers.

Anyways, I took a 9/16 wrench out with me and tuned the downriggers, as was suggested to me. They both now operate exactly the same. I pull back the brake 1.5-2” and they run smoothly and quietly descending and the retrieval was just as silent and smooth. Like my 2106’s were when they were original. They no longer sound like a 20 year old set of dual belts.

My brake handles are precise on the retrieve and no longer make a bunch of noise as they slop around back and forth making a clacky noise (you all know what I mean), As soon as my auto stop kicks in the brake is engaged immediately.

What I don’t understand is why hasn’t this been done before.

I feel I’ve done well, I don’t foresee any issues and Seth (Ship Happens) promised to warranty all of his provided parts. Only $270 for a set after getting 10% off. Seth spent time with me on the phone and sent me pictures. He went over and above.

I almost went aluminum, would have been $450 out the door. Still using the floating somewhat stainless steel plate as a brake, set up against anodized aluminum and salt water without a barrier. It’s just doesn’t make sense to me now. Think about it. Though I do like the colors that are available they could match my Islanders. This had me thinking about my Islanders I need to strip the line off of them and clean the residue seasonally and they still get corrosion. I just think this is a superior product and I THANK YOU. @ship happens

I look forward to the Black Friday sale as I will be purchasing a couple of more sets.

Thanks Again,
Click to expand...
I also think that the price we're being offered is extremely generous and won't last long. These should be at par or more than the Njords.
 
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