DOWN RIGGERS ON A RANGER

[don]

I am getting a new ranger 617 thinking about putting down riggers on it where would you mount them. I did not see any ideal spots. Any sugestions?

[Rigde Runner]

I have a 620 and made a call to Ranger and the gentleman pulled up the boat on his computer and was able to tell me where to but the downriggers. So to get the best anwser call Ranger they know their boats the best. Rich

[Gunga Din]

Install stainless steel flushmount rod holders, then buy gimbal mounts for the downriggers. Then your boat still looks great with the riggers removed.

[don]

has anybody ever used these stainless steel flush mounts, with the gimbel for the down riggers. I just looked them up in cabelas looks like a good idea. Are the solid enough? thanks for the idea.

[SeaCat]

Have had both good and bad experiences with the rod holder/gimbal mount downrigger mounts. After a couple of boats I have found that they work well on some boats as long as you make sure of the following:

1) The flush mount rod holders need to be level to the water -- both front to back and side to side. Both can be a problem depending on your hull's design. Main problem is usually side to side as many boats have the top of the gunwale angle out to shead water. Also I would strongly recommend that they be oriented parallel to the centerline of the boat. If they angle to the quarters, it does not allow the riggers to be pivoted to the rear with the booms toward the stern when not in use (runs to and from port). This will limit the usefulness of the holders for other purposes but is best for rigger use.

2) The rod holders need to be the real good ones by Lee, Perko, Pompanette ,... ie: salt water style. If not, they are not strong enough -- especially the gimbal pin in the bottom -- to handle the torque of the rigger. A snug fit with the rigger mount is also important -- don't want the tube wiggling in the holder. Generally these holders are stainless and $60 - $100 each.

3) Thru bolt the rod holder in and use a backing plate -- don't just use screws. Again, there is too much torque when the 4' rigger boom is out with a 8 or 10# weight hanging off it. Then add in 2' waves ... could be ugly.

4) The rod holders need caps. If they don't, they are just a place where water can go directly into the gunwale. It will probably drain out, but water is supposed to stay on the outside of the hull and the caps really help keep it there when your not using the rod holders.

If you are really interested in removable riggers, I would suggest considering using tracks. The downrigger mounts to a "stand" that can be removed when not needed. On my boat I also have rod holders that slide into the tracks and are great for inline planer boards. If you are not using any accessories, a step plate slides in and covers up the track entirely. Tracks can be from 1' to 3' long to fit almost any situation. Tight Lock makes tracks and that is what I have -- another company has come out with some though which are thicker and better. Sorry I can't remember the name though.

Ryan

[rngrfshm]

I agree with Ryan. On my first Ranger I tried the flush mounts and after 6 years I started to develop hairline cracks around the mounts on both units/sides. I think there is to much movement even if it is securely fastened. I did what ryan did was went to a secondary mount system on my second Ranger using the removable ball design that cabelas has on a track. The flex of the downriggers on the track will prevent any flexing going to the bottom ball mount. This is easy to use as all you do is loosing up one screw on both balls and the hole top track comes off with your riggers. I got this information from many great lakes fisherman that are doing this very thing, and to them thanks for the information.

[Kale]

Be sure if you install flush mount rod holders,to get proper quick mount gimbals that match.
Perko rod holders are generall 25 degrees angle.
Lee mounts use longer and bigger diameter tubes and are normally 30 degrees.
A lee quick mount won't even fit into the perko rod holder , and a perko quick mount, when dropped into a lee rod holder often won't even reach the cross pin(some are deeper than others) , and if it does hit the pin it will be sloppy and the top plate will be angled at a 5 degree angle which would leave your downriggers rotating in an arc more like the plane of a golf club swing, when you rotate the swivel base. (that's exagerating, but you get the picture)
Perko rod holders and perko style quick mounts at 25 degrees are easiest to get and match up, although you must be careful as previously ststed to get good quality rod holders.
I've seen knock offs that actually use a molded plastic crosser in place of the cross pin, and while maybe OK for a fishing rod, won't last 5 minutes holding a downrigger.

Another option I've seen done is to mount a deck plate and swivel base onto the top of a seat stanchion and fish the downrigger off the side of the boat from that position.
Good luck